Ten fun things you can do this summer to bond as a family

Every year parents have to consider the same problem: How to entertain the kids over summer without breaking the bank, and with some (hopefully) quality time together. Luckily, there are things you can do together to make things memorable, without needing to spend lots of money.

We have some great ideas listed below, but first of all we asked two experts about the importance of bonding, and how these family attachments are consolidated.

What's the importance of bonding?

“Predictability matters because shared, repeated time with parents/caregivers helps children's brains learn to co-regulate emotion.” – clinical psychologist Dr Ella Woods

Bonding time as a family gives your child a sense of belonging and security. They understand their place within the family unit, they learn to communicate and negotiate – and they get to understand their parents better as human beings!

Dr Ella Woods - a clinical psychologist who runs The Child Psychology Hub says: “Repeated summer rituals, such as the same beach each year, a Friday night film or an annual BBQ, give children something their developing brain relies on: predictability. Knowing what's coming, and who they'll be with, supports the neural pathways underlying secure attachment and emotional regulation. Rituals also become woven into a child's sense of identity, the feeling of ‘this is what our family does’, strengthens self-esteem and belonging well into adulthood.”

Integrative psychotherapist Ayo Adesioye adds it’s all about being present and taking a bit of time to “step away from… devices or the busyness of life”.

Ready to begin? Here are our 10 suggestions:

Allow everyone to write down 3-5 activities each on a piece of paper and put them in a jar to pick out when you're planning fun time together.

Ayo Adesioye adds, especially with older children: “Ensure they have a voice. If they help create the plan, they’re more likely to be invested.” You could also create a summer bucket list together, and a memory jar or photo book at the end of summer each year.

With the popularity of TV series Stranger Things, it’s trending to have an 80s-themed day, or even week. It’s up to you and your kids how far you go with this, but remember the 1980s involved four TV channels, landline telephones and some serious hair dye!

You could also have a ‘staycation’ day, where you stay local and recreate a beach scene in your garden or local park, complete with beach towel, paddling pool and drinks umbrellas.

You could also have a park or garden olympics, football or cricket world cup, or other competition.

Larger national museums and galleries are often free and a great way to spark children's curiosity about the past. Or you could try smaller, 'micro' museums, which may charge a small entry fee but offer a good chance to explore history, archaeology or art together.

Integrative psychotherapist Ayo Adesioye believes these visits are an “effective way to not only gain knowledge about the thing in front of you (the painting, exhibit, artefact, etc.) but also each other’s interests, ideas, tastes and perspectives, which can lead to meaningful discussions/debates.” She adds that sometimes learning about “wars and the more tragic aspects of history” may “make families more appreciative of the peace and stability they have in comparison and bring them closer”, as well as helping them connect “through their empathy for others”.

Whilst not as popular as it was, Geocaching is a fun outdoor activity, you can do an object hunt or, if you’re organised, you can plan ahead for a treasure hunt of your own. There are also Facebook groups giving details of ‘kindness rocks’ left around parts of the UK.

You could search for rocks or paint your own, with a tag if you wish, and leave them in your local area – you can do this responsibly by using non-toxic paints and sealants, not using plastics (such as goggly eyes) and glitter, and leaving the rocks in obvious open areas where people won’t need to disturb wildlife and vegetation.

Ayo adds that spending time outdoors together can “help relieve stress and anxiety” which makes everyone’s time together more enjoyable.

If it’s hot, you may want to head for water. You could spend a small amount on a paddling pool or water balloons, but hot weather often brings hosepipe restrictions - 'Temporary Use Bans' in some areas. Check with your local water provider online to see if this applies to you before you attempt to fill a pool or splash about in the garden.

However if you want to get away from home - some parks have splash parks during summer, you can get a bus or train to the seaside or you can go to a local water park, lake or river. The government has opened 13 new bathing sites across England this summer, including in Devon, Northumberland, Cornwall, Merseyside and on the river Thames.

According to the Government website: “Designated Bathing Waters are regularly tested for water quality throughout the bathing season (15 May - 30 September).” As always, follow open water safety tips and be mindful of the risks of cold water shock.

The summer holidays are a great time for you to learn something new together or further develop a skill, whether it’s creating a comic, mastering a handstand, skateboarding, keepy-uppies, learning to crochet or solving a Rubik’s cube. Your child may take great pleasure in being better than you at something. Naturally you may meet some resistance with older children, but you can subtly leave their football by the door, include their friends or make it into a friendly competition between you if they’re up for it.

Mum of three Emma Bradley, who’s written a book called Parenting Teens Successfully, adds that exercising together can be “stress busting, and releases endorphins at the same time as connection”. She mentions there are “lots of options for free trials or short-term courses that run over the summer. Your local authority may also be running classes for free at leisure centres.”

“When your teen can share their passion with you they’ll feel valued and it will build their confidence.” – Mum of three, Emma Bradley

You can follow drawing and other craft tutorials online together or learn a dance trend, which will no doubt make your children laugh when you’re trying to learn it too! Ayo Adesioye says: “When families learn or do something new such as cooking a new recipe, taking an art class or learning a new sport, the teamwork involved (i.e. overcoming challenges, encouraging and supporting each other, celebrating progress) improves communication, builds trust and generally makes them feel more connected.”

Your child can also teach you their hobby over summer: “When your teen can share their passion with you they’ll feel valued and it will build their confidence,” according to Emma Bradley.

There are many fun games which appeal to all ages: ‘cup pong’, where you use a ping pong ball and lightweight cups to create challenges, play a rondo (basically piggy-in-the-middle with a football), the floor is lava (don’t touch the floor!), or creating your own obstacle courses.

It may also be worth rotating toys that have been forgotten for a while in your house, e.g. leave a couple of magazines, pens and paper out for collage, scrapbooking or whatever grabs their fancy, dig the modelling clay out of the cupboard, or find craft and sewing kits that have been gathering dust.

Your kids may also enjoy doing a ‘photoshoot’ day, where they dress you up or vice versa, doing karaoke or a kitchen disco or going out on bikes.

You could also spend a small amount on a fold-out badminton kit, cricket or rounders set, table football table or any other sports gear you know you can enjoy together. Ayo says activities that encourage teamwork “require communication and cooperation”, as well as “allowing disagreements and conflicts to be resolved more playfully”.

Fun games to help children with SEND get active at home

In the Bitesize Parenting Teens podcast, clinical psychologist Dr Martha Deiros-Collado says: “If you want to understand your teen, you need to enter their world… enter their world digitally as well, especially if they're online.”

Gaming or watching social videos together as a family can be bonding time: “As shared activities they’re a great way for families to connect, laugh together and learn about each other’s interests”, according to Ayo Adesioye. It can build bridges between generations, allowing them to “share perspectives and learn from each other”. Ayo adds children of all ages can feel “valued and respected” when teaching parents new games or skills.

Mum of three Emma believes volunteering together is a good way of demonstrating “your values and beliefs”, which “builds connection” by showing your child what you believe in, rather than lecturing or telling them. She adds: “Try clean-ups in your local area or a food bank.”

You can also raise money for charity or pocket money by going through old books together and selling them online, collating clothes for online resale, designing a poster to offer babysitting, gardening or car-washing services, or hosting a stall outside your house to raise money for charity. Having a ‘Sort Your Life Out’ day at home is also a surprisingly effective way of spending some time together as a family.

Build a day out around visiting UK locations used in your children’s favourite films and TV series. The UK is a popular location for film and TV - from Harry Potter and Enola Holmes to Doctor Who and Paddington Bear.

You can search online for details of film locations or you can look at the relevant pages on national tourism websites here:

Visit Scotland

Visit Wales

Visit Northern Ireland

Visit England

Visit Britain's website

Ado Adesioye says some children can feel isolated by their ‘niche’ interests, but “having shared interests as a family will not only make families feel more connected but may encourage children to appreciate their quirks and feel less alone”.

Psychotherapist Ayo Adesioye gently reminds us that activities and outings don’t need to take the whole day. Teens especially “need to feel that their independence is respected”, and may also want to see friends, so a few hours out of the house together can sometimes meet everyone’s expectations better than a full day out.

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Ayo adds that if you’re able to “refrain from micromanaging [your] child’s behaviour (e.g. telling them to cheer up, be more involved or stop checking their phone)”, your teen may be more likely to “agree to future outings”. As with all parenting, aim for presence not perfection.

This article was published in July 2026

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