With temperatures and humidity soaring during the summer months, escaping the southern heat can feel like a challenge. But don’t worry, we’ve put together a list of easy, fun, and creative ways to stay cool with your family without having to head to the pool or beach.
Here are some refreshing ideas to help your family chill out this summer:
🍧 Cool Treats for Everyone
Whip up some delicious homemade popsicles with your kids! Super Healthy Kids – 25 Homemade Popsicle Recipes that are both fun to make and perfect for beating the heat.
🐾 Cool Treats for Your Pets, Too
Keep your furry family members cool with tasty DIY frozen treats from AKC – Frozen Dog Treats You Can Make at Home and Modern Dog Magazine – Cool Treats for Hot Dogs
💦 No Pool? No Problem!
Stay refreshed with fun backyard water games from The Spruce – Fun Water Games for Kids. A great list of easy water games you can do in the yard with minimal equipment — for toddlers to teens (and adults!).
🌩️ Too Hot or Stormy Outside? Try These Indoor Activities:
🎬 Host a Family Movie Night
🎨 Need more variety? Good Housekeeping – 50+ Indoor Activities for Kids from crafts to STEM projects, or Hands On As We Grow – Rainy Day Activities offering creative and screen-free ideas for indoor play.
🐶 And for your pets, check out creative ideas from The Humane Society – Indoor Activities for Dogs and The Wildest Rainy Day Games for Dogs
💡 Have a cool tip to share?
We’d love to hear how you beat the summer heat! Send your ideas — and photos if you have them! — to info@dicommunity.org with “Beat The Summer Heat” in the subject line. We’ll feature resident submissions in this article so others can try them out too!
Stay cool, have fun, and enjoy every bit of summer — even the sweaty parts! ☀️💧
