20 things to do when it’s too hot outside

School holidays and hot weather; what a combination! It can be hard to keep the young kids entertained and occupied without involving them staring into TV screens or mobile devices all day. 

“Muuuummmm I’m boooorrrreeed”

“It’s too hot, Mum” 

“Aaarrgghhhh!!! “ *mumble, fidget, grumble*

Sound familiar? Don’t worry, we’ve got 20 cheap things to do in the summer holidays to help you beat the heat (and the grumps)!

Make healthy frozen treats

Cut up fruit into small cubes, place them into popsicle moulds halfway and fill the rest with juice of your choice. You can even add jelly cubes in!

Make easy ice cream

When you’re desperate for cheap things to do in the summer holidays, one ingredient ice cream is the way to go! Peel and chop bananas into small pieces and then freeze in a container for about 2 hours. Pulse the frozen pieces slowly in a blender until soft and creamy! Serve with colourful sprinkles or crushed peanuts.

Turn on the sprinkler

It’s hard to find things to do when it’s too hot outside. Try sprinkler fun! Run the sprinkler in the yard and chase the kids around with water balloons. When outside, make sure everyone is wearing full covering light clothing, a hat, and sunscreen. Stay indoors during peak of the heat to be safe.

Go on a road trip!

To the mall, we mean. Enjoy free air conditioning in the mall while browsing the shops.

Look for free kids’ events

Still short of ​fun things to do in the summer holidays? Check out the events section on Facebook or community group noticeboards for free kid-friendly activities nearby.

Declare a war… a water war!

Water balloon or water pistol war – add food colouring to the water and wear old white clothes for splashes of colour… literally!

Stay hydrated

Keep the kids hydrated between activities when it’s hot outside with visually-appealing fruit-infused water in a clear canister.

Run a cold shower

Throw in a couple of extra quick showers during the day to keep the kids cool. You can make a game of it and count down 30-seconds that they have to be soaped and rinsed off.

Build indoor forts

When it comes to fun ways to stay cool in the summer, sometimes staying indoors is a must. Create civilisations! Put the air con on, draw the curtains and build forts with pillows, cardboard and soft toys.

Ahoy mateys!

Run a home treasure hunt. Get the kids to hide somewhere while you place items around the house. Give them a hand-drawn map with clues along the way to keep them engaged and occupied. The reward for finding all the treasure could be perks like picking what they can have for dessert after dinner, or popcorn & movie night!

Stay cool with a frozen rice pack

The rice bags normally heated up for those cold winter nights can also be frozen and will keep kids cool when they climb into bed.

Jelly time!

Try fun desserts like colourful jellies and practice layering colours by letting the bottom layer cool first before adding the next colour layer. Use cookie cutters to cut jelly shapes to use in another different layer colour.

Make a splash

Making homemade bath bombs is one of the best cheap things to do in the summer holidays. We have the recipe right here in tip #5!

Do a juice combo experiment

Start a science experiment and see what juices look & taste better together. Add some fizziness with sparkling water. Make drinks look gross by adding milk with fizzy coke — watch the milk curdle!

Make a water balloon piñata

Hang water balloons off tree branches or laundry wire, wear an eye mask, get a stick and start hitting! You can allocate points to different balloon colours to make it more competitive. Although it takes some setting up, it is one of the best things to do when it’s too hot outside

Design a water game

Stack plastic cups into a pyramid shape and shoot with water pistols. Again, you can allocate points by writing on the cups with a sharpie.

Make colourful soap foam

Combine ¼ cup water, 2 tablespoons of dish soap, food colouring, and blend. Try putting them in squeeze bottles for different colours and let your kids take creative direction on the driveway or the back patio under the shade.

Make ice chalk cubes

Combine half water, half cornstarch, food colouring and blend. Draw pictures or just watch them melt into awesome colours on the driveway.

Start a limbo competition with the hose.

A simple but fun way to stay cool in the summer. Play some music in the background that will get everyone boogying, even mum and dad!.

Get competitive

Shoot the rubber ducky (or an empty plastic bottle) in an inflatable pool from one side with a water pistol to the other side. Whoever has the fastest time wins.

We hope these ideas give you some things to do when it’s too hot outside and have inspired you to create some delightful memories with your family! If you’re in need of more help budget-wise, we’d love to assist.