Summer spent mostly at home in your backyard can become a childhood core memory with a few simple ideas. Just think, no rushing, no schedules—just long days of sunshine, sticky fingers, bare feet, and laughter echoing off the garden fence.
After having our fourth baby this spring, we’ve been leaning into the slow and the sweet lately. Having a newborn around makes me want to stay close to home and only make local trips. So I’ve been on the hunt to make our summer special for our family in our own, very little, backyard; and so far it doesn’t take much. Also, I have all-season passes to our yard, so we can go anytime!
Here are a few of the simple pleasures we’re loving this summer in our little corner of the world:
Picnic Afternoons
Sometimes it’s a real lunch spread, sometimes it’s just a big bowl of watermelon and a few snacks on a blanket. We let the kids help choose the fruit and carry the dishes. There’s something about eating outside, under the trees, in the dappled light, that makes even the most ordinary snacks feel like a celebration.
Homemade Popsicles & Cold Tea
We’ve been making popsicles with fruit, ice cream and yogurt, freezing them in silicone popsicle molds. When it’s time for an icy treat, the kids wait by the freezer, with big eyes and bouncy toes, like I’m opening a treasure chest. And for me? A tall jar of cold herbal tea—a postpartum blend—feels like healing in a jar, perfect for surviving the midday heat too.
Zinnias are my favourite flowers to see in summer. They are also not a fussy plant to grow.
Sandboxes & Water Fights
Our sandbox is never just a sandbox. One minute it’s a bakery, the next it’s a construction dig site. We bring out scoops, buckets, and toy trucks and let the mess happen. Sometimes we will fill the super soakers so they can go from dusty to drenched in minutes. What would summer in the backyard be without muddy hands, sandy shoes, and soggy clothes from time to time?
Bubbles & Rolling Down the Hill
The simplest things—bubbles floating all around, the kids chasing after them, or rolling down our grassy hill on bikes (or dad’s mechanic creeeper)—remind me that children don’t need big plans, just room to be free and wild. It’s so worth it, but it also means they need more baths!
Do you have a hill nearby your kids like to play on too? I have a list of games for kids to play on a hill! Click here to see the list of games!
Blanket Tents & Story Time
As the afternoon sun shifts, we drape a few old sheets or quilts on a string tied to a tree branch and fence post to make a shady little tent. Inside, we each cuddle the baby and read together. Sometimes the kids make up their own stories. Either way, we’re building the kind of memories I hope they tuck into their hearts forever. I know they will be in mine.
No Fancy Plans, Just Backyard Wonder
I used to think summer needed trips and checklists to be memorable. But these slow, golden afternoons have taught me otherwise. A garden hose, a bowl of fruit, and a few well-loved books go a long, long way.
If you’re feeling tired, overstimulated, or like you haven’t “done enough” this season—know this: joy doesn’t need big money or big plans. It just needs a little space, a little sunlight, and a little love.
Here’s to a simple, beautiful summer in the backyard.
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