13 Toys That Will Entertain Your Kids During Summer Break

A kid can only watch "Frozen" so many times.

For months, the collective countdown until the last school bell sounded for summer break was on. But now, even mere days into vacation, you’ve probably started the countdown in reverse, checking your calendar to see when school starts up again. The front door constantly opening and closing, toys left literally everywhere, the endless refrain of “I’m bored” ... It’s enough to wear on any parent.

If you’re a parent who works from home, the task of finding ways to keep your kids entertained is especially pressing. If only we all got summer break, right? That’s when having an arsenal of toys made for independent play come in handy. These are games that your child can play on their own; they don’t need you or to find a friend to join in. Keep a basket of these games handy and summer will go a lot smoother — for everyone.

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Walmart
Rubik’s cube
Rubik’s cubes are old school, so there’s a good chance your kid has never played around with one before. The beauty of a Rubik’s cube is that it’s hard — it’s going to take them a while to figure it out. When they do solve it, YouTube Justin Bieber figuring it out in less than 60 seconds. They’ll be amazed.
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Walmart
Jurassic World sticker activity book
Even if your kids aren’t old enough to see "Jurassic World" in theaters, the movie’s release has officially given dinosaurs a resurgence in popularity. (For many kids, the interest never went extinct anyway.) With this sticker book, they can create their own dino-centric scenes.
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Walmart
A giant activity book
Connect the dots, mazes, matching games … this activity book has 200 pages featuring these activities and more. The suggested age range is kids 5 to 8 and in addition to keeping them entertained, the games sneakily sharpen their learning skills, too.
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Walmart
LEGO friends forest house
With this LEGO set, kids can follow the directions to build the tricked-out tree house or they can go off-script and create something completely different. Either way, they’ll stay busy and as a bonus, they can play with the LEGO people and animals when they want a break from building.
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Walmart
A glow-in-the-dark solar system puzzle
Even if your kids aren’t interested in traditional puzzles, there’s a good chance they’ll be into this one. Otherwise, they’re not going to get to see the planets glow in the dark. It will keep them entertained to infinity and beyond!
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Walmart
Etch-A-Sketch
Like the Rubik’s cube, this is another classic game your kids may not even know exists. Part of what makes an etch-a-sketch so great is that kids of all ages can have fun with it.
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Walmart
A jewelry-making kit
Remember braiding colored thread to make bracelets in the summer and wearing them until they finally fell off? This colorful jewelry making kit is the 2022 version of that. Made for kids ages 6 and older, it comes complete with star charms, alphabet beads and lots of colorful beads.
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Walmart
A quilt-making kit
This kit makes quilt-making kid-friendly by eliminating the cutting and sewing. Instead, they use knots to secure the squares of fleece fabric together and can then apply felt embellishments to jazz it up. By evening, they’ll be ready to cuddle for a much-deserved movie night.
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Walmart
A 1966 Chevy Nova Pro model car kit
If you have a middle-schooler, let them try their hand at a model car kit. (This one is for ages 12 and up.) Heads up: You do have to buy the model glue and paint before they can assemble it, so be sure to add those to your cart when you purchase it.
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Walmart
A hula hoop
Hula hooping is a way to give your kid something active to do without worrying about them running all over the neighborhood. What’s cool about this one is that the size and weight are both adjustable so elementary-school age kids all the way through teenagers can get in on the fun.
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Walmart
A bird house-making kit
This bird house-making kit comes with everything needed to make it, including the paints. The cord is made of hemp, which will encourage a bird to move right on in once it’s ready to hang.
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Walmart
A paper airplane book
A paper airplane book keeps kids busy in two ways: First, it takes time to follow the folding directions to make the planes. Then, they can head into the yard and see them fly. This book comes with 15 different designs to tear out and do.
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Walmart
A dance mat
If your day involves a lot of work calls, you’re going to want to put this mat on the other side of the house or in the garage, but once it’s set up, your child will have a great time dancing away by following the prompts, which tell them where to step. It’s the perfect solo game for a child who doesn’t exactly want to sit still. This game will keep ‘em moving!

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