Fun Things to Do in the Summer At Home
If you are looking for some fun things to do at home in the summer, this post is for you! Try some of these summer activities at home that you love to do this year! This summer is a good time to get things done that I always put off and don’t seem to have time for, but now making a plan helps me squeeze time in!
So, for those of us who are choosing a summer staycation, I have a few ideas to help. I am also interested in your ideas, so I need your help to share what you are going to do when you are “summering at home.”
So, What to do in the summer at home? First on the agenda, make your home a summer oasis!
Create Your Own Summering at Home Oasis
Plants
Set up your summering place—you might even call this your summer nest. It might be on a party, patio, apartment balcony, or even inside next to a window. Make your summer place lovely, relaxing, cozy, and something that you love. Use items that you already have at home or get something new if you like. You can even upcycle. You can do so much with some clothing dye or paint and even thread and fabric.
Move one of your existing plants to your oasis, treat yourself to one, or even start some seeds for your oasis plants.
Found Object Lantern Using Jar
Strings of lights and pretty lanterns are great but adding some of these jars with collections makes things interesting!
I have been collecting some cool jars that you have recycled and collected. Add some of your favorite collections to your jars, like seashells, mosaic glass/sea glass, buttons, stone collection, and marbles. Add solar lights or even a tea candle to your jar. I keep the lids on my jars when I am not using the “jar lanterns.” I even carry my jars inside until I use them again.
Another cool jar lantern idea is a jar full of pennies. I think it would be beautiful to see the copper glisten at night.
Another summer tip that I want to share is that artificial lights all evening are not so healthy for lightning bugs, so keep evening lights to a minimum and use them less frequently. Here is a link with some tips to help lightning bugs healthy:
Chair
I love Adirondack and wicker, but my heart goes out to metal lawn chairs. Both of my grandmothers had a set. They are a little more comfortable with a pillow.
Pillows
You may have some outdoor pillows to decorate your oasis, but if not, you can bring in some of your favorite pillows from indoors as long as you bring them in when you come in. You can also make some fun pillows from items around your house.
Rug
I love the longevity of outdoor rugs in my oasis, but if you can temporarily bring out a favorite rug when you go inside, it makes your space comfortable and cozy.
Serving Tray
A serving tray is handy if you are bringing a cool drink or snack to your summer oasis. It can also be helpful to bring a book, a craft, a deck of cards, or another game.
Tables
Whether it is a picnic table for meals or a side table to put your serving tray on, tables come in handy when you are outside. You can also turn over a large empty pot and make a table.
Plan Some Fun Summer Activities at Home For Adults
Having some fun summer activities helps pass the time and distract us from concerns.
Outdoor Summer Activities At Home
Plan some fun stuff to do in the summer at home. A picnic table for board games and cards is a treat unless it is windy. We also love to grill outside. Outdoor games like croquet, horseshoes, outdoor bowling, volleyball, or badminton can provide lots of enjoyment.
Summer Indoor Activities that Can be Taken Outside
Good books
There is nothing like reading a good book while relaxing in a comfortable chair, and if you can do it outside, that is all the better. Here are some good book lists that you might enjoy checking out:
Sketch Pad
You might not have sketched since childhood but now is a great time to get inspired again. You might even explore a coloring book.
Jig Saw Puzzles
I would not recommend a jigsaw puzzle outside because I would lose the pieces, but this is a great indoor activity that you might enjoy when you are looking for a little self-nurturing.
Journal
For some, keeping a diary and journaling during this time can be very therapeutic. Others may feel inspired to write music, poetry, or even stories.
Craft
This is one of my favorites. I am inspired by embroidery, knitting, and sewing. I have a group of friends that I get together with once a month to craft. During the pandemic, we have moved our group online.
Musical instrument
I think about my husband here because both he and my son play guitar. It is fun to play and hear live music outside and it is a great stress reliever. It can bring joy to our lives!
Movies
This can be a fun activity inside and out. For something different, throw a blanket on the ground, have a picnic, and watch a movie outside.
Summer Staycation Attire
Here are some ideas in the summer for cool things to wear!
Loose and Flowing Outfit
You can wear anything you want when you are at home but to make it fun, plan a few things to wear. How about a summer caftan? They are comfortable and cool plus I also think that they are cute. Not everyone has a sewing machine but here are some ways to make one simply.
You can find lots of fabric online, but you may also have a tablecloth, curtain, or something else around the house that can be upcycled into your new caftan.
Here is an easy no pattern caftan that you can easily make.
And if you do not have a sewing machine, try using some of these “no sew” methods to put your caftan together.
Summer Hair Accessories
Whether it is headbands, summer hats, or hair clips, these are necessities when the weather gets hot and humid, and for some of us, it can be difficult to get a haircut.
If you do not have any cool hats, here is a fun post about making some paper hats with newspaper
Staycation Sunglasses
You need some of these to make things fun and to protect your eyes. Even if you paint or decorate an old pair. Here is some inspiration from Buzz Feed.
Staycation Summer Sandals
Sandals are an important part of your attire for summering at home so your feet are protected
You can add earrings, lipstick, and paint your toes—whatever you need to add for your staycation outfit.
Summer Ideas for Kids
For those of us with kids, my kids are my grandkids and sometimes they do come over for some fun summer activities for kids at home. Here are a few of the fun things to do in the summer at home:
- Water Activities:
This may be a sprinkler, water toys, or a slip-and-slide. If you live in an apartment, it might be a tub with water toys. Our grandkids love to fill the watering can from the rain barrel to water the plants.
Adult supervision is important for kids with water, fire, or any time. - Outdoor games:
A few of these include a hula hoop, pogo, outdoor swing, kiddie pool, croquet, putt-putt, obstacle course, hopscotch, and things for a scavenger hunt that are fun to have on hand. - Provide a creative outlet:
Make a crafting corner for kids to make things. It can be chalk art. Our kids love decorating balloons and tossing them around. We have even taken playdough out on the porch for easy cleanup! - Building a Fire In the Fire Pit:
Sitting around the fire is a great time for camp songs or ghost stories. There is nothing like roasting a marshmallow and making S’mores. Check out the link below for my recipe for grilled fruit S’mores.
Summering at Home with Cool Summer Food and Beverages
Now that you have your ambiance for your oasis, your summering attire, and your staycation summer activities, it is time to plan some delicious things to eat. We like to eat cool meals in the summer.
Grilled Fruit S’mores
Grilled Smores with Chocolate (vineripenutrition.com)
Cool Summer Desserts
Icebox cakes, Frozen Pies, Ice Cream Sandwiches, Sorbets, and Popsicles are delicious ways to stay cool. Here are a few yummy ideas for cool sweets.
3 Cool Summer Popsicles
Fruit Popsicle Recipes Cool Summer Desserts For the next few weeks, I am honoring the cool and refreshing foods of summer which include fruit popsicle recipes. I sharing these recipe ideas to help save you time throwing together meal and recipe ideas so you can be doing other things thinking about other stuff and staying … Continue reading
Cool Summer Meals
Lunch and supper can be cool and refreshing. Here are some easy and delicious supper ideas that are great for a staycation. Whether you’re looking for cool summer salads or sandwiches, the blog post below has a lot of delicious, healthy summer menu ideas.
Cool Summer Beverages
Picnic List Ideas
https://vineripenutrition.com/4-perfect-picnic-menu-ideas
Other Fun Summer Fun Summer Activities At Home
Here are some additional ideas for fun summer activities at home from Country Living Magazine for fun things to do at home when you are planning “Summering At Home.” I love all of these suggestions.
Here are some of the suggestions that I am most excited to try right now:
- Hanging a rope swing and/or hammock
- Making a cool soup
- I also love the decorating ideas
I hope that these activities to do in the summer at home make this time of year more enjoyable. It also may help you with kid activities for summer camp at home!
Here are Bobbi and me with our summer hats. I hope this post has given you some ideas of all the fun things to do at home in the summer. I wish you the best and fun summer ever!
