15 Fun Summer Challenges

Looking to keep occupied on a summer afternoon? Here’s 15 fun activities to get your creative juices flowing. Share your completed challenges on instagram and tiktok and tag us @wfdsummers.cool.

Five 5-Minute Challenges

Write a Haiku

A haiku is a poem made up of three lines. The first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the last line has five syllables. 

Write a haiku using one of these topics as inspiration:

  • The beach

  • Outer space

  • Farm animals 

  • Your family

And remember, poems don’t always have to rhyme!

What you’ll need:

  • Pen or pencil

  • Paper

Make a Sculpture with Household Items

Grab five items from the room you’re in and arrange them into an art installation or sculpture. Art can be abstract, realistic or just plain fun! Make it a competition and see who can make the most whacky!

Remember to ask an adult what you can and can’t use.

What you’ll need:

  • Anything from around the house!

‘Blindfolded’ Character Drawing Challenge

Fold a piece of paper into thirds, you can use as many pieces of paper depending on how many characters you want to create! In the top segment, the first person should draw the character's head. Keeping this hidden, pass the paper on for the second person to create the body. Again without peeking, pass the paper on and have a different person design the legs and feet of your character. When each section is complete, unfold the paper to reveal your unique character creation! Did you create a monster? 

What you’ll need:

  • Pen or pencil

  • Paper

  • Use coloured pencils if you want your creation to come alive!

Create a Tie Dye Print

This one’s a messy one! Grab a plastic wallet and some felt tips. Colour random shapes all over the plastic wallet, then place a piece of paper over the top and press down evenly over the page. Lifting the paper will reveal a unique tie dye style print.

What you’ll need:

  • Felt tips

  • Plastic wallet folders

  • Paper or card

Five 30-Minute Challenges

Still Life Modern Art Challenge

Have you heard of Salvador Dali or Andy Warhol? Both are famous for their still life paintings. These depict everyday household items like fruit and furniture arranged in interesting ways. Use the objects in your house to see if you can create a still life masterpiece! You can either paint or photograph your creation!

What you’ll need:

  • Anything from around the house!

  • A camera or

  • Paper and paint or coloured pencils

Create a Water Drawing

This one lets you get really creative with little clean up afterwards. Grab a bowl, or bucket of water and with a sponge draw a beautiful piece of art onto your patio! If you aren’t happy with your creation, wait until it has dried and make something brand new.

Top tips:

  • Remember, grass will just soak up the water so try concrete or patio tiles.

  • If you want a more abstract piece, fill a bottle or watering can and use this as your paintbrush!

What you’ll need:

  • Sponge

  • Bowl or bucket

  • Patio or concrete ground

  • Water bottle or watering can

Make Shadow Puppets

Using some cardboard from an old cereal box or packaging, draw and cut out the shape of your puppet. Stick these onto the end of a straw or lollipop to make the handle, and you have your puppets! To make them come to life, shine a light onto a wall and put the puppets in front of the light, creating your very own show.

Why not think of a story and create a play with your shadows?

Need inspiration? Try these:

  • Jungle animals: lion, giraffe, elephant or leopard

  • Vehicles: car, lorry or bicycle

  • Family: parents, grandparents, friends or siblings

What you’ll need:

  • Card

  • Straws or lollipop sticks 

  • A torch

  • Plain wall

Create a Handprint Flower

Get messy and create some multi-coloured handprints using paint and plain paper. Once your prints have dried, neatly cut them out and arrange them in a circle, these will be your petals! Now grab some tissue paper and scrunch it up into a ball, this will be the centre of the flower, be as creative and colourful as you want. Glue your petals together first, then add your centre, and you have a beautiful homemade flower.

Making more than one can create a lovely flower garden!

What you’ll need:

  • Paper or card

  • Paint

  • Paintbrush

  • Scissors

  • Tissue paper

  • Glue stick

Create Pet Rock Animals

Ready to go outside hunting for rocks? All shapes and sizes are great (as long as you can safely pick them up). Once you have collected some rocks, the challenge is on! Try painting each rock like the animal you think it’s shape looks like. If you think one looks like a cat, paint it to look like a cat; if you think it looks like a ladybird, paint it to look like a ladybird! 

Top tip: When looking for rocks keep animals in mind.

If you can’t find any animal shaped rocks, that’s okay! Just pick up some pretty rocks and paint them your own way. Maybe a flower, a beach scene, or even just a cool pattern.

What you’ll need:

  • Rocks

  • Paint

  • Paintbrush

Make a Comic Strip of Your Day

Ready to turn yourself into an everyday superhero?

Section a piece of paper into 6 equal boxes - this will be your storyboard. In each box create a different scene to show how your day (or week) has gone. The idea is to tell the story of your day in an adventurous way; turn yourself into a superhero, make your ordinary day extraordinary! Did you have cereal for breakfast? No! Superhero you had cosmic moon rocks! Did you go for a walk this afternoon? No! Your superhero went on an alien hunt! Everything you do can be turned into a super activity if you get creative.

Once you’ve finished your comic strip, why not read it to some friends and tell them of your superhero adventures?

Remember you don't have to be great at drawing to do this - stickmen can be superheroes too.

What you’ll need:

  • Paper

  • Pencil

  • Coloured pencils

Create a Play

Have some friends around? Why not get creative and write a play together? Choose a theme to write about and pick your roles. Someone can be the director, some of you the actors and someone the costume designer. The more people the better!

All you need to know is a play should have a beginning, a middle and an end. Everything in between is up to you!

Why not show off your acting skills and perform your play at the end of the day?

What you’ll need:

  • A good imagination!

Make a Nature Print

This one is great to do with your parents. Challenge them to see who can create the best print!

To do this, you’ll need to go on a walk or scavenging in your garden! Collect as many leaves, flowers, rocks, and sticks as you can. These will eventually be your paint brushes! After your scavenger hunt the creativity begins. Use the items you found to stamp paint onto your page. Use as many colours and items as you like and play around with your design!  You can try to make a picture or go abstract and create a pattern.

What you’ll need:

  • Paint

  • Paper

  • Leaves, flowers, sticks and/or rocks

Create a Weather Painting

This one will take you all summer!

The idea is to record the weather of each day of summer in a bright and creative way. Grab yourself a canvas, or piece of paper, and each day mark a line down the paper in the colour that matches the weather. For example, if it's been a really hot day you might use bright red, for a cooler day you might use a pale blue. By the end of the holidays you will have a unique rainbow of colours that remind you of your summer!

An example colour code:

  • Really hot day - red

  • Hot day - orange

  • Warm day - yellow

  • Normal day - green

  • Cool day - light blue 

  • Cold day - dark blue

  • Rainy day - black 

What you’ll need:

  • Coloured paint, pencils or felt-tip pens

  • Canvas or card

Five 1-Hour (or More) Challenges

Make a Water Pistol Painting

Have a water fight with a colourful end result! Instead of a water fight with your friends you will be aiming at your canvas! Fill your water guns with water based paint …aim and fire!

You can try to create a picture or just have some messy fun and make an abstract work of art.

Top tips:

  • Washable paint mixed 50/50 with water is the best for squirting and colour brightness

  • Use a different water gun for each colour

  • Don’t fire at your friends, it may stain or hurt their eyes!

  • Do it outside, and make sure to ask for a parent or guardian’s permission

What you’ll need:

  • Washable paint

  • Water guns

  • Paper or canvas

Words by Antonia Stephenson and Vicky Shepherd.