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Looking to make summer life a little smoother? Need a simple solution for supporting all the upcoming fun? Make yourself some summer car kits. They’re like little survival boxes filled with some absolute essentials for kid summers. Don’t get caught with them.
Why you need some summer car kits
I need you to heed my advice as a wise older parent. Maybe less so on the wise and just emphasis on the old. My oldest just turned 10.
Alright sure, I’m not the oldest parent out there, but I’ve been around the summer block enough times to write this post from experience. And I’ve had enough summer failures to know I don’t want you to make the same summer mistakes I have.
Summer (where I live) means splash parks, creeks, lakes, beaches, ponds, and a whole other mess of water based fun.
It means long days playing. Stumbling on new parks. Staying out later in the day than ever expected.
And for many years, these moments caught me off guard. I hadn’t packed for a splash pad and here was one. Shoot, no swim suits.
I hadn’t packed for a play area. Shoot, no toys.
I hadn’t realized we’d want to stay at the park long after the lunch boxes emptied. Shoot, no snacks.
Last summer, I said enough was enough. I made summer car kits and I put them in my trunk.
There is no exaggeration when I say: this changed the trajectory of our whole summer.
RELATED: If you’re looking for some summer fun to anchor each day, check out my FREE summer camp at home with 6-weeks of activities.
What goes into these survival kits?
They really are survival kits and I’m emphasizing that word. These kits help me survive. They keep me proactive, instead of reactive.
They keep me a step ahead, instead of a few steps behind trying to catch up to kids who already ran head first into a fountain fully clothed.
They keep me able to say “Yes!” to spontaneous summer fun much more than I could before.
I made three boxes for my car: outdoor toys, swim stuff, and snacks.
For my family, these three made sense. Water play is big in PNW summers (that’s where I live). Park play and water play often need some specialty toy items to keep the fun rolling. And snacks. I don’t think I really need to explain snacks.
RELATED: Need some ideas for the summer? Check out my FREE summer bucket list PDF.
Store your kits right in the car
These live in my car. Yes, they take up trunk space. It’s worth it for me.
When you make your summer car kits, choose the right size box (or boxes) for your family, car, and needs. I’m giving you the run down for my family, and we may have different wants than your family.
Remember, this isn’t just about the kids.
This is about helping you (the caregiver) have a less stressed summer. Knowing that you have gear always packed in the car is one less thing to worry about.
One less thing to remember.
One less thing to plan.
The breakdown of the summer car kits
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The Boxes
I keep my survival kits in these clear bins from Target. These are 15 quart boxes that are 17.12 Inches (L), 6.75 Inches (H) x 11.88 Inches (W). For me, these work well because I have three children and two additional friend-kids almost always with me (so I’m often packed for 5).
Label Maker
Why yes, I do own a label maker and it was obviously 100% necessary that I label each of these boxes. (no, it was not) But it makes me feel fancy and falsely organized. I use this a lot more than my former 20-something self would want to know…
The “Outdoor Toys” kit
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Here’s a run down of everything I put in the outdoor toys kit. For my children, these are toys they may use at a park, beach, creek/river, or splash pad. My kids are ages 6, 8, 10 but everything on this list is enjoyed and was enjoyed by them and friends from ages 2+. Not much has changed…
A lot of the items in this bin are duplicates of beloved outdoor play items that my kids use when at home. Instead of running around before every outing trying to find each item, I have duplicates that live in the car bin.
The car kit toys are never mixed with the at-home toys. Helps me from forgetting things.
Kid-sized Nets
Don’t knock these until you try them. Kids love them for chasing bugs, scooping things from water, and 1000 other ideas that only make sense to kids. They’re telescopic so the handles get much bigger depending on kid size.
Tools
The best set of kid tools ever, ever, ever. I love this set so much and it has served us well (so well that we have 2 or 3 sets to support all the kids in the neighborhood, my kids, and the summer car kit).
Water Blasters
A fan favorite for creek, river, pond, and lake play. What I love about this set is it’s very inclusive for all developmental stages to use. A two year old can use these just like a ten year old. Love a toy that has a long age span! I only keep 3 from this pack in my car. The other 3 live in the back yard.
Plastic Jars
This may not make sense at first but hear me out. These plastic jars with lids are the most sought after item from this car kit. Kids love these. They work at splash pads and any other water source. They hold bugs. They collect treasures. They’re used for everything. This comes as a 12 pack. I put three in the car box.
Chalk
Chalk is such a legend. Rocks at the beach. Sidewalks at a park. I carry a zipper bag of chalk in the car kit because you never know when you need to draw an obstacle course or starting line.
Small Animals
My kids love small animals for outdoor play. They make worlds, they are imaginary, they do just about everything with these. This small pack in fairly inexpensive so if one goes missing, it’s not the end of the world. I try and keep some track of these animals especially if we are out in nature and the kids are really good about “checking them back in.”
The Zipper Pouches
MVP: the zipper bags. I use these to hold the chalk and the animals. If space was tight, I could probably get a lot of these items into a large zipper bag… just a thought…
The “Swim Stuff” Kit
Busy Toddler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.
Our swim kit is pretty basic and as expects: suits, towels, and a blanket for me to sit on. The difference is, I have towels that fold up so small and a blanket that scrunches super compact to fit into the boxes. I put my kids’ oldest/least favorite suit into these boxes. They work!
I may add a change of clothes for my kids into this bin but haven’t crossed that bridge yet. I also would love to add in a cheap pair of goggles for just-in-case spontaneous swimming.
Beach Towels
These are the most compact and lightweight (but still giant and absorbent) towels. I’m so obsessed with them for kids. I have a car set and an at-home set. You won’t believe how small fold up but still work perfectly.
Blanket
This is a GIANT blanket that folds up into the most compact baggie. It comes with stakes so you can secure it down if need be. This can hold me and many, many children on it. It’s also super quick drying.
The “Snacks” Kit
This is going to be super taste, needs, allergy, weather, kid, etc etc dependent so I’m not going to give any fancy break down of this box.
I went with snacks that won’t melt.
That can somewhat withstand a little heat from a car.
Snacks that my kids will be excited about.
Snacks that were on sale the day I put this bin together because we often have more kids than just my three eating from this bin.
Oh, and some sparkling water for me.
Frequently Asked Questions
Since sunscreen can lose it’s effectiveness overheating in a hot car, I left it out. I usually try to keep one with me in my parent-bag no matter what. I also have absolutely no problem asking other parents at if we can use their sunscreen if we really got in a jam. I’ve done this many times before. My opening line is “Hello, you seem like a much more prepared and organized parent than I am…” It gets a laugh.
I have a 2019 Atlas with a bench seat (so the third row is down). It’s not the biggest car, but it’s not a compact car. If space is an issue, pair this idea way down. The goal is to have a few things to get you by, allow for spontaneity, and keep things flowing. You don’t need as much as I have… or maybe you need more.
I often also keep a beach chair for myself in my car. Something low and easy to maneuver.
Susie Allison, M. Ed
Owner, Creator
Susie Allison is the creator of Busy Toddler and has more than 2 million followers on Instagram. A former teacher and early childhood education advocate, Susie’s parenting book “Busy Toddler’s Guide to Actual Parenting” is available on Amazon.
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