The summer is finally here. The sun’s shining, the sunglasses are on, and the kids have broken up from school. But the prospect of keeping the kids entertained throughout the whole summer holiday can be daunting. Whether you’re looking for a way for the kids to entertain themselves, or you’re looking for activities you can do together, we’ve come up with a list of great ideas to keep them entertained in the garden this summer.

Get them Involved

Why not get them involved in what you’re doing around the garden. Not only will this keep them busy, it’ll give you a helping hand and it might even spark a new hobby for your child.

Gardening

Let them get stuck in and get their hands dirty with some gardening. There are so many ways you could get your kids involved in gardening, from getting them to help you pot or repot plants, to assigning a patch of their own to grow and maintain (which they can come back to every year).

Don’t have an area of soil in your garden? Or maybe your only outdoor space is a balcony? You can still get your child involved in gardening with an infant or junior potting bench. Simply fill with soil, provide some plants, pots, and kids tools, and let them explore.

Whether you're growing flowers, vegetables, or any other kind of plants, the days in your garden or allotment can be combined with trips out to garden centres. Your kids will love seeing the wide range of plants and flowers available, and they could even pick a couple of their favourites to bring home and plant in the garden.

Looking for something that’s less hands on in the soil and more creative? Your kids might prefer to paint, colour, and decorate wooden plant labels or even the plant pots themselves.

Landscaping

Talking of being creative, if you’re in the process of landscaping your garden, or even if you’re doing smaller landscaping jobs like replacing a fence, your kids could get involved in this. Obviously you can’t send your 5 year old out to place paving stones or replace a fence (it’s important not to let your child do or get in the way of anything dangerous), but they could get involved with designing the layout of the garden. Together you could pick where to place the flowers, patio area, or water feature.

They could also get involved in the decorative side of landscaping. For example, you could paint a fence together. This doesn’t necessarily have to be one colour (although it can be). You could let your child's imagination run wild and let them design and paint a mural on the fence.

Build a Sandcastle

You don’t have to live near the beach for your little ones to be able to enjoy playing in the sand. Add a sandpit to your garden and the kids will keep themselves entertained with hours of fun digging around, drawing in the sand, and building sand castles. If you’re looking for something that’s more multifunctional, a sandpit picnic table is a great option. Once the kids are done playing in the sand, simply place the lid over the sandpit and it can be used as a table for the kids to eat lunch at or do arts and crafts on.

Playhouse

Finding room in your garden for a playhouse will keep your kids entertained all summer long (and many summers to come). Available in a wide range of sizes and designs, you’ll be able to find a charming playhouse to suit your budget and garden size. With options like smaller simple playhouses, playhouses with a balcony and slide, and double level playhouses, whichever one you choose, your kids will love having their own play space. You could even personalise the playhouse by painting and decorating it to really make it feel like your child’s place.

Once you’ve assembled your playhouse, what do you put inside it? It depends what your child likes to do. You could create a cosy area with cushions and a little bookshelf for them to enjoy a quiet reading area or a comfy place to chill out with friends. You could create a craft corner with a table and chairs. Or you could book in a play date with some of their friends to come over and play house. Just let your child’s imagination go wild and they’ll create their own games to play in the house.

Jump Around

Is your little one always full of energy? Let's face it, as parents we don’t always have the energy to keep up with them. So give them a way to spend their energy while having fun with a trampoline. But you have a couple of choices to make - round or rectangular? On a frame with a net or built into the ground? Grey, green or pink? What size between 6ft and 15ft? Once you’ve made these decisions, order your trampoline, and you’ll soon have some free time to yourself, knowing that your child is having fun in the fresh air.

Relax

After all that exercise, they’ll need somewhere to sit back and relax. But a normal chair is too boring for kids. It’s much more fun to be able to gently swing back and forth in comfort with a hammock or swing chair. Specially designed for kids, they can pick out their favourite design from a large range of styles including a giraffe chair, zebra chair, and rainbow hammock. Giving them a snug place to relax and enjoy reading a book, listening to music, or watching a bit of Netflix on their ipad.

Get them Interested in Nature

With the good weather and all the free time they have, there’s never been a better time to get them interested and excited about nature.

Create a Home for Wildlife

Take this opportunity to teach your kids about the wildlife that lives in your garden and how to look after them. You could spend the afternoon together setting up a house for barn owls, sparrows, and hedgehogs. Another option is that you could help them pick out some delicious wildlife snacks (like seeds and nuts) and set up a bird feeder or squirrel feeder in your garden.

Go on a Treasure Hunt

Satisfy their curiosity and create a list of objects your little one can hunt for and find around your garden. Depending on the age of your child, this list could include things like a red flower, a butterfly, a garden ornament, or a certain type of tree. However, it’s important to make sure everything on the list can be found safely and that your child understands the need to respect nature by not picking the flower or touching the butterfly. Instead, if they want to do more than just tick the objects off their list, they could take a picture or draw what they see.

Cook up a Feast

Something that the little ones (and the big kids) will love is coming together for an outdoor meal.

Picnic

You don’t have to leave your home to enjoy a picnic. A picnic in your backyard is just as fun. All you need is to place your blanket in your chosen area, bring out some delicious food and you’re all ready for your garden picnic.

Barbecues

As soon as the sun shows its face, people love to venture out into their garden for a barbecue. From sizzling chicken and chargrilled burgers to halloumi sticks and veggie kebabs, a barbecue is a much-loved summer activity that the whole family can enjoy.

Pizzas

Is your kid more of a pizza lover than a barbecue fan? Plan a couple of pizza nights into the summer holidays. Whether you have a permanent or a portable pizza oven, get the kids involved in the whole pizza making process, from making the dough to picking the toppings.

Toasting Marshmallows

What better way to end the night than sitting around a fire toasting marshmallows. This activity will need close supervision and isn’t suitable for younger kids, but your older kids (and the adults) can enjoy a summer evening around a fire pit or chiminea, preparing a gooey marshmallow treat.