From Water Gun Painting to DIY Elephant Toothpaste, Here Are the Best Summer Kids' Activities Trending on TikTok
It’s that time of the summer for many of us—the kids are starting to get sick of the backyard, the "yay summer" enthusiasm you had at the very beginning of June is lost, and your kids are b-o-r-e-d with a capital B. It’s gorgeous outside, and the battle with screentime is testing your patience. If you are like me, you are desperately looking for fun and easy kid activities that they can do outside to keep them occupied for a while. I took to TikTok to find the best activities to keep kids busy during the summer and rounded up the best kid activities that are trending on TikTok.
Best Kids Activities on TikTok
Dinosaur puzzle
Kids love hand-painting crafts, and this is a creative idea that makes a craft that kids can play with in the future—a double win. Putting together some popsicles and using a handprint to make a dinosaur is a great idea, and then the kids can play around with it to make a puzzle. You can make this more difficult but changing the size of the popsicle stick and allowing your kids to make the details on the dinosaur.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Digging
Kids of all ages love digging, especially if they are digging for jewels. This video shows buckets of dirt with fun rocks thrown in. Give the kids a shovel, a strainer and some water, and let them go to work. This will keep the kids busy, and you can fill the bucket with gems, rocks or figurines—kids will love being surprised by what they can dig up.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Related: 125 Things to Do With Kids
Digging through ice
On really warm days instead of digging through dirt, your kids may want to dig through ice, where they can use different tools or warm water in squirt guns to try and "free" all the goodies stuck in the ice cube. There are two different variations to this activity, you can freeze one large tray allowing kids to work together, or you can use balloons to make each child their own ice cube to dig through.
View the original article to see embedded media.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Related: 50 Best Indoor and Outdoor Toys for Kids
Letter tracing
Many kids want a break for summer so getting them to practice their letters without them even realizing it is a huge win! This video shows how a child will use rocks to make letters but you can expand this activity by encouraging your child to use flowers or sticks. This will allow them to search the yard for materials and then come back to practice making their letters.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Related: TikTok Cleaning Hacks
Water gun paint
This activity is best done in swimwear! Who doesn’t love using a water gun?! Imagine giving your child a water gun and a canvas, telling them to go for it. They will love the opportunity to see how the colored water falls down the canvas allowing them to make art, and then afterward they can jump through the sprinklers and completely clean off.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Ice cube painting
Painting is always a big hit in my house! I had never thought about making ice cubes into painting brushes. This is easy to make and easy for kids to use, no need for a water cup to clean your brush, all you need is some food coloring, an ice tray and a few popsicle sticks.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Related: TikTok Kitchen Hacks
Tie-dye for motor skills
Tie-Dye for me always seems so overwhelming! Last year I had tie-dye shirts available for my son’s birthday party instead of favors and it was a huge hit! The kids were so excited, they took their time and many of the participants are still wearing their shirts. This video shows how the different elements of tie-dying can help increase a young one’s motor skills. If you are apprehensive about tie-dye I encourage you to give it a try, we did it outside and it wasn’t as bad as I imagined.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Elephant toothpaste
These days, I'm more willing to run some science experiments. Anything that grows/explodes is amazing in my kids' minds. This elephant toothpaste is a shorter activity but something that your kids will keep talking about.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Related: TikTok Skincare Hacks
Flamingo Ring Toss/Frisbee Golf
This TikTok pulls together several great activities, many of which can be put together with things already in your garage. I love the idea of playing frisbee golf using tomato wire containers and laundry baskets, making them portable. While frisbee golf may seem difficult for young children, I can assure you my young kids love just trying it. The flamingo ring toss is just adorable, and will certainly make an appearance at my next barbecue.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Wagon of fun
I hate a mess, and I hate having toys splashed across my lawn, but I also feel like if it's not raining, kids should be outside. This mom came up with a great way to use a wagon to store all the outside toys. Having all the options in one central location will enable the kids to review all their toy options and get creative. She used all the pockets with things the kids would typically be running in and out of the house for. I love how organized this is and I’m sure it helps increase outside play.
View the original article to see embedded media.
One last thing
I was really inspired by this video because I think it is accurate. My list of things that I’m motivated to do is always going to differ from my kids, frankly even from my husband. It’s important to remember what is important to me isn’t necessarily important to them, and that’s OK. Communication can always improve your day as a family, so I like starting the day with a list of want-to’s and need-to’s. It serves as a great opportunity to get everyone on the same page.
View the original article to see embedded media.
Next up, check out scavenger hunt ideas for kids.
