Fun Things to Do Over the Summer

 

So, summer is here, and you don’t have an internship. 

Maybe you applied but got ghosted. Maybe you didn’t even try because you needed a break. Either way, you have months ahead of you, and you don’t want to waste them doing nothing.

But here’s the thing—summer isn’t just about being productive. It’s about feeling alive. 

It’s about giving yourself space to grow, to breathe, to exist outside of deadlines and expectations. 

If you spend all of it worrying that you’re falling behind, you’ll miss the actual point of having a break.

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30+ Things to Do Over the Summer

Make your own tarot cards or oracle deck

Cut up cardboard, doodle cryptic symbols, and give each one a vibe. Doesn’t matter if you “believe” — it’s about the ritual, not the result.

Do a photoshoot with outfits based on random Pinterest boards

Pick an aesthetic like “Cottagecore Villain” or “2007 Indie Movie” and commit. Set up a self-timer, pose dramatically, and act like the main character.

Create an “alter ego” for summer and live as them for a day

Maybe she wears red lipstick to brunch or he talks to strangers like they’re old friends. Be weird. Be fearless. Be fictional.

Turn your summer into a scrapbook movie — screenshots, voice notes, random receipts

Document everything like you’re making a nostalgia film for your future self. Imperfect is perfect.

Cover your ceiling or wall with post-its of everything you want to remember

Inside jokes, midnight thoughts, “that one sunset,” dumb quotes from your friends. Make your space echo your memories.

End your summer with a “closing ceremony” — dress up, play music, make a toast to yourself

Light candles, wear something dramatic, and give yourself an award for surviving and feeling things. Make it weirdly formal.

Draw chalk art on the sidewalk and leave weird messages

Stuff like “hot girl detour” or “you’re standing where a raccoon fell in love once.” Confuse the public with whimsy.

Throw a themed dinner party where everyone brings a dish AND dresses up

Pick a random theme like “colors of the rainbow” or “meals that sound fake.” It’s about the chaos, not the cuisine.

Make a fake documentary about your summer adventures

Record voiceovers, interview your friends like you're celebrities, and add dramatic music. Even grocery trips become legendary.

Build a blanket fort that’s actually aesthetic

Fairy lights, cushions, maybe a movie playing on a laptop inside. Make it magical enough to forget you're in your living room.

Draw chalk art on the sidewalk and leave weird messages

Sneak out with chalk at golden hour and leave cryptic messages, doodles, or inside jokes only you understand. Let people walk over your thoughts all day. 

Use a projector to watch a movie outdoors with popcorn

Blankets, snacks, fairy lights — the full dreamy setup. Bonus points if it glitches halfway through and turns into a storytelling night.

Create a random “award show” for your friends (Best Outfit, Most Dramatic, etc.)

Print fake trophies, make ridiculous categories, and host the entire thing like it’s the Met Gala. Acceptance speeches mandatory.

Make your own popsicles with chaotic ingredients

Try coconut water + gummy bears or Sprite + mango. The goal is not perfection, it’s summer science and edible confusion.

Try geocaching like it’s a treasure hunt

Download the app and go find weird hidden boxes in public places. Some will be disappointing, some will feel like you cracked a secret society.

Let someone else plan your entire day — no questions asked

Give up control and say yes to everything (within reason). You might end up in a petting zoo or at a pottery class with someone’s grandma.

Make a “summer scent” — mix oils, lotions, perfumes into your signature vibe

Layer vanilla, coconut, citrus — whatever feels like sunshine to you. Smell like a memory you haven’t made yet.

Write mini letters to strangers and leave them in books at the library

Make someone’s day for no reason. “You’re doing better than you think.” “This book chose you.” Be a wholesome chaos agent.

Go to the beach/lake/pool and pretend it’s a music video

Dramatic hair flips, slow-motion water splashes, arms stretched like you're in a freedom montage. Bonus points for sunglasses and no actual swimming.

Choreograph a dance to the most dramatic song you know

Find something unreasonably theatrical — full body twirls, slow-motion falls, pretend like you're auditioning for your own movie.

Sleep in a tent in your backyard just because

You don’t need a reason — just grab some snacks, string up lights, and camp under the stars like you're on a no-budget retreat. Bonus if you forget the tent pegs and improvise.

Have a water balloon war — but aesthetic edition

Use pastel balloons, wear white clothes you don’t mind ruining, and blast a dreamy playlist in the background. It’s chaos, but make it cinematic.

Dye a t-shirt with turmeric, berries, or coffee (DIY summer fashion)

Forget the store-bought kits — use your kitchen like a chaotic lab and create a t-shirt that smells like brunch. It might stain weird, but that’s the charm.

Pretend you’re at summer camp: friendship bracelets, silly games, and no phones

Unplug and go full camp-core with lanyards, fireless campfires, and way too much bug spray. Give everyone a ridiculous camp nickname.

Jump rope in the rain and romanticize it

Throw on an old playlist and jump like you're in a coming-of-age film montage. Get drenched, laugh too hard, and don’t stop until your lungs burn a little.

Go somewhere just to people-watch and write little stories about them

Pick a park bench or a coffee shop window, then turn strangers into characters. That old man is a retired spy. That couple? Probably secret rivals.

Spend an entire day barefoot (okay maybe not everywhere, but you get the vibe)

Ditch your shoes and let your feet actually feel summer — the grass, the sand, the porch steps. Your arches might hate you but your soul will thank you.

Draw on your mirror with dry erase markers like it’s your movie montage

Write dramatic quotes, doodle hearts, or outline your summer plans in bright colors. It’s chaotic until the humidity makes it drip like an art piece.

Go on a road trip with a playlist that matches each hour

Plan your playlist like a movie score: dreamy at sunrise, hype in the afternoon, sad-girl at night. Let the music narrate the whole ride.

Make moodboards for your favorite summer movies and recreate the vibes

Channel the chaos of Mamma Mia, the soft haze of Call Me By Your Name, or the teen angst of The Way Way Back. Live your Pinterest board.

Make a fake documentary about your summer adventures

Film dramatic voiceovers and fake interviews like you’re the star of a low-budget Netflix doc. Pretend your trip to the gas station was a critical turning point.

Go to a fair and eat the weirdest thing there

Skip the funnel cake and go for whatever deep-fried chaos they’re selling this year. Make it your mission to regret nothing.

Write a love letter to summer and hide it somewhere in nature

Pour your soul into a letter about sun, slowness, and messy memories. Tuck it under a tree or inside a book for someone else to find one day.