Finding ways to keep the kids entertained all summer long is a chore. Nowadays, with parents working from home, it’s crucial to find activities that keep them occupied and out of their hair for a bit.

A ride-on car is a fantastic toy that many kids adore, but they also get bored of doing the same things repeatedly. Keep reading for fun summer activities your kids can enjoy with their ride-on cars. It will offer them a new way to play with the toy, and you’ll hopefully get some moments of rest.

“Let’s Run Errands”

What’s one thing kids can’t wait to do? Grow up. Many kids talk endlessly about how they can’t wait until they’re adults. Our first summer activity to incorporate the ride-on car is to help your kids feel like an adult and run errands.

Create a list of items or places the kids need to go and set them off on an adventure around the yard. You can cut out some pretend buildings from cardboard boxes or set up tables to serve as designated places. Make each area an assigned pretend destination. For example, craft a grocery store, hardware store, and department store so that they can go “run errands” while you work!

Obstacle Courses

Transform an entire area in your yard into an obstacle course that your kids can accomplish with their ride-on cars. Set up cones that your kids will have to drive around and be careful not to knock over. After they’ve made it safely through the cones, draw different shapes on the sidewalk where your kids will have to drive onto. Tell your kids they have to steer over each shape in a particular way; otherwise, the King will know they’re after the secret jewels!

Use your imagination to create all different obstacle courses. You can do a combination of indoor and outdoor courses. You can have obstacle courses where the kids have to get out of the ride-on cars in different parts. There is no shortage of combinations that using a little imagination can create.

On Your Mark, Get Set, RACE!

You can’t have a list of ride-on car summer activities and not have races on it! There are plenty of race styles that you can try.

Relay Race

Gather up a group of kids and have fun with relay races! Set up a start position with cones and use pool noodles to separate the two sides of the track the kids will race down. Create a turnaround point for individuals to quickly turn the car around to get back to the beginning.

Each team needs to have the same amount of people to work with. Once the first kid gets back from racing down and back, the next kid in line will jump into the car and rush down and back. Repeat this until every child has completed the track, then declare the winners!

Timed Race

See how quickly your child can get from point A to point B. If you only have one child competing, see if they can beat their previous time. Or, give each kid a turn trying to outrun the last time—whoever is the fastest wins!

Elimination Races

If you have a group of kids and multiple ride-on cars available, elimination races would be a fun activity to do. Set up a bracket and have each child compete two-by-two, and the fastest moves on to the next level. Keep going until you have the last kid standing. There’s your winner!

Tag, You’re It!

This idea is excellent if you have kids with ride-on cars in the neighborhood. Gather everyone together for a game of tag! Ensure that each kid is able to handle the quick-paced game. If not, maybe have some kids ride together, allowing one child to drive while the other tags. Find a way to make the game work to your conditions, and transform an ordinary game into extraordinary!

Laser Tag

If you have the means, you can take this game of tag up a notch. The kids can drive around trying to get the tag the other children out with their lasers!

Working at the Car Wash

No, you can’t take the ride-on car through an actual car wash, but what’s keeping you from setting a pretend one? Get creative with crates or boxes, streamers, and dry sponges to transform your backyard into a drive-thru car wash.

Once your child has gone through the car wash, you can be at the end to provide a complete detailing service for their car. Pretend to vacuum out the seats and floor, wipe down any “water” left from the wash, wax the tires, and send your child on their way.

Kids can also take tricycles and bicycles through. Get as creative as possible, and don’t forget to name your new business!

Scavenger Hunt

Are your kids ready to turn into detectives? Time to let them sleuth around the neighborhood, solving riddles and finding a long-lost buried treasure! The buried treasure could be something as simple as some new beads to make a necklace or bracelet with.

Before sending the kids out on an adventure, draw up a map of where you’d like the kids to go. Add landmarks like street names, giant rocks, and oddly shaped trees. Use riddles or funny phrases for the children to guess where you hid each clue until they finally find the ultimate prize! Arm them with magnifying glasses and other tools they’ll need to solve the clues.

The kids don’t have to make and complete just one scavenger hunt this summer! There are so many ways to let the children channel their inner detective. Off-road ride-on toys would be handy for this adventure, as they’ll handle the rough grass terrain better than the typical ride-on car.

Fun Scavenger Hunt Tip

You can use this idea for each holiday. Create an Easter egg scavenger hunt where they have to ride around collecting eggs. For the Fourth of July, make the hunt all about American history. What about Memorial Day? Place a specific number of flags around the yard or neighborhood; they can drive about until they find each one!

Kids can get tired of toys rather quickly. Any of the above summer activity ideas are surefire ways to get the kids excited to play with their ride-on cars. You’ll enjoy watching their imagination grow, and they’ll appreciate the memories.