Our Summer Essentials

Every year when summer rolls around, I spend a lot of time thinking about how I can make the most of it. I’m really lucky to have the ability to work from home and control my schedule, so I can really enjoy time with the kids. But, at the same time, I also have to actually get work done on occasion. Which means I need to gather some summer essentials so they stay entertained without a lot of input from me. I always find it to be a tad stressful as I prepare for summer. I always worry we’ll get bored three days in and I won’t accomplish a single thing all summer long.

But, every year I feel like I fall in love with summer all over again. I love the slow and lazy days, I love the extra time with my boys, and I love the spontaneous fun we always find ourselves having.

As someone who thrives on routine and structure, I like to go into summer fully prepared with a solid collection of things to keep the kids busy and happy. So, I thought today I’d share a few of my summer essentials that help guarantee no one loses their minds before the fourth of July.

Our Top Summer Essentials

1. Brain Quest Workbooks

That’s right, I’m one of those mean moms that likes to make sure their kids brains stay active all summer long! It’s so easy to fall into the trap of sitting around watching tv all day, but it’s so easy to grab a few things that will be fun and educational for the kids.

Ever year, I grab some Summer Brain Quest workbooks for the kids. We’ve been buying these workbooks every summer since the year before Jackson started kindergarten! They’re always a huge hit. The kids think they’re a blast to work on, and I love that it’s a fully educational activity that keeps them busy for a few minutes every day. Absolute must-have. We even set up a system so that they get a Sonic drink as a treat every time they complete a level.

2. Puzzles

Nothing better than setting the kids up with a big puzzle and letting them go to town! It’s a great activity for afternoons when it’s too hot to play outside and everyone has had too much tv. I find that 100 piece puzzles are great for my 5-year-old, and my 10 year old seems to find 300 pieces to be his sweet spot. Sometimes I’ll bust out a big 500-piece (or even a 1,000-piece) puzzle for the whole family to work on! This is a really fun set of puzzles!

3. Paint by Numbers

My kids have watched me do a lot of paint by numbers in the last few years, and they really wanted to join in on the fun. Thankfully, there are so many great options for kids! This is the set I grabbed for Grant this year. It has four canvases that are simple enough that he can do it but complex enough that he can’t do it in one sitting. It’s a perfect balance!

4. Our Screen Time Checklists

I’m big on keeping a routine during the summer, so the kids have checklists to complete every day. We use this reusable to-do list to keep track, and they have to complete the full checklist each day before they have screens. It’s a great way to encourage them to do some different things throughout the day, and they actually like the structure (even if they complain sometimes).

5. A Good Pool Bag!

We spend a lot of time at the pool in the summer. For the last few years, I’ve had a hard time finding a bag that really works for us. This year, I grabbed this Bogg bag dupe and it is a GAME CHANGER for me! It keeps me so organized, it holds so much, and I’m truly madly and deeply in love with it. You can click here to see the accessories that I got to go with it, too. It’s a bit of a splurge for a pool bag, but I personally find it to be worth every penny.

6. Games

We can’t get through summer without some games for the whole family to play! Corey and I haaaate playing a lot of the typical kid games (I’d rather eat a frog than play a round of Candyland). So, we like to find some more unique ones. Here are some favorites:

• We love Rack-O for a quick game that everyone loves. Even our 5 year old can keep up!
• Sequence is one of Jackson’s favorites to play, but it’s fun enough for us that we play it without him sometimes, too!
• Ticket to Ride is a classic, easy-to-learn family game. It says it’s for ages 8+, but I’d say kids as young as 5 or 6 can probably get the hang of it!
• Zingo – it’s Bingo, but with sight words and other educational stuff. The kids won’t even need you to join in!
• Quirkle is super easy to learn, so even younger kids can play. But, it’s got a fair amount of strategy. So, it’s fun for the adults, too!
• Sushi Go was a favorite of ours before we ever introduced Jackson to it. And now, it’s a favorite for all of us! It’s a really simple card game where you’re trying to collect the best plate of sushi, and it’s always a huge hit.

If you want more fun game ideas that the kids will love, click here for a ton more!

7. A Good Sprinkler Toy

I don’t know about your kids, but my kids love a sprinkler toy in the summer! We have a pool in our neighborhood but sometimes I just don’t feel like gathering up the stuff and heading out there. We love something like this – the kids will play in it for such a long time! Something like this looks like a ton of fun, too.

8. Water Balloons

Speaking of playing with water…is it even summer if you don’t have a water balloon fight or two?! We love to buy a few packs of these easy-to-fill water balloons. They go fast, so we only have one or two big fights a summer, but the kids love it so so much. We try to save these for when we have some friends over, to really maximize the fun! These reusable water balloons are a lot of fun, too.

9. Some Fun Activity Books

In addition to having the BrainQuest books, I try to gather a few other activity books that can keep the kids busy when it’s too hot to send them outside. My kids love the Highlights Hidden Pictures! The hidden pictures are always their favorite part of the Highlights magazine, and it’s just a book full of ’em! Paint by Sticker books are always a hit, too.

10. A Ton of Sidewalk Chalk

I love to grab a big ol’ box of sidewalk chalk to last us all summer long. I even love to get out there with the kids to fill the driveway up with some creative designs! Chalk is such a classic summer activity, and it’s something I find our kids gravitating to a lot. Bonus points if you add a chalkboard to your fence, too!

11. A Tie Dye Kit

Another quintessential summer activity! We tie dye shirts every year with a tie dye kit like this one, and the kids always look forward to it so much. I grab them a pack of cheap undershirts from Target to tie dye, and they wear them all year long. It’s genuinely one of my very favorite summer traditions!

12. Popsicle Molds

And finally, we love to keep some popsicle molds on hand to let the kids make their own popsicles! I remember doing this when I was a kid, and they always get so excited to try their creations! It’s a great way to control what’s going into their sweet treats, and it’s a simple activity that they’ll be so excited to try.

One more bonus tip? Make sure you have a library card! We hit up the library every single week during the summer to stock up on books for them to read all week long, and it’s a free fun activity that they love. Our local library always does a really fun, elaborate reading program in the summer too, with lots of story times and fun activities!

And that’s a few of the things we love to have around this time of year! If you’re still looking for ideas to keep your kids busy, click here for more ideas. I’ve got craft kits, games, pool toys, and more!