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Summer is coming, and with it that gentle question that comes back every year: how do you keep the kids busy through the long vacation days without them ending up glued to a screen? Good news: there are plenty of creative activities that are easy to pull out, at home or on the road, and that please little ones, teens and even parents. Here's a roundup of our favorite ideas for a colorful, creative, boredom-free summer.
Why bet on creative activities this summer?
Vacation is the ideal time to slow down and let the imagination run free. Away from the school routine, kids finally have time to create, experiment, make mistakes and start over. Hands-on activities also have real benefits: they build concentration, fine motor skills and self-confidence, while offering a real break away from screens, whose excessive use worries more and more parents.
1. Giant coloring, the sure bet for quiet afternoons
It's hard to get simpler or more effective. Spread out on the floor or pinned to the wall, a large-format coloring poster keeps kids busy for hours and quickly becomes a group project where everyone colors their own area. It's the perfect activity for afternoons that are too hot or rainy days, when you need to channel energy without going out. Bonus: once finished, the poster becomes bedroom decor the kids are proud of.
2. Body art, the star of vacation
Summer is the ideal season to dare body art. Temporary tattoos, fake freckles, hair chalk: these festive accessories are perfect for a festival, an outdoor birthday or simply a day at the beach. Temporary tattoos go on in seconds and come off painlessly, so you can change your look whenever you feel like it. As for hair, hair chalk lets you color a strand for a day — the teens' favorite accessory on vacation.
3. Stickers, the ultimate on-the-go activity
Light, clean and needing no prep, stickers are the kings of travel. Slipped into a bag, they turn a long car or train ride into an impromptu creative workshop. Kids personalize a notebook, a suitcase, a pencil case… Decorative stickers are also perfect for customizing a vacation journal, where you stick your memories day by day. A calm activity, ideal for the moments when you have to wait.
4. Montessori, learning while having fun
For the little ones, vacation is a chance to learn differently, through play and hands-on handling. The Montessori kits offer sensory, playful activities that awaken curiosity without seeming to. The child explores, observes and experiments at their own pace, a gentle and stimulating break from passive days.
5. The creative vacation journal
Here's an idea that combines several activities in one: the travel notebook. Every day, the child draws in it, glues in tickets and shells, adds stickers and colors in their memories. It's an activity that grows over time, lasts all summer and keeps a precious record of the vacation. Also ideal for teens, who can express their creativity in a more personal way.
6. Creative family workshops
And what if the parents joined in too? Many OMY activities are designed in a "kidult" spirit: accessible to kids, but rich enough to captivate adults. A large poster to color shared among the whole family, a temporary tattoo evening before a party, an impromptu body art workshop… These shared moments create memories as much as they keep the troops busy.
7. The last-minute anti-boredom activity
There will always be that moment when you hear the dreaded "I'm bored." Keeping a few creative supplies on hand — markers, stickers, a coloring page — lets you pull out an activity in two minutes, with no planning. The secret: plan ahead by putting together a little "creativity box" to take everywhere this summer.
8. Our tips for a successful creative vacation
A few simple habits make all the difference. Vary the activities to avoid weariness, alternate calm and more active moments, and favor portable supplies that are easy to carry. Also leave the kids free in their choice of colors and patterns: the goal isn't the perfect result, but the pleasure of creating. Finally, set up a dedicated corner: a table, a sheet on the floor... so you can create without fear of stains.
The last word
Giant coloring, festive body art, on-the-go stickers or Montessori kits: summer vacation is the dream playground for creativity. With a few well-chosen supplies, you're all set for a summer without boredom, without screens and full of color. Grab your markers: the most colorful memories are within reach.
👉 Discover OMY creative activities
Updated on 25/06/2026