Labor Day Fun: Exciting Activities to Celebrate Summer’s End!
Family-friendly Labor Day activities to make the most of the Labor Day weekend and bid farewell to summer. Exciting ideas to create lasting memories with your kids year after year.
I don’t know about you but as for me and my family…WE LOVE FALL! Summer is nice (when it’s not 100 degrees and humidity is super high lol).
My kids love that Labor Day weekend and it is a great way to spend those final moments of fun with family.
I’ll talk about some of the things you can do with your kids during Labor Day in my post. This way you can make memories, get closer to each other, and enjoy the good weather before Fall fully sets in!
Top 15 Activities to Do With Your Kids During The End of Summer:
My kids and I love to do all sorts of things both indoors and outdoors! Hopefully, I can help give you some fun ideas here:
Cookout
Who doesn’t love a good cookout? Or as my family would say,“throwing some meat on the grill” LOL.
A cookout is a classic labor day activity that we look forward to every year!
My family loves getting their grills out and making fresh food for friends and loved ones over the weekend.
You can join in on the fun too and invite everyone you are close with to eat hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken and even the whole hog (LOL).
We even like to set off some sparklers at the end of the night for a little extra excitement!
Take a Road Trip
Who doesn’t love a good road trip? If your kids are anything like mine, the motion sickness bands and patches are a must! Thank me later! Road trips can bring your whole family closer and let you explore different parts of the country state by state.
Also, the extra day off during the weekend is a great time to sightsee and visit some exciting attractions.
If you’re a planner like me, I recommend planning your trip ahead. There is a lot that you will want to see and experience. You can also have your kids plan your route with you.
This way they feel extra involved with your trip!
Hike
There is no better way to enjoy the end of summer than with a nice family hike.
Although we haven’t hiked in a long time, my family loves it!
Going into nature is relaxing and healthy for the mind and body. It’s also an ideal way to destress right before the school year, which we all know can be stressful on its own.
For some reason, nature has a special way of making us sit back and appreciate all the good things in our life.
In my opinion, introducing your children to nature is one of the best parts of being a parent!
You should definitely consider bringing snacks (because what’s a trip without snacks, lol) and water if you plan on hiking for more than an hour or two.
Also, be mindful of your kids if you are walking on a more difficult trail. You don’t want them (or you lol) to get too exhausted.
Camp
I’ve found that camping can be a great way to get closer to your kids and even further into nature.
While camping isn’t an activity that every family will enjoy (like mine), I highly recommend trying this activity out during the labor day weekend.
Whether you decide to put up some tents in your backyard or take a trip to a nearby national park, camping can be a great chance to have fun and teach your kids survival skills and other useful tips.
You can also do a lot of other fun activities while camping, from roasting marshmallows, making smores to making a fire pit.
Go to An Amusement Park
My kids love amusement parks, and during the end of the summer, this is easily one of the best ways to conclude your labor day weekend!
There are all kinds of amusement parks you can visit from Disney World to Six Flags.
You can even hit up a water park if the weather gets really hot.
It’s true that amusement park trips can get expensive (very expensive, lol), but there are some cheaper options available and some deals during this time of the year.
Personally, I recommend choosing a park that is within your price range and near your home.
Go Shopping
I’ve never been a big shopper but I have to admit that the end of the summer is the perfect time to catch labor day sales and other seasonal sales.
I normally can find great deals on decor, clothes, toys, electronics, and many other products that your kids love!
This time of the year is also the best time to get school shopping done (and get some early Christmas shopping done…hint hint).
Back-to-school shopping can be a lot of fun for your kids.
They might not be ready to start school just yet but we are (LOL).
Picking out brand-new school supplies and seeing what they will need for the upcoming academic year can be exciting!
Take a Beach Trip
Just imagine it, an ocean breeze, the smell of salt in the air, and sandy shorelines that go on for miles. As my kids like to say…THE BEACH!
The beach is one of our favorite trips to take and is sure to make everyone in your family happy.
Now you might have to drive up to the shore or take a short flight to reach a beach.
But I promise, it is definitely worth the travel time to head out to the beach during labor day!
Go to The Movies or Have A Movie Night
From Inside Out, Minions, and The Mario Movie, it’s not summer without a movie night at our house.
On those final days of summer, why not make a trip to the movie theater to see the latest blockbuster hit?
You can visit your local movie theater with your family and get a big bucket of popcorn along with some other classic movie snacks.
If you want to make your movie night extra special, see if there is a drive-in movie theater near your house.
Drive-in movies can be a lot of fun for everyone in your family.
Gather up blankets, pillows, and other comfortable seats to make a backyard theater.
Bring a projector and screen outside and string up some lights to create a more magical ambiance.
Go on A Bike Ride
Who doesn’t love a nice bike ride? Labor Day is the perfect time for a bike ride.
Not only will the weather be good, but everyone in your family can take this chance to explore nature and exercise a little.
Some families have enough bikes for everyone to go out and enjoy the sunshine. If you need extra bikes, do a little bit of research online.
There are tons of local bike companies in large and small towns.
They should offer rentals for families and other people that want to enjoy biking over the Labor Day weekend.
Play Board Games
Monopoly or Trouble, please! Board games and other card games can help your
family press the pause button on life and have a little bit of competitive fun.
I’m sure you probably have a favorite board game in mind when you plan a family game night.
Why not try out some new games during the Labor Day weekend? There are all kinds of family-friendly games that can be found online or at your local store.
So, definitely give this activity a go!
Have an Ice Cream Tasting
My kids love ice cream, especially during these hot Alabama summers when the
temperatures along with the humidity are unbearable.
You can go to your local ice cream shops and pick up a few different cones to taste test different ice cream flavors.
It’s also a great idea to have an ice cream tasting at home.
Buy a few different pints of ice cream (we love Blue Bell) so everyone can mix and match the best flavors in their bowls or cones!
Go to The Pool
If the beach is too far away, then why not go with the next best option…to the pool!
Most pools stay open until the end of labor day so, this could be your last chance
to take a dip in the water before it closes up during the fall.
There are tons of pool activities that your kids will enjoy and you can even invite their friends and other family members to join you.
Have a Picnic
You can pack a special meal and head out to the park with your whole family.
Picnics let you enjoy nature and the good weather.
I suggest definitely bringing a few blankets and enough water and juice (or my kids favorite… Gatorade) so everyone can stay hydrated.
I also recommend setting out your food and other supplies under a bit of shade too, that way no one gets overheated.
Read a Book
This definitely isn’t something that all kids will enjoy (especially mine LOL).
Still, I think that reading a good book under the sun can be a lot of fun even if you have young kids.
Finding the right book can be hard, but if you find a story that can hook them, you can teach them to love reading early on.
Try picture books with younger kids.
This way they can better imagine the story. If you have older kids, try reading the book in an exciting way with different voices.
You can even take turns reading out loud to get them more involved.
Bake Some Sweet Treats
Finally, if you want some sweet treats but don’t want to buy them, why not bake them yourself?
Baking is another amazing way for your family to get closer and bond.
While your kitchen might get a little (ALOT) messy, there is nothing better than eating warm cookies and other baked goods together with your family.
There are a lot of other options available, I recommend looking online for recipes
and ideas that will please your taste buds and have your kids excited to help out.
Final Thoughts on Labor Day Fun
Your kids probably aren’t ready to go back to school quite yet. I know my kids want
it to stay summer forever.
There is still plenty of time to have a little Labor Day fun and bond before the new school year begins again.
Hopefully, some of the activities I listed and talked about will bring your whole family closer!
Really, there is so much you can do. These were just a few ideas to help get you started on your Labor Day plans.
The first day of school is usually the day after Labor Day where I live, so I try to savor the summer as much as possible that weekend. Just appreciating the good weather, the colors in the garden, and being able to relax for just a few more days are my goals!
I wish my kids started school after Labor Day; they wouldn’t mind enjoying a little more summer.