Summer is the perfect time for kids to get outdoors, draw with sidewalk chalk, and play in the water. But what do you do when the weather doesn’t cooperate? Every summer seems to have those days where it’s unseasonably cold, rainy, and just plain gross. Before you can say “what happened to summer vacation,” your kids are standing beside you complaining about how bored they are.
What now? It’s Netflix to the rescue. Netflix has a whole collection of movies, TV shows, and more….just for kids. Sure, there are educational TV shows you could pick from, and more documentaries than you can count, but sometimes you just need a fun kid’s movie to pass the time on a rainy day. Here are our top five best family movies for passing the time on summer break!
1. Minions
Minions are everywhere, aren’t they? Ever since Despicable Me came out, kids everywhere have fallen in love with these little yellow creatures. There are Minion backpacks, Minion t-shirts, Minion fruit snacks, and Minion just about everything else. When the Minion movie was in theatres, all the kids in the family rejoiced. Now that it’s on Netflix, we can all enjoy the fun of Minions without even getting out of our themed pajamas.
Bonus Activity: After you’re done watching the movie, you can keep the fun going by playing Charades. The Minions don’t have to use words to get their point across, so why should you? Bonus points if you’re acting out characters from the movie!
2. Penguins the Movie
Who doesn’t love the Madagascar penguins? They were my favorite characters in the whole series, and now they have a whole movie dedicated to them. Serve up some ice cream and watch these arctic birds in action as they take on the evil Dr. Octavius Brine and save the world as we know it.
Bonus Activity: For a fun activity after the movie, let the kids play spies! Use q-tips dipped in lemon juice to write secret messages to each other in “invisible ink.” To reveal the message, simply add heat. My favorite method is by directing a blow-dryer on low heat towards the paper. You can also try holding the paper up to a lamp!
3. Home
For any kid who loves space, aliens, or Rihanna, this movie is about aliens who invade Earth, and the little girl who teams up with an alien on the run to stop them. There’s a cute cat, some wacky hijinks across the globe, and a lesson about friendship. Plus, there’s plenty of catchy music!
Bonus Activity: If your kids like to dance, this is the perfect movie to use as a way to start a dance off! Turn on any of the songs from the movie and get dancing- just like Oh and Tip! This is a fun way to get some exercise, too.
4. Lilo & Stitch
Sure, you can’t be at the beach right now. But you can watch Lilo & Stitch! This Disney movie set in Hawaii has been a fan-favorite for years, and this is the perfect time to introduce your kids to it. There’s luau dancing, aliens, and some sister bonding….what else do you need in a kid’s movie?
Bonus Activity: After the movie, why not make a tropical smoothie to fit with the theme? One of our favorite easy smoothies is frozen mango, pineapple, and strawberry. Add ½ a ripe banana, then add orange juice and blend. Yummy! You’ll think you’re on the beach with Lilo.
5. The Land Before TimeAny kid obsessed with dinosaurs is going to love The Land Before Time. Follow the adventures of Littlefoot, an orphaned brontosaurus on a search for a legendary valley where all dinosaurs can live in peace. On his journey, he teams up with four other young dinosaurs for an epic adventure.
Bonus Activity: After the movie, you can keep the adventure going by heading to your local museum of natural history! See the dinosaurs on display, and if there’s a kid’s section of the museum, you might even get to try your hand at digging for fossils!
We are members of the Netflix Review Crew, but all opinions are our own.
We loved the Minions Movie!!! My twins also love the Penguins! They were soooo excited when that movie first came out! This is a great list!
I thought Home was such a cute movie. My son is a huge MInions fan.
Minions are very cute creations! They are so adorable and my son really love them.
The Land before time is a nice movie for kids. My son loves dinosaur and I’m sure this movie will be his favorite.
The Land Before Time is a timeless classic and I’m sure the others here will be a part of it, too. I really adore after-movie activities, it makes everything just so memorable!
These are great family movies. I still have to see Home and Minions. They looked really cute.
This is a great list of movies for the kids to watch during the summer. Love those minions and penguins.
home is the only one we haven’t seen out of these. my 2 year old is OBSESSED with minions and has been crazy about them since they first came out!
I am such a big kid when it comes to movies – I love the minions and penguins! x
I loved Minions! I thought that move was really hilarious. I would pay to see it again!
We haven’t seen Home yet, but it is on the list. We also love the Penguins. Super hilarious.