Summer Activities for Tweens

These summer activities for tweens and teens will help make the long days of summer fun and exciting for both you and your kids.

Older and younger kids regularly talk about how much they can’t wait for summer. But by the second week, they’re often bored and don’t know how to fill their days.

That’s why it’s important to have some ideas ready for when they’re needed. Planning ahead is key for keeping kids happy during summer vacation.

Tween girl wearing mirrored sunglasses in a sprinkle donut floatie in a pool

I’m not saying you should fill their calendar so full that they don’t have any downtime. Just like us, they need time to rest and recharge from their busy school year.

But you also don’t want them to spend so much time on their screens that they miss everything else. The goal is somewhere between them lying around all day and running constantly.

Don’t forget that summer is also a great opportunity to spend time together as a family.

Use this list of 50 fun summer activities to sprinkle some excitement in to your family’s summer schedule.

Summer Planning with Tweens and Teens

There are plenty of ways to keep your kids busy and engaged during their vacation, but you’ll want a plan.

Because, let’s be honest, if you leave them to figure everything out for themselves, they’ll most likely spend their days in front of a screen or constantly saying, “I’m bored.”

However, it’s crucial that you let your tweens and teens be involved in the planning. You know that if you just hand kids this age a set schedule of activities, they won’t be happy.

Older kids want to feel like they have some control over how they spend their vacation and that their opinion matters.

So, walk through this list together (or better yet, download the free pdf) and choose activities that sound fun to them. Just make sure they’re workable for your whole family.

Use the list as your whole planning tool or as a jumping off point for their creative ideas. Along with all the fun things they love to do, encourage them to try some new things.

Once you know what they want to do over the break, you can schedule some into your calendar and leave others to be picked up when they need to fill a summer afternoon.

With this list, you’ll have no trouble planning out a summer bucket list everyone will be excited about.

Light palm tree background, bright yellow circle top left, product image bottom left

Summer Activities for Tweens

These 50 fun activities are a great way for middle schoolers and families to spend the summer months. There’s plenty of indoor and outdoor activities to choose from!

Build a giant slip and slide on a hot summer day
Have a Nerf gun battle
Make a marshmallow launcher
Play outdoor games like badminton or bocce ball
Learn a new sport
Go on a hike
Build a fort (inside or outside) – you’ve got an old sheet or two, right?
Go on a photo scavenger hunt
Have a water balloon fight or a water fight
Go to the beach, pool, or lake on a hot day
Complete a cool science experiment
Do a summer puzzle
Make ice cream
Build a fire and make s’mores
Have a movie marathon
Go camping at a state park or one of the national parks if you’re able
Volunteer together
Learn how to bake – it’s a yummy way to learn new life skills
Raise butterflies
Make a quick art project
Relax in a hammock
Play flashlight tag
Read under a tree (then climb it!)
Go to a water park or theme park
Go bowling
Try birdwatching
Cook a new recipe
Build an obstacle course in your own backyard
Read a book together as a family – this is a fun way for you to share your favorite books
Take an online class
Learn a new language
Go to a museum
Collect supplies for your local animal shelter
Watch a movie outside – what a cool family movie night!
Play frisbee golf
Make a craft – here are some summer crafts tweens will love
Play video games
Go to a baseball game
Have a Just Dance battle
Be a tourist for a day in your hometown
Plan a theme night with neighbors
Go on a bike ride
Play a card game or one of your favorite board games
Ride go karts
Plant a Garden
Play mini golf
Go stargazing
Play Summer Pictionary
Build an ice cream sundae bar
Go on a nature scavenger hunt

Don’t forget to download your pdf and use the activities to make sure your tweens and teens have a great time during their summer break. These boredom busters will help your middle schoolers plan a summer to remember!

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Megan Zechman

I love homeschooling! Learning is a way of life for our family. Most days you will find us exploring our Central Florida community, having fun while learning. I am constantly looking for new and interactive ways to engage my older children.