Engage Your Kids This Summer with These 20 Alexandria Activities

Wondering how to keep the kids engaged and active this summer? Let Alexandria’s restaurants, boutiques and historic attractions help. Peruse our guide below for inspiration ranging from doughnut-decorating kits to virtual art classes to family bike rides and more for your kids to explore.

Creative Kits

AR Workshop Summer ARt Kits: Order a Summer ARt kit online from AR Workshop for a steady stream of crafting inspiration, designed for kids ages 7+. The ARt Box subscription gives you three projects over the months of June, July and August, with all materials and instructions included.

Learn-to-Knit Kits from fibre space: Older kids will get a kick out of fibre space’s learn-to-knit and crochet kits, complete with needs, yarn and an instruction book to keep them absorbed for hours on end.

Kidcreate Studio Kits: Your little ones will feel like they have a private art instructor with Kidcreate Studio’s take-home kits, complete with video instructions. Plus, learn more about their in-person art classes below.

Red Barn Mercantile Family Fun Gift Box: Let Red Barn curate an assortment of activities that will entertain the entire family this summer, including games, puzzles and treats.

Robcyns Activity Bundles: Robcyns is assembling special activity bundles for preschool and elementary school kids at home. Activity bundles range from $40-$60 and can be customized based on ages and interests.

Edible Entertainment

Pizza-Making Kits from Lena’s and The Italian Place: Extra saucy? Easy on the cheese? Your kids can customize their own pie proportions with a hands-on dining experience from Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap or The Italian Place.

Doughnut Decorating Kits from Elizabeth’s Counter: Make a delicious, donut-y mess when you pick up a decorating kit from Elizabeth’s Counter.

Buzz Bakeshop Baking Kits: More of a cupcake crew? Order Buzz Bakeshop’s Cupcake Kits, complete with two piping bags of icing and four containers of sprinkles.

Virtual Experiences

#HistoricALX2U: Find activities and learning opportunities with #HistoricALX2U from the Office of Historic Alexandria, from old-school ice cream recipes to deep dives into Alexandria’s untold stories.

Virtual Ghost Tours: Older kids and teens will get a thrill out of this seriously spooky ghost tour from Alexandria Colonial Tours, now also offered live in physically distant form.

Mount Vernon Virtual Tours: Learn more about George Washington’s Mount Vernon with virtual tours, online kids’ activities ranging from 18th-century recipes to invisible ink instructions and ticketed opportunities to tour the grounds in person.

Burke & Herbert “Learning About Money” Tools: Burke & Herbert Bank, a local community bank with a proud, storied history of serving generations of individuals, families and businesses in the Northern Virginia area as the state’s oldest bank, offers resources for boosting your kids’ financial IQ from pre-K to 6^th grade and older.

Reading Corner

Hooray for Books!: As Alexandria’s only locally-owned, independent children’s bookstore, Hooray for Books! is a go-to source for stoking a love for reading, specializing in inclusive stories.

Old Town Books’ Camp Bookworm: Camp Bookworm is Old Town Books’ summer reading program for new parents and kids of all ages. Each Camp Bookworm bundle includes three books, reading challenge sheets with stickers and virtual monthly meetups to talk about the book picks.

Virtual Programming Via the City: Explore the compilation of storytime and children’s activity resources on the City’s Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities page.

Artistic Classes Online

Little Theatre of Alexandria Virtual Summer Classes: Do your little ones have a flair for the dramatic? Sign them up for the Little Theatre of Alexandria’s virtual summertime classes, including options for high school aged students.

Kidcreate StudioWorkshops: Activities at Kidcreate Studio’s in-person summertime classes (compliant with current regulations), range in theme from slime-making to mermaids. Live virtual classes and take-home kits are also available.

School of Rock Remote Virtual Lessons: Whether your child is just finding center C or a miniature Yo-Yo Ma, use School of Rock Remote to gain access to skilled music instructors and unique teaching techniques.

Ways to Get Moving

Bike Rentals: Pedal out pent-up energy  with your family and see new sights with rentals Unlimited Biking or Pedego Electric Bikes.

Potomac Kempo Streaming Classes: Have your kids try their hands (and legs, and feet) at a new skill with Potomac Kempo’s streamed Zoom lessons of the martial art with ties to Karate and Kung Fu.

Running Brooke Move2Learn-at-home toolkit: RunningBrooke has launched a new Move2Learn-At-Home Toolkit, a full menu of movement-based activities critical to burn off energy, increase focus and prime kids for learning. 

Take a Great Walk: Get the whole family outside with everything from a photo art walk to an architecture-themed expedition as you stroll Alexandria.

Looking for more inspiration? Keep tabs on what’s open in Alexandria here.

Header Image Credits, left to right: Instagram account of AR Workshop Alexandria, Instagram user @skylar_arias_adventures and Instagram account of Hooray for Books!