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Getting energy out is one of the most effective ways to keep kids busy during the summer — and worn-out kids are happy kids. The ideas below range from backyard basics to bigger investments, but all of them have one thing in common: kids will actually use them, and use them a lot.
In This Post:
Backyard Sports & Equipment · Skill & Movement Challenges · Active Games (Free Ideas)
Backyard Sports & Equipment
A few well-chosen pieces of gear can turn your yard into a daily destination — these are the things kids will actually use, over and over.
A jump rope or hula hoop set is affordable, endlessly reusable, and gets kids moving without any setup at all.
A trampoline is a big investment but one that pays for itself over years of constant use — if you have the yard space, kids will be on it every single day.
A portable basketball hoop (driveway or door-mounted for younger kids) gets daily use all summer long and well into fall — even kids who say they don’t like basketball end up shooting hoops in the driveway.
A pop-up soccer goal set turns any patch of grass into a real soccer pitch. Look for sets that fold flat for storage — they come out fast and put away just as fast.
It sounds obvious, but a small collection of well-loved balls — soccer ball, football, basketball, kickball — gets more use than almost anything else. Sometimes the simplest gear is the best gear.
Skill & Movement Challenges
These are the items kids practice with — the ones where the challenge is mastering something, and that satisfying feeling of finally getting it keeps them coming back.
A pogo stick, balance board, or all-terrain hoverboard is a fun challenge that keeps kids working at something until they get it — that satisfying feeling of finally nailing it keeps them coming back again and again.
A scooter is one of the most useful summer purchases for kids — it gets used on driveways, sidewalks, and trips around the neighborhood, and most kids ride them for years. Add a helmet and pads for younger riders.
A skateboard is a longer learning curve than a scooter, but kids who get into it stay into it. Worth pairing with a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads from the start.
Roller skates or inline skates are coming back hard — kids love them, they’re great exercise, and there’s something nostalgic about watching them learn to skate around the driveway.
A hopper ball or kangaroo bouncer is one of those silly pieces of gear that turns out to be hilarious for kids — they’ll race each other on them across the yard for an embarrassingly long time.
A slackline kit strung between two trees is one of the most engaging backyard purchases for older kids. Learning to balance and walk it takes real practice, which is exactly why kids keep coming back to it.
Active Games (Free Ideas)
You don’t need to buy anything to get kids moving — these classic games and challenges burn through energy with nothing but a backyard and a little imagination.
Organize a neighborhood Olympics — set up stations in the backyard (long jump, water balloon toss, hula hoop contest, relay race) and let the kids run the whole thing. It takes minimal prep and becomes a memory they talk about for years.
Set up a backyard obstacle course — use whatever you have on hand: hula hoops to jump through, jump rope stations, chalk lines to balance on, buckets to toss balls into. Time them on each run and let them try to beat their own score. It costs nothing, burns energy, and they’ll beg to do it again.
Four square, kickball, or freeze tag
Round up the neighborhood kids — classic games that need nothing but kids and a little open space.
Long jump pit
Dig one in a soft patch of dirt or grass, measure distances with a stick, and let them try to beat their own record all afternoon.
Learn to juggle
Start with scarves, rolled socks, or soft balls — it takes practice, but that’s exactly what makes it compelling.
Balance beam challenge
Use a line of tape on the patio floor or a low garden border wall and time how long each kid can stay on without stepping off.
Capture the Flag
Play in the backyard or at a park with a group of kids — it requires teamwork, strategy, and serious running, and once kids learn it they want to play it every day.
DIY mini golf course
Use cardboard ramps, toilet paper roll tunnels, and plastic cups as holes — let the kids design the course and compete for the lowest score.
100 jump rope challenge
See who can do 100 consecutive jumps without stopping, then make it harder: backward, alternating feet, double-unders.
Daily movement challenge chart
Each morning pick a new challenge (10 cartwheels, a one-minute plank, 25 jumping jacks) and track it on a chart all summer. Kids love crossing things off.
Family bike ride
Go somewhere new — a park, an ice cream shop, a friend’s house. Picking a destination makes it more than just exercise.
Dance party
In the backyard or living room with a playlist kids pick — there’s something about being allowed to be loud and silly that they remember.
Red Light Green Light, Mother May I, Sharks and Minnows
Bring back the classics — old-school games that need nothing but a group of kids and a little open space.
Wheelbarrow races, crab walk relays, three-legged races
Silly, exhausting, and somehow always end in giggles.
Time a sprint
Run to the end of the block and challenge them to beat it weekly — kids love watching their times drop over the summer.
Climb a tree
Let them climb one in your yard or at the park (with parental nod). It’s underrated, gets less common every year, and kids love it.
Family yoga session
Use a free YouTube video like Cosmic Kids Yoga — kids who would never sit still for a regular yoga class will happily do an adventure-themed one.
New local trail hike
Pick one you’ve never hiked and go as a family — even a short walk somewhere new feels like an adventure to kids.
Skip stones
At a creek, lake, or river — kids will spend an hour trying to get the perfect skip, and it’s one of those quiet summer rituals.
For even more summer ideas, head back to the full kids summer activities list — it covers outdoor play, creative activities, rainy day ideas, and more.
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