9 Nighttime Activities For Kids to Do in the Summer

Use a sheet or the side of the house to project a movie for the whole family to enjoy. Or spend a rainy night in with sleeping bags on the living room floor and a Netflix favorite.

Run around the backyard to see who can catch the most fireflies, then let them all go so they can keep illuminating the backyard.

Get a book from your local library — or a smartphone app — to learn about constellations, then find them in the sky on a stack of comfy blankets in the backyard.

Like regular tag, someone is “it” and everyone runs around trying to evade who’s “it.” Players are eliminated when the flashlight’s beam hits them.

Grab a tent — or hang sheets over a clothesline — and sleep outside with the kiddos. If they’re old enough, let them sleep in the backyard alone and have them tell you about their “camping trip” over breakfast back at the house the next morning.

Toast marshmallows to perfection, stack 'em with your favorite chocolate and cookie combo, and tell scary — or not so scary — campfire stories while you eat your s’mores.

Get your swimsuit on after the sun sets on a warm night and splash around in the pool under the stars.

Send kids off with a list of nature items — or fun treats you set around — to find in the backyard with a flashlight.

Have the kids write their own puppet show, then perform it at night against the side of the house with their shadows.