Kids Summer Activities for Family Parties

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Backyard barbecues, pool parties, roasting smores - summer was made for family gatherings. But in order for you to sit and talk with loved ones in peace, something has to keep your little ones entertained and content. Here’s a big list of toddler-friendly summer activities.

Keep it cool in the pool

Summer temps and water activities are a match made in heaven. Kiddie pools, splash pads and sprinklers are always a good time for kids of almost any age. Just be sure to always keep an eye on your water babies when they are in a pool.

Another favorite activity is a water table. Plop a toddler down in front of a container of shallow water with some plastic cups, and they will have such a good time just scooping and dumping the water everywhere.

P.S. Our knit hooded towels work just as well for splash time as they do for bath time!

Encourage creativity

Your little nugget only makes indistinguishable scribbles now, but who knows? One day they could become a budding artist. Innately talented or not, arts and crafts are still a good way to keep them entertained. 

Bring a pack of sidewalk chalk with you to the family gathering, or some crayons and coloring sheets. Playdough also can provide literally minutes of fun, as long as someone is keeping a close enough eye to make sure nobody eats it.

Bubble fun

Oh boy, do babies love bubbles. But you probably don’t want to stand there using all your lung capacity on blowing bubbles. Enter: the bubble machine. These things crank out a magical number of bubbles in seconds, and really are quite cheap. We say it’s worth the $20 investment.

Sensory activities

Sensory play is important to your little one’s development, and can also be a great quiet activity in the moments of downtime. 

A DIY sensory bin is great for encouraging sensory play, and is pretty easy to make. You can use all kinds of things to make the bin, like sand, sprinkles, dried beans and small toys. Again, enough supervision is needed here to make sure they don’t try to eat the sand or stick a bean up their nose.

Alternatively, you could make a big bowl of jello and bury some teething rings and pacifiers inside. Set them up on a tarp or easy-to-clean surface and let them go to town smashing through the squishy jello. 

Or put some oil, water and food coloring in a securely sealed ziplock bag. You get the idea by now. There are tons of easy options for sensory play!

The good news is, with your family around you, there’s bound to be others that want to cuddle and play with your little nugget. While it doesn’t hurt to have a few activities prepared to pull out when needed, chances are the tiny tot will have plenty of attention and playmates. So don’t stress about entertaining them too much, and enjoy the time with your family!