15 Fun Outdoor Activities Kids Should Be Doing

It can be an uphill battle to try and encourage your children to spend more time in the outdoors and less time inside watching TV or playing games on their tablets. There are numerous benefits linked to engaging in outdoor activities for children and adults alike. Have a look at these simple outdoor activities for children to encourage them to spend more time outside without having to break the bank. And remember, the key thing here is to have fun.

Make your own play area outside

By making your own designated play area in your backyard, you can make it just as fun and thrilling for your kids to play at home, as opposed to heading out to a special area. You can build a tree house, sandbox, swings, and hammocks to promote sensory play and exploration for kids, right at your back door.

Give rockhounding a try

If your children love to dig in the dirt, rockhounding is an excellent way for them to practice amateur geology. This is a fun method for families to spend more time together in the outdoors. This activity entails collecting rocks, petrified wood, mineral specimens, invertebrate fossils, and semi-precious gems from the earth. When you are taking a detour or heading out on a road trip or spending the day at the beach, get them to dig for gems, seashells, and rocks.

Spend some time near water

Aquatic environments can open a treasure cove filled with experiences your children might not have had a chance to explore yet. They can be intruded to new scents, textures and sounds and learn more about the environment. You can get them to look for seashells or other ocean fortunes that they can use to decorate their sandcastles with. 

Have a family picnic

You do not have to do this summertime activity in the park. You can have a picnic in your backyard. Make up a picnic basket filled with sandwiches, Cooldrinks, potato chips and fruit and enjoy a relaxing afternoon as a family on your lawn. There are some very easy salad recipes too that you can use. Soak up some vitamin D and breathe in the fresh outdoor air. 

Biking

An excellent outdoor activity for the entire family, is biking. When biking with children who have not learned how to ride yet, you can use rear or front-mounted seats. For children who choose to be more independent, you can invest in a bike or scooter. Shop around to find the best kids scooter or bike suitable for your child’s age and ensure they wear the appropriate safety equipment.

Organize a treasure hunt

Children love a good old fashion treasure hunt. You can buy small and inexpensive store treasures and jewels and hide them all over in the back garden. Draw your own treasure map with clues and directions for kids to find them. To give your map an older and more authentic look, you can soak it in coffee to brown and tear the edges while it is still wet. 

Go hiking

There is nothing better than embarking on a family adventure in the outdoors. Hiking is an ideal way for family bonding, and you can make the hike more interesting for the kids by teaching them more about the different tree, plant and insect species that you come across along the way. If you have a little one in the household, you can check out the hundreds of strollers on babystrollerhome.com to find one that suits your requirements best. The fun can continue when arriving back home. You can do some scrapbooking with some of the treasures you have collected (leaves, twigs, flowers) and photos that you have taken to retain memories of the outing. 

Set up camp in your backyard

If your family enjoys camping but the woods might be a tad too adventurous for the smaller members in your family, then you can bring the outdoors to your backyard. Backyard camping provides tons of fun without the accompanying hassle. You do not have to feel apprehension about your kids getting scared or homesick. This is an excellent way of getting your little ones acquainted with camping, but in a familiar setting.

Do some stargazing

Choose a spot in the yard where you have an unobstructed view of the skies and watch how it changes every night. Did you know that some fresh air before bedtime can promote better sleep? You can download a star chart from the web with useful information about the different stars and constellations. 

Gather leaves for creating artwork

Gathering fallen leaves in the backyard or at a local park can be used for creating unique artwork. The leaves can be laid on paper and the side of a crayon rubbed over it to create a silhouette. The leaves can be painted as well to use as homemade stamps.

Do some arts and crafts

Kids adore doing arts and crafts, but things tend to be quite messy. Doing some crafts outside is a fun activity for everyone without the tidying up. You can also pick up rocks and paint them with water colours and decorate your garden.

Backyard bowling

You can make a makeshift alley and practice your bowling by using cans or bottles and a semi-heavy ball. This activity is also beneficial for enhancing your children’s bowling skills.

Teach them how to play hopscotch

If you are looking for a solitary outdoor game that your kids can play outside, then hopscotch is the perfect activity for keeping them entertained. All you need is some coloured chalk to draw a large hopscotch path. You can add more fun by changing the shape of the traditional squares into fish, cars, butterflies, and other exciting designs.

Make your own obstacle course in the backyard

You can make a great obstacle course with supplies that you already have in and around the home. Make the obstacles according to your children’s age groups and size. Kids will have hours of fun, crawling through or jumping over hurdles while enhancing their agility at the same time. You can also host competition or relay races as a fun outdoor activity for kid’s parties.

Have some fun with tie dye

Tie dye is another fun activity which is creative too. Your kids will have endless fun creating socks, shirts, pillowcases and even blankets with this technique. 

Conclusion

There are so many outdoor activities that you can do with your kids to keep them entertained and healthy while bonding as a family. And most activities can be done without costing you a fortune. Spending time in the outdoors have many benefits for emotional and physical well-being. In these modern times, kids spend so much time stuck indoors with their smartphones, television, and other gadgets. Exposure to the outdoors can better assist with shaping their personalities and promote development of vital social skills. It is an excellent way of developing life skills.