Fun! Fun! And More Fun!

There is so much to do outside! The weather doesn’t always have to be perfect either. Sometimes, simple activities that don’t require much time, effort, or supplies can yield the best fun and bonding time for families.

Some of my most prominent memories are of moments playing outside. I still have scars on my knees from falling off of my bike and losing my balance on my roller skates. Take the time to soak up the natural elements that nature has to provide, and teach the younger generations what it looks like to really enjoy outdoor play.

So, what are you waiting for? Get out there!

1. Bike riding

Grab your bikes and find a trail to ride together. If your child is small, you can just walk, jog, or run beside them. Just don’t get left behind. If there are no trails nearby, you could drive to one, ride in your neighborhood, or even in your backyard.

2. Riding scooters

My children love to ride their scooters year around. They rode them on our street, in the playground, on bike trails, and even in the open areas of our old apartment building, both indoor and outdoor. Often we would just throw the scooters in the trunk and break them out wherever they had some space to scooter. It definitely made walking places with small children much quicker.

3. Play sports

Soccer, basketball, football, softball, dodgeball, tennis, whatever sports are your family’s favorite. You can grab the necessary equipment and head outside of your home or even to a park to have some competitive fun.

4. Water table

You can either purchase a water table or fill up a short and small storage bin with shallow water. Let the kids bring out things like some simple (preferably hard) toys, maybe some cups and spoons to play in the water on a hot day.

5. Sidewalk chalk

Sidewalk chalk is a great way to be creative. Draw animals, people, clouds, and even games like hop-scotch on the grown together on the grown in different beautiful colors.

6. Water painting

Grab some large paintbrushes and a small bucket of water to water paint on the ground or the side of a brick building. It’s a great way to let the kids get all wet on a hot day outside with little to no mess.

7. Building blocks

Bring some large or small blocks outside and build a skyscraper. Once it’s all built up, it can be fun to crash it down again before building a new one.

8. Outdoor painting

Set up some paper on a small kids’ easel or tape some paper to the grass. Use watercolor paint to paint a masterpiece.

9. Blowing bubbles

A large bottle of bubbles and a few bubble wands can mean big fun outdoors. You could even get a battery operated bubble machine to make even more bubbles to chase and pop. It’ll be a bubble wonderland.

10. Racing

On your mark. Get set. Go! Race from one end of the yard to the other. Race down the sidewalk. Wherever you decided to go, you can test your track skills together. Maybe even set an incentive to make it more competitive if you choose. Whoever wins this race gets an extra dessert after dinner.

11. Outdoor lunch

Bring lunch outside. You can set up a blanket or small table and chair set in the yard or in the park and enjoy your lunch outside in the sun.

12. Make a nature salad

Hunt for different kinds of greens, flowers, and nuts to make a nature salad. If Mud pies might go nice with your salad. But don’t let the little ones sneak any bites.

13. Bird watching

Look up a list of birds to search for outside. Look in the trees near where you live, go to the nearest park, trail, or forest and see how many birds you can spot. Take a set of binoculars if you have some.

14. Jumping rope

Play jump rope games outside. Either jump rope alone or have two people turn the rope for each person to jump. If you only have one person to turn the rope, tie one end to a railing, fence, or something that is sturdy and about the same height as the other person turning.

15. Cloud watching

Gaze at the clouds and see if you can identify different shapes, animals, people, or whatever else you think you can spy.

16. Backyard camping

Pitch a tent, grab your sleeping bags, and pillows and head to the backyard. If you can do so safely, camp outside for the night right at home.

17. Outdoor movie night

Bring the projector outside and project a move onto the side of the house or onto a large projector screen. Pop some popcorn and your favorite pillow.

18. Star gazing

Spread a blanket out on the lawn and gaze up at the stars. See if you can spot any consolations or planets. How big is the moon? How many stars can you count?

19. Plant seeds

Start a garden or just use a couple of flower pots. You can plant flowers, fruits, or vegetables. It will be fun for the kids to watch their plants grow. They get excited as they learn how to be responsible in keeping their plants alive and flourishing.

20. Science experiments

Look up some east science experiments to do at home. The messier the experiments, the more the kids will love them.

21. Bug hunting

There is a huge variety of bugs all around us. Use a magnifying glass or a bug catcher kit to see how many kinds of tiny bugs you can find and/or catch.

22. Swimming

If you have a pool in the backyard or nearby, head outside for a nice cool swim on a hot day. It doesn’t matter if the pool is big or small. The kids will have loads of fun splashing around. Just remember to use sunblock.

23. Water fights

Bring out the water guns and water balloons for a water fight outside. It will definitely help to cool everyone down on a hot day.

24. Go for a walk

Walking is great for the body in so many ways. Taking a stroll with the kids can be a great way to get the body moving and spend some quality time together.

25. Play hopscotch

Draw a hopscotch game on the ground using sidewalk chalk. Use some rocks to toss onto the different numbers of the game. This is a traditional game that can be passed down to your children. Show them how much fun you had if you played it as a child.

26. Play tag

This is another age old outdoor kids game. Someone is ‘It” and they have to chase everyone else to “tag” them. In freeze tag, the person who is “it” chases other players to tag them frozen in place. Players that are not frozen can unfreeze them. This game can be so much fun!

27. Play hide-and-seek

Find great places to hide outside. The person who is chosen to “seek” has to count to 20 while the other players hide. Once they seeker is done counting they must find the other players as they quietly hide in hopes of not being found. Be sure to pick a good hiding spot.

28. Make a rock collection

Rocks can be very interesting. See how many different rocks that you can find and collect. They vary in color, size, texture, and more. Create a rock collection display box.

29. Play in the sand

Purchase a sandbox for the kids to play in. You could also make one using a small pool and some bags of sand. Bring out all of the beach toys to have some sandy fun.

30. Scavenger hunt

Hide items around the yard with small index cards containing short poems that will give clues to where the next item and/or clue might be. This is an awesome way to get the kids to use their brain power and have fun.

31. Hula Hoop

These outdoor toys are very easy to find and cheap. Hula hoop to music and see how long you can keep the hoop spinning around your waist, ankle or even your arm.

32. Rollerskating

Put on your helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads and skate on a flat surface. It could be big fun to even skate around to some music.

33. Go to the playground

Take a walk or quick drive to the nearest playground. Pack some water and snacks and let the kids run, climb, slide, and swing. You can even join in on the fun if you are up to it.

34. Go to a splash pad

Some neighborhoods have nearby splash pads in the summer season. Put on your swimsuits, grab a few towels, and pack a lunch or snack bag and make a trip out of it. Run through the spraying water to cool down.

35. Go peddle boating

Some call them peddle boats and other may call them paddle boats. Either way, they can be really fun. The kids get a thrill from driving a boat in the water and it created bonding opportunity.

36. Outside storytime

Maybe the kids have a favorite book collection, or maybe you’ve checked out some library books. Either way, you can grab a blanket and select some books to read to the kids outside. They can even read on their own together out in the fresh air and sunlight.

37. Fly a kite

You can create kites together or buy a kite. If there is enough wind, try to get those kites sailing. See how long you can get them to stay in the sky.

38. Play I spy

Take turns being the spy that selects a secret item to describe that they spy. Thy spy can say something like “I spy something red” and everyone else has to look around and guess what they spy is seeing. Once someone guesses it, they are the new spy.

39. Arrange a bouquet of flowers

Go hunting for wild flowers and plants to create a colorful bouquet. There is no wrong way to do it, just use your creativity.

40. Free a frozen toy

Fill up a bowl with water and place a small waterproof toy inside. Freeze the bowl of water in the freezer. After the water has turned into ice, place the bowl in hot water to free the ice block that contains the toy. Put the ice block into a container and take It outside. Use kid safe tools like wooden mallets, spoons, squeeze bottle full of water, to chip and melt the ice to free the toy. Note: Use goggles or glasses to help protect little eyes from possible flying pieces of ice.

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