There are some things that are absolutely necessary for summer in order to keep the Kraus Kids occupied. The best part is, they are very cheap and easily replaced once they run out.
I make sure I have a nice supply of these essentials.
Jump ropes My girls will jump in the driveway, and up and down the sidewalk throughout the summer. I buy a lot of them because they will get used to tie things up, end up in knots and left out in the rain.
Bubbles You can never have enough bubbles in the summer. I get all sorts of contraptions for them to use and tons of bottles of the stuff. I do sometimes make them a batch of homemade bubble mix when I’m feeling like a Pinterest mom.
Sidewalk Chalk My kids have already gone through three buckets of these. They are always being left out in the rain. My kids do let them dry out and then use it, they say it still works fine, but since it is so inexpensive and keeps them occupied for hours I keep getting them more.
Hula Hoops These are not only used around the waist. They are targets to hit or throw through, something used to catch the enemy and used as an obstacle course. My kids use them for so many different things that they don’t care that they get bent.
Water Balloons We love a good water balloon fight in our house. I’ll fill up a couple of buckets for each team and let the games begin. It’s great on a hot day.
Balls Big or small, doesn’t matter, we need them all. Each game requires a different kind of ball. My kids make up their own games with their own rules all the time (Who remembers CalvinBall?)
Squirt Guns I’m thinking about investing in Super Soakers this summer. My son thinks he’s this great warrior, he shoots like a Stormtrooper. I may need to show him how it’s really done. The thought of a Super Soaker show down sounds like fun.
What are some things your kids “need” this summer?
I’m so happy to say that I think my kids have everything they need for the summer. They have their friends and since we live in the south, they have an entire wilderness to explore.
We have all of these things (except the hula hoop) and have been using them already! Anything that is not screen time is all good in my book!
omg memories. i used to love hula hooping and was really good at it. when i got old i tried and it was a complete flop. hahahah.
That is so funny because I literally just went to the store and got most of these today, as well. We love a good water balloon fight
Spot on! We go through SO much chalk and bubbles in the summer! I don’t think you could ever have too many of those items!
Time. My grandkids need Gramps and me to play all those awesome activities you have listed. It’s good for the kids and good for us too! 🙂
Love these fun summer time necessities for kids! They are favorites from when I was a kid and when my children were younger! Timeless! 🙂
YES! We are well stocked too! Love that a trip to the dollar store can solve summer boredom pretty quickly.
I love your list of summertime play essentials. I will definitely be stocking up for my kids. My daughter needs a nice new jump rope this summer!
My kids love bubbles. These are great summer essentials. I need to get some water guns.
Hula hooping is a great way to get some exercise. It is so fun and the kids love it.
chalk, squirt guns, and jumpropes are definatly a must! Great things to keept them busy. Also a couple favorite movies to slow them down a bit.
Your summer must have list is full of really great and fun activities.
These are most certainly must haves! I just purchased some art sketch books and pens, pencils etc too as my kids wanted those for Summer fun.
This is a great list of summer necessities for kids to have this warm season!
My kids are teens so they sort of do their own thing but when younger yes all of these items are a must for sure!
This is a wonderful list. I think water balloons and squirt guns are the best. My daughters and I always have fun with those.
Love these fun summer time necessities for kids! They are favorites at our home too!
I have most of those fun things for when the grandkids come over. They also love to run through the water sprinkler – just like I did when I was their age.
So many great ideas to keep kids busy this summer. I am sending my kids to your house. Never fails 2 weeks into summer I hear “I am so bored” Will be using some of your tips.
Outdoor games would really be in during summer. It would be good to have chalk for games and hula hoop and other stuff.
This is a great list of summer essentials. We always have plenty of chalk and bubbles.We also keep plenty of hula hoops and balls around, too. Summer is so much fun.
Sidewalk chalk was always a must for us as well. The kids used it for so many different games and activities.
What a great list of must haves for Summer!
These are great summer necessities for kids! When I was a kid, sidewalk chalk, rope jumps and bubbles were an absolute must for the summer.
All of these activities are so much fun to enjoy all summer long! These are more old-school things that I enjoyed as a child – they are timeless classic fun!
I totally agree, we must have bubbles for sure. We recently got the new and improved water balloons and the kids freaking love them.
They do make the filling process much easier.
This is a yearly event in my friends and relatives houses. These are the things that kids of all ages like and sometimes even adults, too.
These are definitely essentials in our house during the summer. My kids love water gun fights and sidewalk chalk. We try to get out and have fun as often as possible.
This is definitely kid-heaven! I know my kids have had all these in some combination over their summers growing up – fun ideas.
We love side walk chalk around here. Such creative moments can happen during free play and while soaking in sunshine.
Oh I remember when I was a kid how I would aaaalways play with water balloons, balls and jumping ropes! Those are definitely must haves! 🙂
Bubbles are a must in our household! They entertain children 1 and 8 alike!
We pretty much have our garage loaded with these things! lol