40+ July Activities For Experiences That You Can’t Afford to Miss!

With the kids🧒 home from school in July, I want my kids to learn a few things here and there, go see new places, socialize with their friends, and try new things. Most importantly, I want to tire them throughout the day so much that they fall asleep🛌 easily. 

There are so many cool national and international days celebrated throughout the month of July. I have tried to take inspiration from these days and use them as an opportunity to introduce my kids 🧒to new foods, games, ideas, and experiences. 

I have also taken a lot of inspiration from the 4th of July and have included a tonne of activities that you can set up for them. 

Amazing July Activities For Kids

Many of the activities mentioned in this article incorporate learning and fun. It is important that your kids 🧒have a fun time at home. 

I think socializing your kids from a young age is so important, as they tend to gain a lot of confidence from these interactions. 

So, make sure to invite their friends or your own friends to participate in these fun activities. Hopefully, with these activities, you can plan a fun summer with your kids🧒. 

Celebrate National Lasagna Day 

Did you know that July 29 is celebrated as National Lasagna Day annually? To celebrate this day, I involved my children while preparing for the lasagna. My kids 🧒loved taking turns grating the cheese and then helped me wash the tomatoes🍅 and pick the basil from the garden. 

Celebrate National Lasagna Day with your children this year by making your own lasagna or taking your kids out to eat lasagna. 

Watermelon Playdough Alphabet Exercise 

Print twenty-six sheets of paper with a slice of watermelon 🍉and the uppercase and lowercase alphabet🔤. Hand your child these papers along with black playdough and ask them to make the letters they see on the page using the dough. 

This exercise is great for strengthening your child’s fine motor skills and their ability to recognize letters🔤. 

Water Gun Fight 

Where I live, July is super hot and humid. But with the children home from school for summer vacation, I want them to spend time outside as well.

So, I bought water guns🔫 for my kids, and every day before bath time, I encourage them to go in their backyard and invite their friends over for a water gun 🔫fight. 

Surprisingly, this really tires the kids, improves their hand-eye coordination, and teaches them about teamwork. 

Pro Tip- 

I really encourage you to participate in this activity as well. It is such a great bonding exercise. 

Teach your kids about World War 1 

World War 1 officially started on July 28, 1914. You can show your kids a documentary or videos that are safe for children to watch on the topic of World War 1. 

My son, who is in elementary school, has been showing a lot of interest in history lately, so we read some information about the war online, and I ordered the following books for him.

The Amazing Tale of Ali Pasha by Michael Morpurgo, Archie’s War by Marcia Williams, and Michael Foreman’s War Game: Village Green to No-Man’s Land. 

You can also look for books 📚that you find appropriate for children. 

Fizzing Lemonade Science Experiment 

Teach your kids about chemical⚗️ reactions with this simple summertime lemonade🍋 experiment. 

What you need- 

Lemons, baking soda, cold water, sugar, and a measuring spoon. 

Steps- 

• Teach your kids how to juice a lemon🍋. Juice two to three lemons. 
• Add one teaspoon of baking soda to the juice. The experiment will take place now. 
• Then add 1 to 2 teaspoons of sugar and cold water. 

Your kids have just made homemade carbonated lemonade🍋. 

Pro Tip- 

You can use this experiment as an opportunity to teach your kids about carbonation and acid-base reactions⚗️. 

Celebrate National Cheesecake Day With Your Children 

National Cheesecake Day is celebrated annually on July 30. I love cheesecakes🧀; they are my favorite dessert. So, I was super excited about observing this day and having many different types of cheesecakes with my kids. 

You can take your kids to a local bakery and have a cheesecake taste-testing or help your kids make their first cheesecake. My kids and I decided to make two cheesecakes- a traditional cheesecake and the other with Nutella and chopped peanuts. 

4th of July Fruit Snack 

On Independence Day, make your child a healthy 4th of July fruit snack. 

What you need- 

Greek yogurt, strawberries🍓, graham crackers, and blueberries. 

Steps- 

• On a graham cracker, spread Greek yogurt. 
• Cut the blueberries in half and place them in the upper left-hand corner of the cracker. 
• Cut the strawberries 🍓into thin strips and place them in three rows. Your snack is ready. 

Pro Tip- 

You can substitute the graham crackers with bagel halves and the yogurt for cream cheese. 

Water Balloon Dodgeball 

If you are having a group of children coming over to your house, then ask their parents for permission to play water balloon dodgeball. 

What you need- 

• Two buckets and water balloons🎈. 
• Fill two buckets with as many water balloons as you can and place them on either side of your backyard. 
• Let the children pick their teams and let the madness begin. 

Pasta Framework 

Teach your child how to make pasta framework. 

What you need- 

Different types of pasta🍝, paint color, glue, paintbrush, and cardboard. 

Steps- 

• Help your child make a frame with cardboard. 
• Give your child pasta and ask them to paste it on the cardboard as they please. 
• Once the glue has dried, ask your child to paint🎨 on the pasta. 

Bugs Bunny Ears Craft 

Did you know that the character of Bugs Bunny was first introduced on July 27, 1940? To celebrate Bugs Bunny’s birthday, my kids and I made a custom Bugs Bunny 🐰headband. 

What You Need- 

A plain headband, wire, wire cutters, fabric scissors, glue, and grey and white fabrics. 

Steps- 

• Manipulate the wire into two rabbit🐰 years. 
• Wrap each year with grey fabric and secure it using hot glue. 
• Using the pink fabric, make a smaller version of the grey ear and paste it on the grey fabric. 
• Once two years are ready, stick them to the headband using hot glue. Let the glue set overnight. 

Pro Tip- 

If you are not comfortable using fabric, then you can use grey and pink construction paper instead. 

Tag with Water Balloon 

Encourage your children to play tag with water balloons🎈. To play tag, whoever is running after the players will throw the balloons in an effort to tag the other players.

This is another great game for your children to play to cool off and get some playtime in as well. 

Alphabetical Magnetic Fishing 

Make learning the alphabet🔤 fun for your child with this magnetic fishing exercise. 

What you need- 

• You need magnetic letters, a magnet, and a string. 
• Place the magnetic letters in a large container. 
• I leave my child with a set of words that they must create by fishing the letters from the container. 

Commemorate National Fried Chicken Day 

National Fried Chicken🍗 Day is celebrated in America annually on July 6. The day celebrates the invention of a quintessential American food. 

To celebrate National Fried Chicken Day with your children, take them to a local fried chicken restaurant or teach them how to prepare fried chicken at home. 

Fireworks in a Jar 

This Independence Day, teach your kids how to make fireworks🎇 in a jar. 

What you need- 

A clear jar, food coloring, water, neutral oil, and a paper plate. 

Steps- 

• Fill the clear jar with warm water. 
• In the paper plate, put three to four tablespoons of oil and draw several different colors of food coloring. 
• Mix the food coloring with a fork. 
• Ask your child to pour the oil gently into the jar and see the magic happen.  

Pro tip- 

As the food color dissolves in the water, teach your child about the different densities of water and oil and why oil appears to float on top of water. 

National Strawberry Sundae Day 

Did you know that there is a national day dedicated to celebrating the strawberry🍓 sundae? Well, it is true, and the day is celebrated annually on July 7.

To commemorate the day, I showed my kids how ice cream is made at home, and we had a hand-whipping cream competition. 

We then assembled our sundaes and closed a hot summer day with a refreshing treat in our hands. 

Pro Tip- 

You can assemble a quick Strawberry🍓 Sundae with store-bought materials or even take your children to an ice cream shop. 

4th of July Slime 

My kids love playing with slime, so as July rolled around, I helped them make ‘The Star Spangled Banner’-inspired slime. 

What you need- 

White glue, red and blue food coloring, liquid starch, water, and red & blue plastic stars💫. 

Steps- 

• Mix half a cup of glue and a quarter cup of liquid starch in three mixing bowls. 
• In two of these bowls, add red and blue food coloring, respectively. Mix it well. 
• Also, add glitter if you like, and red & blue plastic stars. 

The slimes are ready to be played with. 

Teach Your Children How to Play Chess 

The International Chess♟️ Federation was founded on July 20, 1924, and so on this day, every year, the International Chess Day is celebrated.

I showed my kids a short documentary on the history of chess and then tried to teach them how to play the game. I personally enjoyed the documentary and learned new things as well.

Sun Sponge Painting 

This is a perfect summer painting exercise for toddlers and preschoolers. 

What you need- 

Paper, pencil, sponge, and yellow paint. 

Steps-

• On a piece of paper, draw a large circle⚪ and hand your child that paper along with yellow paint on a plate and a sponge. 
• Let their creativity take it over from there. 

Pasta Bracelet 

Encourage your child to make original jewelry using pasta. 

What you need- 

Pasta, paint, paint color, and thread. 

Steps-

• Give your child these materials and let their creativity lead the way. 
• My children not only made bracelets, they also made necklaces, and now they want to learn to make their own earrings. 
• Now, when I ask my daughter to dress up, she will wear all of her pasta jewelry📿. 

Read a Book about America’s Immigration and Refugee History 

There are many children’s books📙 and even picture books about people’s personal stories of seeking refuge in America and America’s long history with immigration. 

This Independence Day, you can read these books with your children to embrace the cultural diversity in America. 

Seashell Painting 

If you are taking your kids to the beach this summer, then ask them to collect seashells. Once home, clean the seashells 🐚and hand them to your toddler or preschooler along with paint and a paintbrush. 

Once they are done painting the shells, they can use the shells for another art project. 

Take Your Children to Disneyland 

With your kids at home for their vacation, July is the perfect time to take your children to Disneyland🎢. I would personally recommend making this journey if your kids are old enough to ride the rides at Disney. 

Last summer, the day I took my kids to Disneyland was coincidentally the day on which Disneyland opened in 1955- July 17. So, we were there to witness their celebrations. 

4th of July Chalk Art 

Help your kids make a 4th of July-inspired artwork. 

What you need- 

Red, white, and blue chalk, black and white construction paper, a pair of scissors✂️, paper towel, and painter’s tape. 

Steps- 

• Draw three different sizes of star on a white construction paper and cut it with scissors✂️. 
• On the black construction paper, place the three white stars. We have to remove the white stars at the end of the project, so I prefer securing it with black construction paper using painter’s tape. 
• Hand your child the red, white, and blue chalk. Ask your child to trace the star using the chalk. 
• Once the star has been traced with chalk, ask your child to smudge the chalk using their fingers or cotton ball. 
• Rip the white construction paper from the black construction paper carefully. Your artwork is done. 

Have a Disney Movie Marathon 

Every parent knows that there is no better feeling than when your child is preoccupied with their television screens.

My kids are big fans of Disney🐀 movies, and we decided to spend one of the hottest days in July watching them back-to-back. 

Pro Tip- 

You can take advantage of the July heat and show your favorite childhood movies to your children as well. 

4th of July Bingo Card 

Create a 4th of July-inspired bingo card for your child. Use a normal bingo template and add pictures of items that you think are commonly seen during the 4th of July. 

For instance, the bingo card I made for my children included fireworks, the American flag, a bald eagle, a grill, hotdogs🌭, burgers, stars, corn on the cob, and much more. 

Sunflower Seed Husk Art 

Help your child create a bright decoration for their room this summer with this art. Ask your child to draw a sunflower🌻, and once they are done, help them paste the sunflower seed husks to the center of the flower. 

Dyed Spaghetti Ocean Artwork 

Help your child make an ocean-inspired artwork using dyed spaghetti🍝. 

What you need- 

Spaghetti, blue dye, plastic containers, and plastic marine toys. 

Steps- 

• Once you have cooked the spaghetti and strained it, add a few drops of blue dye. 
• Place the spaghetti in a large container and ask your child to decorate it with plastic marine toys. 

Pro Tip- 

If you are worried about food waste, you can ask your local grocery store about soon-to-be expired noodles or spaghetti instead. That is what I did. 

Make Paper Bag Monsters 

Celebrated on July 12 worldwide, Paper Bag Day is observed to promote the use of paper bags over plastic bags. To celebrate Paper Bag Day with my children, my kids and I made paper bag monsters👺. 

What you need- 

Googly eyes, paper bags, glue, and glitter paper. 

Steps-

Provide your children with these items and ask them to create their unique monster designs. 

Pasta Counting Exercise 

On construction paper, write different numbers and provide your children with pasta. Ask your children to place the number of pasta written on the page. You can also encourage them to add the numbers. 

4th of July Baking Soda Experiment 

Create a 4th of July-inspired baking soda experiment for your children. 

What you need- 

Cookie cutters in the shape of a flag, star, and in the shape of America, baking soda, dropper, red and blue food coloring, and vinegar. 

Steps- 

• In a large baking tray, place the cookie cutters. 
• In each of the cutters, pour at least a tablespoon of baking soda. 
• Take two cups and pour some vinegar into each of them. Also, put a few drops of red and blue food coloring in each cup and mix well. 
• Ask your child to use the dropper to suck some vinegar and then drop it on the baking soda. 

Pro Tip- 

As the chemical reaction takes place, you can talk to your kids about how this reaction releases carbon dioxide and how baking soda is used to make cakes and bread. 

Have a Chocolate Taste Test 

International Chocolate Day is a celebration of the introduction of chocolate🍫 in Europe. It is celebrated annually on July 7. To commemorate this day with my children, I planned a chocolate🍫 taste test for them. 

I included white chocolate, milk chocolate, and the different types of dark chocolates. It was really fun to see my children’s faces when they tried 90% dark chocolate. 

Pro tip- 

You can also have a taste test of your favorite chocolates🍫 from childhood or of new chocolates. 

Make treats for Postal Workers 

Postal workers have played a significant role in the world of communication and the economy. During the pandemic, the postal workers delivered packages, medicines, and other essential items all around the clock. 

While many might feel that letters✉️ and posts have become obsolete since the internet, the pandemic proved otherwise. Encourage your kids to show the postal workers much-needed appreciation by handing out treats at the local post offices and making Thank-You notes. 

Paper Bag Kites 

Another fun way to commemorate Paper Bag Day this July is by repurposing old paper bags into kites🪁 

What you need- 

Paper bag, ribbons, and kite string. 

Steps- 

• Tie two kite strings on two opposite sides of the paper bag. 
• Attach several ribbons to the bottom of the paper bag. Your kite is ready. 

Pro Tip- 

You can also let your child decorate their bags with other materials, but make sure that the bag doesn’t become too heavy. 

Stargaze With Your Child 

Commemorate World UFO Day with your child on July 2 by stargazing. I borrowed a telescope from a friend and, with my kids, explored space and its many wonders.

We also talked about how they imagined aliens looked and tried to spot a UFO🛸 with our telescope (we were not successful). 

Static Bending Water Experiment 

Your kids will be so excited when they see you do this trick. 

What you need- 

A plastic comb, water faucet, and hair. 

Steps- 

• Using the comb, comb your hair at least 10 to 20 times. 
• When you can feel static, turn on the faucet and slowly move the comb towards it. As the comb moves towards the flow of water, the water will start to bend. This is because of static electricity. 

Pro Tip- 

If it gets really humid where you live, you won’t be able to create static electricity. This experiment is perfect for when the air is dry.

Craft a Joke 

Did you know that July 1 is celebrated as International Joke Day? On the day, people are encouraged to make lighthearted jokes and share a laugh. Kids start to understand humor by the time they are 4 to 5 years old. 

Help them craft their first joke by teaching them about props or physical humor. Although it seems very clinical, you can tell your child a joke and help them understand its structure. 

Pro Tip- 

Kids love colors and flashy things; therefore, prop comedy really resonates with them.

DIY Bottle Rocket 

If you, like me, are not big fans of fireworks, then this is a great DIY that your kids will have a lot of fun with and can even learn from. 

What you need- 

Plastic bottle, tape, baking soda, vinegar, wine cork, and colored pencils. 

Steps- 

• Tape two to three pencils on the plastic bottle. The pencils are purely decorative and are meant to represent the propellers of a rocket🚀. 
• Fill a quarter of the plastic bottle with vinegar. 
• Quickly add the baking soda to the vinegar and push a cork through the bottle. 
• Place the bottle upside down and stand away. 

As the chemical reaction takes place and carbon dioxide is produced, the pressure in the bottle increases and tries to push the cork out of the bottle, which propels the bottle rocket above ground. 

Macaroni Independence Day Craft 

To commemorate National Macaroni Day, which is on July 7, and Independence Day, which is on the 4th, I helped my kids make the American flag using dried macaroni pasta.

I drew my kids a template, and then we pasted the pasta on it, after which we painted the pasta. 

Pro Tip- 

You can also make a rocket or another America-themed template. 

Sponge Water Bombs

This sponge water bomb DIY will take you and your kids 10 minutes to make. 

What you need- 

Kitchen sponge, elastic bands, and a pair of scissors. 

Steps- 

• Cut equal strips from each sponge. 
• Take a bunch of sponge strips and tie them together with the elastic band. Your sponge bombs are ready. 
• Pour water over the sponges and let your kids do the rest (which is fun). 

Bake Apple Turnovers With Your Child 

In the United States, every July 5 is celebrated as National Apple 🍎Turnover Day. So, to commemorate this beautiful pastry.

My children and I looked up an easy recipe to make apple turnovers at home. Although we messed up the shape of the turnovers, they were absolutely delicious. 

Teach Your Kids How To Make Virgin Pina Colada 

July 10 is celebrated annually as National Pina Colada Day. Pina Colada is a deliciously refreshing drink that is perfect for a hot summer night. It is also a great way to feed your children pineapples. 

What you need- 

To make a virgin Pina Colada, you need frozen pineapple chunks, ice cubes, pineapple juice, brown sugar, mint leaves, lemon, cherries, and cream of coconut. 

Steps- 

• In a blender, pour three-quarters of a cup of pineapple juice and the juice of a lemon, and add two tablespoons of brown sugar. 
• Also, add 1 cup of pineapple chunks, cream of coconuts, and some ice cubes. Blend well. 
• In a serving glass, put some ice cubes and pour the drink on top. Garnish with cherries, lemon wedges, and some mint. 

Film Canister Rocket 

Although film canisters are not easy to find, they make the perfect body for this DIY rocket. Make sure that you are present with your children when they perform this experiment. This is an outside-only experiment as well. 

What you need- 

Film canisters, antacid tablets, safety goggles🥽, and water. 

Steps- 

• Ask your child to wear the goggles and wear them yourselves as well.
• Break the antacid in half and pour some water into the film canister. 
• As soon as you drop the antacid into the canister with water, close the lid of the canister and put it down on the ground. Step at least 6 feet away from the canister. 

Pro Tip- 

Like the DIY bottle rocket mentioned earlier, explain to your child the chemical reaction taking place and why it propels the canister above the ground.  

Pasta and Playdough Houses 

Have your child build a toy house made from playdough and colored pasta. Let your child take the reign and make their own creation. 

Pro Tip- 

Provide your child with different shapes of pasta, and if you can’t find colored pasta, let your child paint over them. 

Conclusion 

With each passing summer, my kids are growing older and older. And that makes me so excited to meet the fabulous human beings that they will become.

But it also makes me sad because they’ll want to explore their own life at that point. That is why this time in our children’s👪 life is so important to create lifelong memories. 

Hopefully, you take inspiration from the activities listed above and have a blast this summer with your children. Please comment below on your favorite activity and any constructive criticism. 

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