Summertime is great for play dates. You have much more time on your hands, plenty of good weather, and endless opportunities for fun. Here are ten ideas you might want to use during your next play date.

10. Sand and Water

Who says you have to go to the beach to have some sand and water fun? My husband just built us a really simple, really awesome sensory table for this purpose, but all you really need are two shallow pans or buckets to hold sand and water. Add some beach toys, sunscreen, bathing suits and towels, and you can have your own sandcastle date!

9. Song Fest

Grab a play guitar—or a real one if you have it—and lead the kids in an old fashioned outdoor sing-along. Bonus if you can each make up a new song—the sillier the better!

8. Camp Out

You don’t need to go to camp or even to travel to pitch a tent and hang out in the backyard. If it’s too rainy, just put a tent up inside—or even build out of blankets. Your kids’ stuffed animals can join the fun as “woodland creatures” or fellow campers.

7. Nature Hunt

Go exploring for things in nature on your play date. Make a scavenger hunt list in advance, or have each child decide three things that he or she wants to find. Find them all together.

6. Lemonade Stand

What better business is there for kids to get involved with than the classic summer lemonade stand? Let them take turns serving customers and making lemonade, then take them to a penny candy or toy store to spend their earnings. Donate them to a favorite cause if you wish.

5. Plant Flowers

Get each child his or her own pot, some soil, and seeds. Teach them about planting, what flowers need to grow, and specific facts about their own flowers. Let them paint their pots, too.

4. Make and Fly Kites

This is one of the easiest and most rewarding activities of the summer! Be sure to do it on a windy day, and to not fly the kites around trees or power lines.

3. Skip Rope

It seems like not many kids enjoy skipping rope these days, but it’s a fun, free activity that encourages motor skills and physical fitness. Introduce the children to some of the rope skipping games you played as a child.

2. Play Outdoor Games

From soccer to badminton, volleyball to hopscotch, there are so many things you can play together outside. Remind kids how much fun it is to be outdoors!

1. Make and Use Sidewalk Chalk

Kits are easy to come by, as are online instructions. What’s more fun than drawing all over the sidewalk during the summer?