Hello, summer! With the warmer weather and the end of the school year upon us, it’s time to gear up on all the must have summer essentials for kids!
Summer essentials include everything you need to keep your kids cool, occupied, and busy having fun all summer long!
Everyone already knows about the need for sunscreen, bug-sprays, sunglasses, and bathing suits, of course. But what else?
Summer Essentials #1: Hydrate
Summertime means HEAT! So the first priority is to keep everyone hydrated. In our house, we’ve been making an effort to ditch plastics, so I’ve been in love with Stainless steel and silicone water bottles.
My current fav is the Ello Oasis Stainless Steel Tumbler. It comes in really pretty pastel colors for summer, keeps water wonderfully cold, goes into the dishwasher, and is absolutely spill-proof! Plus, it holds a lot of water but is made to fit into a car cup holder – a huge plus! My 10-year old daughter is heads-over-heels for this water bottle! And it’s the perfect size for adults, too. Plus, they have smaller, slimmer versions for younger tikes, too.
Ello Oasis Stainless Steel Tumbler
- 100% LEAK-PROOF: The innovative retracting straw technology ensures you can toss your tumbler in your bag worry-free.
- RETRACTING STRAW TECHNOLOGY: With a quick turn of the lid dial, the straw tucks neatly away, making the lid leak-proof and keeping the drinking surface clean when not in use.
Summer Essentials #2: Shade
After water, the next priority is finding some shade to keep kids cool and protected from the sun. If you don’t have natural shade from trees and porches, you’ll have to manufacture some – and it’s not so tough!
First, make sure your kid’s summer wardrobe has some light-weight, UV blocking shirts.
Next, snag a shade tent like this one to create a safe, shady play spot for outdoor summer playtime.
Add in some bubbles, a sandbox, sidewalk chalk, and popsicles – and you have a great recipe for outdoor backyard summer fun!
Beach Tent Sun Shade
- Dark Shelter Technology: Upgraded premium dark shelter fabric with UPF 99+ protection can effectively block up to 99.5% of harmful UV rays, creating a cooler and shaded area for you to relax in without worrying about the damaging effects of the sun
- Large Space for Your Family: With dimensions of 86.6″ L x 59″ W x 49″ H, COMMOUDS beach tent offers a spacious interior to comfortably accommodate 3-4 people.
Summer Essentials #3: Indoor Games & Activities
For our crew here in Texas, there are some days when the summer heat simply becomes unbearable. That’s when our summer essentials have to include fresh indoor games and activities to keep the kids occupied and having a good time in the air-conditioning.
Games
We love to play games in our family! Some of our favs are classics like card games, dice games, Chess, Uno Attack, and Apples to Apples.
Lately, we’ve added two new games to our stash: Unstable Unicorns Game and Happy Little Dinosaurs Games. These are a bit quirky and off-the-beaten path, but have been fun and a great way to mix it up with something new and different.
Unstable Unicorns Game
- Unstable Unicorns for Kids is a 2-6 player game for ages 6+ that features brand new characters and adorable artwork that kids will love! The duration of one game is 15-45 minutes.
- The charming game box includes 32 Colorful Unicorn cards, 8 Baby Unicorn cards, 32 Magic cards, and 8 Neigh cards.
Be forewarned that the adult versions of the Unstable Games may need some parent editing before use with kids. There were a few cards that we found to be objectionable for young kids, so make sure you purchase the kid versions instead of the adult versions if you’re looking for family fun.
Happy Little Dinosaurs Game
- SURVIVE IT ALL: In this 2-4 player game, you’ll try to dodge all of life’s little disasters while tuning out your incredibly rude inner demons. You might fall into a pit of hot lava or get ghosted by your dino date. But think happy thoughts because the dino who survives it all wins the game!
- OVERVIEW: In Happy Little Dinosaurs, the first person to reach 50 points, or be the last Dinosaur standing, wins the game!
Indoor Play
Another new favorite for indoor fun has been the Ty Beanie Bouncers. These are so cute! They are like Beanie Babies but they’re plush-covered bouncy balls on the inside. So you can bounce them like a ball indoors but they don’t bounce too high or wildly due to the plush – making them just right for summertime inside play!
They come in the cutest characters like Bingo from Bluey, Spiderman, Harry Potter, and Baby Shark. My kids are in love! They make fun indoor ball tossing and bouncing games for the hottest summer days.
They’re so new I can’t even find them on Amazon yet – so check out the Ty Beanie Bouncers website for purchase.
Ty Beanie Bouncers
Beanie Bouncers are a fresh spin on the classic bouncy ball – a timeless toy reimagined with the charm and personality you love from Ty. These pint-sized 4-inch plush ball toys combine the classic adorableness of Beanie Babies, the captivating big eyes of Beanie Boos, the compact fun of Puffies, and the bonus of bounce!
Indoor Activities
Another of my go-to-summer essentials for indoor games is my Boredom Busters free printable. Basically, it’s a stack of cards with a huge list of imaginative play options to keep your child busy and engaged all summer long.
Your child complains he’s bored? Pull a card from the stack. The cards include seven categories: pretend play, physical play, indoor games, arts & crafts, STEM building games, playing with their own toys, and a special category with fun and zany surprises!
They suggest ideas like playing hair salon, being super-heroes, creating an indoor beach, or building a fort. You’ll never run out of ideas with this list and kids love it because it gives them choice and great ideas! There are over 120 ideas for indoor summer fun!
Free Download!
Snag this fun and free printable pack—over 120 Boredom Busters cards full of pretend play, games, crafts, and more to keep kids engaged, screen-free, and using their imaginations all summer long!
Summer Essentials #4: Water Play
Nothing is more fun in summertime than getting outside and playing in fresh, cool water! One way or another, work some pool time or water fun into your child’s summer.
If you don’t have a pool or beach nearby, the classic sprinkler is always a super fun substitute! These days there are so many fun variations on sprinklers like this nonslip splash pad and sprinkler combo. The kids will love it!
SplashEZ Non Slip Splash Pad for Kids & Dogs
- Size Matters – With a spacious 69-inch surface area, SplashEZ children’s splash mat is big enough for the whole family to splash around. So grab your kids and dogs, and get ready for endless hours of fun in the Sun!
- Splash Safe and Sound – Keep your kids and dogs cool and safe with SplashEZ’s shallow wading dog pool and anti-slip surface. Plus, it’s BPA and phthalates free, so you can have fun without any worries!
Other fun options for little kids in summertime are
- water tables
- small kiddy pools
- water balloons
- water guns & spray toys
And after all the fun in the water, reach for a must have like the Denman Detangler Wet Brush to comb through the wet hair and keep it manageable for summer!
Denman Detangler Wet Brush
The Denman Brush Wet Detangler is expertly designed to improve your hair care by being the perfect wet hair brush, shampoo brush and hair brush for dry hair. The detangling brush is a great hairbrush for straight hair, wavy hair and coily hair.
Summer Essentials #5: Books
Admittedly, books may not make everyone’s summer must have list, but they sure do in our house! The summer slide with academic achievement is real. Studies show students can lose from 20 to almost 30% of their learning in reading and math over the summer.
So, summer reading is always a staple of our 6 Things We Do Each Day Summer Routine.
Not to mention, curling up in the shade or air-conditioning on a lazy hot summer day and reading for hours is just an awesome way to pass time!
Summer Reading for Littles
If you have littles, these Top 10 Social Emotional Picture Books for Kids will make for some great quality time reading together while learning or books about diversity as well as the best Bible picture books.
Summer Reading for Elementary
But finding books for older kids to read independently that will hook your kids but also be clean and wholesome can be a bit of a challenge, right? Well no worries!
I’ve got your covered with another free download – my Complete Reading List for Elementary has specially curated grade-level book lists for 1st-5th grades.
Free Download
Looking for the best classic, wholesome living books for kids that will hook their attention, inspire, and educate for the summer doldrums? Grab this curated grade-by-grade list for kids in 1st-5th grades.
Summer Reading for Middle School
If you have older kids, I have amazing book ideas for them, too! Check out:
So grab the sunscreen and watermelon along with all these summer essentials for kids!
It’s time to get our summer on! Splash!
Disclaimer: This page includes affiliate links where I can earn a small commission if you purchase through my link. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and affiliated sites. If you purchase through my link, I can earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting my family – it helps out a LOT!