How many times have you heard “I’m bored” from a kid during the summer? There's no need for boredom when a little creativity will keep those summer brains active and engaged.

Swipe through for fresh ideas to keep your kids busy this summer.

Sometimes you might feel like telling your kids to go fly a kite. How about you create a kite or two as a team art project and then all go fly them together?

Get the kids outside with a garden-planting activity. You can do a veggie garden with pumpkins that will be ready to harvest close to Halloween, or maybe some pretty annual flowers. As an ongoing project, encourage the kids to water the plants and pull weeds.

Older kids might appreciate a room refresh. If their bedroom still has traces of babyhood, consider a shopping trip for a few updated accessories. Rearrange the furniture just to mix things up, and maybe even paint an accent wall in a grown-up color.

Make a time capsule. Find a suitable container and then encourage the kids—and the parents—to find meaningful items to place inside. Have everyone write notes to themselves to include. Bury the container, or place it in the attic, or simply in the back of a cupboard. Agree on a date many years in the future that you’ll all come together to unseal it.

Photography: Amazon

Host a neighborhood Olympics. Ahead of time, get crafty and make some “medals” and plan your sporting events. Make them as fun or realistic as you like—egg on a spoon, three-legged race, straight-up 20-yard dash, 2x4 suspended between two cinder blocks for a balance beam—you get the picture. Don’t forget the opening ceremony, complete with passing of the torch (a candle, perhaps?).

Pick your own fruit at a nearby farm. Peaches, berries, tomatoes, melons—check online to see what type of pick-it-yourself farms are close by, and make a fun day of it. When you get home, invite the kids to help prepare a dessert or savory dish with your harvest.

Paint rocks! First, scout the yard/neighborhood for suitable rocks. Many stone artists prefer flat rocks to paint on, but whatever works for your kids is fine. Rinse off the rocks and set up a paint station while they dry. Let the creativity fly!