Are your kids spending too much time a day staring at their phones or television? Encouraging children to increase their time outside and to step away from the screen can improve both their physical and mental health. Playing outside can also provide your children an opportunity to develop their social skills as they will be playing with other kids. While outdoor activities are great for your kids, getting them to step away from their phone is not an easy task! We have done some work for you and this post will give you plenty of outdoor play ideas.
- Plant and look after vegetables, fruit or flowers (make sure you find the ones that are easy to grow!) – For kids, the excitement of planting their own veg, watching it grow and then harvesting it straight onto their plate can be a fantastic thing for them to experience!
- Setup a small tent for your kids to play in there with their favourite toys – Kids are just like adults, they sometimes need a break, and having a specific place to escape from the realities which makes playing in a tent or a fort so appealing!
- Padding pool (especially when the weather is hot or in summer!) – When the warm weather hits, what’s better than filling up a paddling pool and get your children enjoying some cooling, splash-about play.Â
- Create an obstacle course – Obstacle courses are great for kids as they encourage thinking and problem solving! If you are looking for obstacle course idea, make sure you check out this post
- Set up your own sports day – Sports day can be a wonderful way to show children how much fun they can have by taking part in sport. It also gives children the opportunity to showcase their talents!
- Go camping – Camping with kids is a fun and most importantly can be an affordable way to travel or holiday! If you haven’t done this before and not sure what to pack, you can check out this post!
- Water fight (using water pistols, sponges soaked in bucket or water balloons)
- Draw on your own driveway (use chalks) – Although it can be a fun activity for kids, make sure you are there the whole time watching your kids and ensure their safety.
- Build a sandcastle
- Paddle in the sea
- Rock pooling
- Crabbing
- Collect shells
- Stack rocks
- Beach scavenger hunt
- Ride bikes or scooters
- Play on playground
- Feed the ducks
- Play hide and seek (you can try this at your local park)
- Read outside (find a nice comfortable spot to sit and get to reading!)
- Make and fly a kite (make sure you find a nice open field)
- Jump rope (use a short rope for one kid and use a longer rope if you want 2-3 kids to play together)
- Go picnic (remember to grab a blanket and a basket full of goodies!)
- Go swimming (take a dip in your backyard pool or go to your community pool)
- Go on a natural walk (we love this activity as it will encourage their wonder about the world around them)
- Go to zoo or an animal farm
- Visit your local museum
- Visit the art gallery
- Go to an outdoor cinemaÂ
- Dog walking
- Try rock climbing
- Go hiking
- Take nature photos (snap some pretty pictures of flowers and trees)
- Go fishing (set up a wading pool with objects and let your kids try to catch them)
- Sign up for art or music classes
- Roller skate
- Go stargazing
- Fruit picking
- Go to the beach
- Explore new places in your local area