Summer’s here! And with it comes the perfect chance for girls to reset, try something new and build self-affirming skills in all sorts of fun ways. You don’t need fancy kit or packed schedules to help your girl feel brave, bold and proud of who she is. These 10 simple summer activities spark creativity, build resilience and help encourage her fearless side – all while having a brilliant time!
1. Design Your Own Board Game
Inventing a board game taps into problem-solving, imagination and creativity – all essential skills for building fearless thinking. Plus, making something from scratch and seeing others enjoy it builds huge amounts of self-esteem and confidence in her ideas. Make it about jungle escapes, magical quests or a silly race to the ice cream van! Invent the rules, create the board and play it with friends or family.
2. Set Up a Mini Business
Making and selling bracelets, badges or cards is a fab way to build real-world confidence and practice entrepreneurial thinking. Research shows that when kids get to make decisions and manage small risks, it boosts their sense of agency and encourages ambition. Coming up with their company name and logo as well as their first ‘marketing plan’ (i.e. sell it all to Grandma) is hugely validating.
3. Create Affirmation Stones
Collect some smooth pebbles and write or paint words of affirmation on them – like ‘I am capable’ or ‘I can do hard things’. It’s not just creative, it reinforces positive self-talk. Studies show that affirmations can actually help reduce stress and increase motivation in children. Leaving the stones out for others also promotes empathy and community connection.
4. Plan a Nature Hunt or Scavenger Trail
Time in nature helps reduce anxiety, improve focus and support emotional wellbeing. Creating a trail or checklist also helps develop observation and memory skills – and gives girls a sense of independence as she leads the way.
5. Invent a Garden Obstacle Course
Physical play supports more than just fitness – it boosts brain development, risk-taking skills and perseverance. Falling over, laughing and trying again teaches girls that mistakes aren’t failures – they’re part of the process. Set up some obstacles or ‘challenge stations’ in the garden (like jumping through hoops, using a skipping rope, dribbling a football, etc.) and have fun!
6. Try a New Recipe
Learning to cook helps children develop executive function – things like planning, sequencing and working memory. Cooking also encourages creativity and independence, and gives girls real-life evidence of their capability. Plus, you all get to enjoy eating it!
7. Make Pavement Chalk Designs
Writing positive messages or drawing fun pictures with chalk is a simple way to be playful and expressive. It gives girls a chance to say something out loud without needing to speak, and lets them take up space in a creative and visible way. There’s something quietly powerful about leaving a mark in the world for others to see and enjoy, even if it washes away with the rain.
8. Create a Family Escape Room
Setting up clues, puzzles or codes engages problem-solving, creativity and lateral thinking – key parts of a growth mindset. Being the one in charge of a challenge builds leadership and helps girls feel capable and clever.
9. Teach Someone Something
When a girl teaches a sibling, friend or adult something she knows – whether it’s dance moves, drawing or football skills – it reinforces her own learning and gives her a deep sense of confidence. It also supports communication skills and resilience if things go wrong.
10. Create a Power Collage (And Keep It Going!)
This simple creative project encourages girls to name their strengths – something research shows helps build self-worth and emotional resilience. To make a Power Collage, she can start with a big piece of paper or card, then add magazine cut-outs, photos, doodles, stickers or handwritten words that describe who she is, what she feels, what she likes and her goals for the future. She can keep adding to it over time, and there are no rules – it’s about showing herself as she sees herself. As the collage grows, it becomes a visual reminder of everything she already is – and a way to celebrate it.
Why These Activities Matter
Fearlessness is built through doing – by being an active participant, trying something new, making mistakes and realising she’s still okay. Every one of these summer activities supports the journey to finding their fearless in fun and impactful ways (that don’t cost the Earth!).
Let’s give our girls a summer packed with adventure, curiosity and bold moments!
