Summer Weekday Fun: A Budget-Friendly Itinerary for Kids

Summer is meant to be a season of endless fun and relaxation, but figuring out how to keep your kids entertained can feel like a challenge. Don’t stress! Here’s your Monday through Friday itinerary of at-home and paid excitement to keep you and your kids laughing, playing, and sane all summer long.

Monday: Get Messy.

Start the week off right with some hands-on fun that engages all the senses. 

• Morning craft time: DIY slime, finger painting, guided painting or drawing tutorials, play dough, sculpting, origami, friendship bracelets, or nature collages are just a few ideas to get you started. 
• Crafty in the kitchen: Decorate cupcakes, bake a cake, make cut-out cookies in fun summer shapes, create magic potions with food coloring and water, or make edible play-dough.
• Sensory bins: Use items around the house or go to a dollar store and stock up to create themed sensory bins such as underwater, construction zone, garden, beach, etc. 
• At-home art show: Set up an at-home gallery featuring famous prints or homemade creations. Do a gallery walk and pretend to be visitors at a fancy museum. 
• Visit Blended Essentials in Severna Park to create custom candles, soaps, bath bombs, body sprays, and more. 
• Enjoy the ArtLab at Anne Marie Sculpture Gardens: Get creative with endless art supplies and browse the exhibits for inspiration. 
• Take art classes and workshops at local places like Artworks, ArtFarm, and ArtsyPartsy.
• Paint pottery at Providence Pottery and Art Studio. 

 

Tuesday: Take-a-Trip.

Explore new places, learn new things, and have fun on the go! 

• Morning map and adventure planning: Get out local guidebooks, trail guides, brochures, or maps and pick new places to discover and explore. 
• Go park hopping: Visit a few different playgrounds or nature trails and compare their offerings.
• Visit your local library. Check out books and their calendar of events. 
• Go on a scavenger hunt: Create a themed hunt of your own, download a nature scavenger checklist online, or use a scavenger hunt app (such as GPS My City, or Let’s Roam) to explore local attractions. 
• Be a backyard explorer! Fill a backpack with binoculars, a magnifying glass, a camera, notebooks, and nature guides, and see what plants, animals, and curiosities you can find and record. 
• Try a new food! Visit a new restaurant or café and try something different for breakfast or lunch. Lots of restaurants offer deals during the week.
• Get moving on roller skates or blades at Wheels or Skate Zone. 
• Visit a local museum like the B&O Railroad Museum, the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman,  Museum, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, or the Maryland Science Center.
• Explore the outdoors: Visit local places rich with opportunities for discovery, including Historic Annapolis, Historic London Town Gardens, Kinder Farm Park, Maryland Zoo, and Terrapin Adventures. 

Wednesday: Get Wet!

Cool off and have fun with water-themed play and activities. 

• Water tables and kiddie pools: Add toys, sponges, and cups for hours of fun.
• Sprinkler dance party: Play some tunes on a Bluetooth speaker and dance and splash till lunchtime. 
• Make it educational with water science! Experiment with what sinks and floats in the bathtub, sink, or a large plastic bin. 
• Explore local waterways with kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding. 
• Visit a local pool or splash pad. Don’t let the rain ruin your plans! The North Arundel Aquatic Center and Arundel Olympic Swim Center offer year-round indoor pools.
• Play water balloon games like catch, dodgeball, or target practice.
• Visit a waterpark like Great Wolf Lodge, Chesapeake Beach Water Park, or Six Flags Water Park. 
• Visit a local beach like Sandy Point State Park, Beverly Triton, or Terrapin Beach Park. 
• Be by the water and tour Annapolis waterways with a Watermark Boat Tour. 

Thursday: Thoughtful & Thankful.

Connect with your community and focus on gratitude and giving back. 

• Morning gratitude journals: Decorate gratitude journals and reflect each week on the things you are thankful for.
• Sidewalk chalk: Write uplifting messages on your sidewalk or driveway.  
• Kindness craft: Make cards and share them with neighbors or local businesses. 
• Volunteer: Visit animal shelters, food pantries, or community gardens. Consider options like Caring Cupboard, My Brother’s Pantry, and the SPCA.  
• Take a yoga class or follow one online to practice mindful movement and meditation. 
• Take a mindful nature walk: Notice colors, sounds, and textures as you stroll. 
• Evening reflections: Share the best parts of the day around the dinner table, the fire pit, or a picnic in the park. 
• Support local arts: Give back to the community by supporting local art. Visit Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Children’s Theatre of Annapolis (CTA), and Maryland Hall. 

Friday: Fun Fun Fun.

Have fun and play! 

• Complete an obstacle course! Have fun indoors or outside by creating an obstacle course with whatever you can find.
• Board games: Start your day with breakfast and board games. 
• Go mini golfing at Severna Park Golf Center, Nighthawk Golf Center in Gambrills, or Pasadena Golf Center. 
• Have an at-home dance party. 
• Play freeze tag or hide-and-seek.
• DIY pizza night: Let everyone make their own mini pizzas.
• Have a family movie night.
• Go camping in your living room or backyard.
• Go bowling at Annapolis Bowl, Glen Burnie Bowl, or Severna Park Lanes. 
• Have some indoor fun at Hyperkidz, Climb Zone, or Get Air (enjoy Club Air on Friday nights with black lights and dance music).

No matter what day of the week it is, you can ensure the rest of your summer is full of adventure and fun memories!