1. A tie-dye party kit to make your summer totally groovy. With enough supplies for six people, and 18 bottles to cover up to 36 projects, you might just *have* to make matching T-shirts ahead of your family vacation!

Michaels

Promising review: "Love it! Such an awesome kit for the summer. Kids enjoying making their tie-dye t-shirts. Great summer activity!" —DD96

Price: $14.99 (originally $27.99)

2. A classic catch ball set, because nothing says summer more than telling the kids to go outside and throw a ball. And because the ball sticks to the mitt, it's easier for littles to catch, too!

Michaels

Price: $3.74 (originally $4.99, available in three colors chosen by Michaels)

3. A ribbon twirler, which — trust me on this — will entertain a very wide age range of kids... and maybe even adults. The littles love to just twirl in circles, and the older kids will put on shows for you.

Michaels

Promising review: "Super fun. Liked how the ribbon was not too long so it did not drag on the floor." —Asthecrowfly

Price: $5.99 (originally $7.99)

4. A 48-pack of Crayola sidewalk chalk to get the kids outside and using their creativity. All the neighborhood kids playing nicely outside together? Chalk that up to good parenting!

Michaels

Promising review: "This is a great box of chalk with so many colors! Looking forward to summer sidewalk art with our grandsons." —LindaIndy

Price: $7.99

5. A glow-in-the-dark rock painting kit, which is really a two-part activity: 1. painting the rocks and 2. going on a walk and leaving in them in places to surprise and delight your neighbors.

Michaels

Promising review: "Granddaughter loves to do crafts. Rock painting is a favorite past time of hers." —Beep Beep Beep

Price: $9.74 (originally $12.99)

6. A lightsaber-building kit if The Force is strong with your junior Jedis. This 24-piece kit makes two small light sabers, but more importantly, it uses those STEM skills they've been working on all year.

Michaels

Price: $9.99 (originally $16.99)

7. A Boondoggle lanyard string kit so you (okay, fine, your kids too) can have the idyllic '90s-style summer you all deserve. This 100-piece kit comes with ten different lanyard colors and lots of key rings, lobster clasps, and snap clip hooks so you can make gifts for everyone.

Michaels

Price: $36.35 (originally $51.94)

8. A Perler fused-bead kit, to round out your summer nostalgia tour. There are 8,000 beads here (!!) so it'll last you for a while. Get this and you're pretty much running the best summer camp in town.

Michaels

Promising review: "Super fun and easy for my four year old to do. Of course, mom and dad do the ironing" —mommylovestocraft

Price: $26.99

9. A 130-piece marble run starter set, because — as I'm sure you remember — these are THE MOST fun. Set it up for marble run races and let the good times, well, roll.

Michaels

Price: $53.76 (originally $76.80)

10. A Lego Friends guinea pig set that will make everything awesome — kids use their fine motor skills to build it and then engage their imaginations for hours and hours of small-world play.

Michaels

Price: $9.99

11. A three-piece kids' gardening set for those who want to get outside and get their hands dirty. Put your little to work and you might be planting the seed for a future gardening guru.

Michaels

Price: $2.49 (originally $4.99)

12. An Elmer's neon sky slime kit because you don't need to mess around with wonky recipes you find on Pinterest — a kit from these glue experts is what you need for a slimy (but not sticky!) good time.

Michaels

Promising review: "Note a little of the activator goes a LONG way. This kit makes 2 sets of slime. We ened up only needing 3 teaspoons total for each slime. The process is dump in all glue and the add 2 teaspoons of activator and stirl A LOT. Add 1 teaspoon at a time of additional activator. Add the crunchy goo a little at a time also. My 8 yr old made the slime with little help from me. It was a blast to play with. It completely water soluble so clean up is easy. Recommend using very hot water and dishsoap to clean the bowl. Slime washed off clothes and floor easily. I’ll buy again and definitely recommend." —kjra

Price: $26.99

13. A 19-inch foam glider that works well inside AND outside. It's really amazing how many times kids can throw one of these down the stairs, run back up the stairs, and then just do it all over again without getting bored.

Michaels

Promising review: "My son loves this! It keeps my toddler entertained and having a blast. Great for both boys and girls. Highly recommend for active little ones of all ages!" —LA_757

Price: $5.24 (originally $6.99, available in two colors chosen by Michaels)

14. A National Geographic dinosaur egg kit with two eggs and the necessary tools that will inspire your budding paleontologist — and make their boredom go extinct.

Michaels

Promising review: "My 6 year old grandson loved this and has been begging me to get him another "dig" kit." —Gramaemma

Price: $9.74 (originally $12.99)

15. A 200-piece Disney puzzle featuring some of their favorite characters. If the day has gone to pieces, and you feel like things need to be put back together, some quiet time with a puzzle is the key you need.

Michaels

Promising review: "Really cute puzzle and the kids loved it." —Monica Je

Price: $12.99 (available in three designs chosen by Michaels)

16. A construction zone sensory bin which includes sensory sand, tools, trucks, signs, and even comes in its own storage case. Can you dig it? Yes, you can!

Michaels

Promising review: "Great activity for little ones. I set up an outdoor blanket and umbrella and we play with this for hours. Contains the mess and can be closed up for future plays." —Anonymous

Price: $22.99

17. A 350-piece animal puppet kit, so your little animals can make their puppets and then put on a show. Sounds like a roaring good time, right?

Michaels

Please note that this kit does not include glue but making the puppets requires it!

Promising review: "My kids enjoyed making them. It was a super fun activity for a hot summer day." —Mistakin

Price: $9.99

18. A wooden lawn bowling set because you've been striking out when it comes to setting up yard games — and now getting strikes can be a good thing!

Michaels

Price: $14.99 (originally $19.99)

19. A 61-piece set of Picasso tiles, a magnetic building set that will be a staple in your house for years to come. Pro tip: Rather than buying different types of building sets, keep adding new ones to your collection. Makes for easier cleanup!

Michaels

Price: $19.49 (originally $25.99)

20. A six-pack of bubble wands, so you can always have a few at home and a few in the car. Pro tip: If your kiddo keeps dropping and spilling the bubbles, tape it to something secure (like the side of the house or the balcony) and just have them dip the wand into it!

Michaels

Price: $3.74 (originally $4.99)

21. A tropical terrarium to bring those beachy vibes to your home, no matter where you live. Kids can customize the design of it, then plant the seeds and watch them grow!

Michaels

Promising review: "Easy for 8 year old with some supervision. Fun to do and nice to display. Able to add personal touch!" —J Peers 

Price: $18.74 (originally $24.99)

22. A box of 40 throwable paint balls so the kids can get messy and splatter each other with color. The best part? Cleanup is actually pretty easy — the outside of the balls are made with seaweed so you don't have to pick up the pieces and the dye is washable. So go ahead, turn each other into Pollock paintings!

Michaels

Price: $5.99 (originally $7.99, available in six colors)

23. An animal sticker book with 1,350 stickers for your kids to create scenes with at home, when you're out to eat, and while traveling. Just have them repeat the golden rule of stickers: They only go on paper!

Michaels

Promising review: "Fun pack with different sizes, characters, backgrounds. Kids loved them." —MX2R

Price: $9.99

24. A 10-piece fairy garden set that will add some extra whimsy to summer. Bonus points if you leave the kids little surprises and treats "from the fairies" all summer long. Think: shiny coins, little notes, and so on.

Michaels

Price: $24.99

25. An inflatable sports action pool play center, which brings together all your kids' favorite things to make a real splash in the day.

Michaels

Price: $50.99

26. A gummy candy lab kit aka a science lesson and a little treat combined. I think the scientific term for this is sweet, sweet victory.

Michaels

Price: $18.74 (originally $24.99)

27. A bag of 15 balloons (for a grownup to blow up!), because after watching Bluey, your kiddos will be asking you if they can also play keepy-uppy.

Michaels

Price: $2.99 (available in 13 colors)

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.