100 Activities for the Summer Holidays

Here you'll find 100 screen-free and creative activities for every moment of the summer holidays, from days at the beach and woodland adventures to rainy afternoons and peaceful summer evenings. Playful ideas to spark imagination and creativity, whatever your age. And yes, many of them are just as much fun for adults too.

10 activities at the beach

Between swims and ice cream breaks, the sand becomes a blank canvas and beach finds turn into craft supplies. Let the waves bring in a splash of creativity and start with one of these fun ideas!

Beach collage: Bring some paper and glue, and create a beach keepsake using shells, seaweed and stones. Add glitter or sequins from home for an extra sparkle!
Build a miniature world: Use sand, beach treasures and your imagination to create a tiny town, a garden or even a magical landscape.
Shell mobile: Collect shells, tie them together with string and hang them from a stick.
Draw beach scenes: Bring a sketchbook and some crayons, and let the children draw waves, boats and fish.
Make shell jewellery: Shells with natural holes can easily become beautiful bracelets or necklaces with a simple piece of string.
Paint stones: Bring acrylic paint or acrylic paint markers and decorate stones with faces, patterns or shell designs.
Beach dough: Mix plain flour, salt, a little water and sand to make a mouldable dough. Shape figures or press in handprints, then decorate with shells and other beach finds.
Try cyanotype in the sun: With a cyanotype kit and beach finds such as seaweed, shells and grass, you can create beautiful blue sun prints.
A self-portrait in the sand: Draw the outline of a face in the sand and decorate it with shells for eyes, seaweed for hair and stones for the nose and mouth.
Beach printmaking: Bring acrylic paint and a paintbrush, paint beach finds (such as shells or seaweed) and press them onto tote bags or old T-shirts to create beach-inspired prints.

10 activities for a road trip

Miles of scenery roll past the window, and plenty of time to fill with something other than “are we there yet?”. With a few simple, mess-free crafts that work well in cramped seats and little laps, the journey is sure to fly by.

Travel journal: Give each child a notebook to fill with drawings from the trip, little notes and tickets.
Colouring book: Traditional colouring books are perfect for older children, while magic water colouring books with a water pen are a mess-free option for younger ones.
Create with pipe cleaners: They weigh next to nothing, don't make a mess and can be twisted into animals, letters or fun figures right on your lap.
Window stickers: Reusable stickers that can be moved around on the car or train window again and again.
Mini clay kit: Pack small pieces of air-drying clay in a little box. Shape figures and leave them to dry on a napkin or plastic lid.
Make your own postcards: Ready to post when you arrive.
Create with stickers: Fill a blank notebook with your own sticker worlds, completely mess-free.
Activity book: Easy to pack and guaranteed to keep everyone entertained for hours, just don't forget the pens!
Mini craft kit: Buy a ready-made kit or fill small containers and zip bags with clay, paper, sequins, string and other favourite craft materials.
DIY drawing prompt cards: Cut cards from thick paper and write simple prompts such as “draw an animal with wings” or “invent your own vehicle”. Perfect for pulling out one at a time.

10 activities in the garden or courtyard

A table, a little shade and a pile of craft supplies can quickly turn any outdoor space into a creative oasis. There's room here for a bit more mess and some bigger projects.

Create with natural materials: Collect leaves, flowers, grass and sticks, then make pictures, mandalas or figures directly on the ground or glued onto paper.
Print on fabric with potatoes or flowers: Carve simple shapes into potatoes or use real flowers, dip them in fabric paint and print onto fabric napkins, tote bags or old T-shirts.
Pavement art with chalk: Draw obstacle courses, hopscotch grids, race tracks or colourful works of art on the pavement.
Tie-dye fabric: Tie elastic bands around T-shirts, fabric napkins or duvet covers and dye them with fabric paint. Every result is unique, summery and exciting to reveal.
Make natural paint: Crush blueberries, dandelions, grass and anything else you can find, then use it as paint!
Build an insect hotel: Use empty tin cans, hollow sticks, pieces of wood and grass to create a home for beetles, ants and other tiny creatures.
Paint with water: For younger children, a paintbrush and a bucket of water can be enough to spark creativity. Paint on paving stones, trees or walls.
Paint your own flower pots: Decorate terracotta pots with acrylic paint or acrylic paint markers. Then plant something in them!
Create with air-drying clay: Shape decorations or signs. Insert wooden skewers before the clay dries so you can place them in flower beds as decorations.
Make a bunting garland: Cut bunting flags from fabric, decorate them with fabric paint or fabric pens and attach them to a piece of string. Hang them between trees, chairs or along a fence.

10 activities before bedtime

As energy levels begin to fade and the sun hangs low in the sky, a calming craft activity can help children wind down. Gather the whole family for one of these activities, share your favourite memories from the day and why not brew a cup of tea?

Bookmarks: Cut shapes from card or paper, paint and decorate them with stickers, washi tape or a string with beads. Perfect for tonight's bedtime story.
Draw your favourite moment of the day: A lovely way to reflect together and a wonderful keepsake for a summer journal.
Colour together: Colouring in a colouring book is a calming activity where the quiet often comes naturally.
Fold origami: Create sailing boats, jumping frogs or colourful flowers. A peaceful activity before bedtime.
Watercolours on wet paper: Wet the paper first, then start painting. The colours blend together beautifully into soft, abstract patterns.
A classic fold-over drawing game: One person draws the head, folds the paper over, the next draws the body, and so on until the character is complete. Guaranteed laughs before bedtime.
"Who drew it?" guessing game: Everyone draws a self-portrait or an imaginary creature. Mix up the drawings, swap them around and guess who drew what!
Paint using just one colour: Each person chooses a single colour and paints using different shades or mixes. See how much variety you can create from just one colour palette.
DIY memory game: Draw simple pictures twice (a sun, hat, cat, flower, etc.) and cut them out into cards. Once all the pairs are ready, you can play together!
Creative lucky dip: Write prompts on slips of paper, such as a colour or a theme, and place them in a jar. Everyone draws one and creates what it says.

10 activities in the woods and afterwards

The woods are full of adventure and natural treasures! Maybe you'll keep a journal of the animals you spot, or perhaps create artwork from your forest finds. Best of all? The adventure doesn't have to end when you get home. Here are ideas for both your woodland outing and a cosy evening at the holiday cottage.

Nature spray art: Arrange leaves and flowers on a sheet of paper. Mix watercolour paint with water in a spray bottle and spray over the entire page. Once you lift the plants away, you'll be left with a colourful nature print!
Start a nature journal: Give each little explorer a sketchbook and a pen. Write down what you see, hear and discover.
Bark and leaf rubbings: Place paper over bark or leaves and rub with a wax crayon to reveal beautiful patterns.
Air-drying clay and natural treasures: Shape bowls, medallions or small plaques from air-drying clay, then press leaves, flowers, bark or grass into the surface.
Nature collage: Press the leaves and flowers you find and use them to create bookmarks, greetings cards or framed pictures.
Leaf insects: Collect leaves in different shapes and turn them into butterflies, beetles or dragonflies. Paint the leaves with hobby paint, glue them onto paper and draw on legs and antennae.
Decoupage: Use pressed leaves or flowers and attach them with decoupage glue to glass jars, tin cans or cardboard to create lanterns or other decorative pieces.
Nature colour wheel: Draw a colour wheel and try to find something in the woods to match each section. Photograph your finds or glue them onto the page and take a picture of the finished result.
Hunt for natural shapes: Look for objects that resemble letters, hearts, faces or animals. Photograph them, or use your finds to create little figures.
Bark boats: If you're near water, carve or carefully break small boats from pieces of bark, add a stick as a mast and let them sail along a stream or across a lake.

10 activities for rainy days

When the rain keeps tapping against the window and the hours indoors seem endless, it's the perfect opportunity to dive into a creative project that deserves a little extra time. Whether you're at the holiday cottage or relaxing at home, it's a wonderful chance to try something new that calls for a little more patience and a few extra materials.

Paint on glass or porcelain: Decorate old glass jars, mugs or plates with porcelain pens or glass paint. Bake them in the oven if you'd like the design to be permanent.
Create one giant family artwork: Roll out a large sheet of paper or an old bedsheet on the floor. Paint together using brushes, sponges, fingers or stamps. A fun collaborative project for the whole family.
Build a miniature house or fantasy world: Use cardboard boxes, sticks, paper, fabric and glue to build a tiny house, a little shop or an imaginary world of your own.
Laminate bookmarks: Make your own bookmarks and laminate them to make them last longer. Younger children can decorate theirs with stickers inspired by their favourite book.
Try fuse beads in a new way: Experiment with new shapes, colour combinations or create freehand designs without using templates. Turn them into keyrings or pendants.
Timed painting challenge: Set a timer for 2 minutes, then 5, then 10. A fun way to get everyone's creativity flowing.
Theatre in a cardboard box: Cut a window into a cardboard box, make characters from paper or clay and let the show begin. Perfect for siblings or friends to enjoy together.
Paint on fabric with fabric crayons or fabric pens: Decorate fabric napkins, tote bags or old T-shirts. Simple, mess-free and long-lasting once heat-set with an iron.
Try string art: Hammer nails into a piece of cardboard or wood, then wrap yarn around and between them to create different designs.
Colourful sun catchers: Cut a frame from card and attach a sheet of transparent plastic behind it, such as a laminating pouch. Fill the space with tissue paper, sequins or paper cut-outs and hang it in the window to catch the sunlight.

10 activities with pens

When you want to get creative without the mess and with minimal supplies, pens are hard to beat. Here you'll find ideas that let artists of all ages unleash their imagination, perfect at the kitchen table, on a picnic blanket or while listening to the rain outside.

Create your own comic book: Invent a superhero, dream up an adventure and draw the panels.
Design imaginative letters: Draw the alphabet using fun patterns and colours.
Create a treasure map: Draw a map of an imaginary island filled with dangers and hidden treasure.
Sketch garden details: Draw flowers, leaves or tiny creatures you find outdoors.
Draw before-and-after pictures: For example, an animal before and after the rain.
Invent fantasy animals: Combine two real animals and draw the result.
Create your own emojis: Design expressions that are missing from your phone.
Draw a family tree with portraits: Create illustrations of your family as a keepsake.
Sketch postcards: Draw designs to send to friends or grandparents.
Create a pattern: Draw repeating shapes or figures and colour them in like a mindful mandala.

10 activities with paint and brushes

Get the paintbrushes ready! Let children experiment with paint in unexpected ways, from splattering and sponges to ice cubes. Here are colourful ideas for creative experiments both indoors and outdoors.

Paint with natural brushes: Use twigs, leaves or feathers as paintbrushes.
Splatter painting: Dip a paintbrush or toothbrush into paint and splatter it across paper outdoors.
Two-colour watercolour painting: Choose two colours and create different shades and smooth blends.
Paint with a toothbrush: Dip it in paint and drag it across the paper to create exciting effects.
Yoghurt finger paint: Mix yoghurt with food colouring and paint with your hands. The paint is even edible!
A family masterpiece: Paint together on a large canvas or sheet of paper.
Paint with ice cubes: Freeze juice or coloured water and paint as the ice melts.
Portrait painting: Paint each other's portraits on paper using watercolours or gouache.
Sponge painting: Dip sponges into paint and press them onto paper to create exciting backgrounds.
Sunset silhouettes: Paint a colourful background and add dark silhouettes on top.

10 activities with paper and scissors

A pair of scissors and a few sheets of paper are all you need for hours of creative fun! Cut, fold and create everything from simple figures to elaborate paper worlds.

Fold paper aeroplanes: Hold flying competitions and decorate your planes with your own unique designs.
Make masks: Cut out face masks and paint or decorate them with sequins.
Paper stars: Fold paper and cut patterns to create beautiful paper decorations.
Build small paper boxes: Fold your own little boxes and paint or decorate them.
Fold origami animals: Try folding simple figures such as a dog, cat or bird.
Paper puppet theatre: Create characters and backdrops for your own performance.
Make a collage: Cut pictures from magazines and create your own works of art.
Create a bunting garland: Cut out shapes and attach them to string as colourful decorations.
Pop-up cards: Cut and fold cards with surprising 3D effects.
Paper town: Cut and build houses, trees and cars to create an entire miniature town.

10 activities with clay

With clay, imagination becomes three-dimensional. Whether you're making jewellery, little figures or decorative pieces, it's an activity that develops both fine motor skills and patience, while creating keepsakes to treasure for years to come.

Clay jewellery: Make necklaces, bracelets or rings in your favourite colours.
Mini bowls: Shape bowls for snacks, jewellery or other small treasures.
Decorative figures: Create animals, monsters or fantasy creatures to paint once they've dried.
Clay letters: Make names or words to use as decorations.
Colourful clay snakes: Roll clay snakes and decorate them with patterns using shells or beads.
Miniature food: Create tiny pizzas, burgers or fruit as miniature toys.
Clay lanterns: Roll out the clay and shape small lanterns. Make holes with a drinking straw so the light can shine through.
Clay animals: Shape and paint your own farm or safari animals.
Handprints or footprints: Create a keepsake to treasure or give as a thoughtful gift.
Clay magnets: Shape small figures and attach magnets to the back once they have dried.