Outdoor Activities for Kids of All Ages
It’s ice cream melting, swimsuit wearing, kid entertaining season! As school days fade into distant memories and the choruses of “I’m booored” begin, make sure your young ones aren’t lazing into excessive screen time indoors. Get unplugged and into the outdoors for endless entertainment! Even a tame backyard or cozy and compact patio will do the trick for refreshing summer crafts, stimulating games, and fun outdoor activities for kids.
With the fresh summer breeze and warm sun rays kissing their skin, we’ve collected some lively activities that your kids can enjoy. Inspire excitement this summer with this fun outdoor bucket list for kids of all ages!
Little Kids’ Activities
Lemonade Stand
A cup of ice-cold lemonade may be worth a bit more than ten cents these days, but we’ll leave the price up to your kiddos. Let them draw a sign and hang it up to start their mini business.
DIY Giant Bubbles
Get poppin’ with an easy DIY activity that involves only bubble solution, rubber bands, and straws! Pour a good amount of non-toxic solution into a bowl or cup. Then wrap your rubber band around 5-10 straws, dip the end of the straws into your solution, and blow!
*Remember to exhale and not inhale!
Rock Painting
Exploring the outdoors is a great start to a summer craft project. Take the kids on a refreshing nature walk and let them pick up pinecones or rocks as they go. Once home, the kids can paint faces and glue accessories on them or use them as characters to act out a story.
Bug Catching
Kids’ activities are much more exciting when they’re both fun and educational! Bug catching is a great way to show your little ones all the creatures that live among us. Assuming you’re not afraid of whatever they catch, punch some holes in a plastic container and let the kids explore the insect world. Once they catch something, snap a picture and write down their findings in a book as something to lock back on!
DIY Sidewalk Chalk
Sidewalk chalk is entertaining enough, but add the DIY factor and you’ve entered a whole new realm of fun. Sweet Paul has a colorful recipe to making your own sidewalk chalk solution!
Finger Painting
Give in to green thumbs, blue fingers, and orange pinkies with your artistic young ones. And don’t stress about a mouthful of paint with an edible, three-ingredient finger paint recipe from Krystal on My Life of Travels and Adventures.
Big Kids’ Activities
Piñatas
Full of candy, the piñata is a great treat to brighten up any occasion. Choose between making your own pinata with paper mache or opt for the simpler option of purchasing one at your local party store. Make sure you have your cameras out, because watching them try and break it open is best part!
Obstacle Course
Get your Mission Impossible soundtrack ready and build your kids a challenging obstacle course to complete. Gather up your household gardening items such as ladders, hula hoops, slides, dining chairs, and more!
Slip ‘n’ Slide
For kids or adult-sized kids at heart, this is an activity as fun to participate in as it is to watch. Just make sure you have your camera ready for those water-sprayed faces.
Flying Kites
Go old-school with a classic outdoor entertainment activity: kite-building and flying. Grab some dowel sticks, string, a few newspapers, and tape to build some high-flying fun. Make it personal with some paint and glitter, so you can see all its accessories shining high up in the sky!
Soapy Trampoline
It entertains kids for hours, and if you have a trampoline, the only supplies needed are dish soap and water. Most household soaps are safe to use on a trampoline, but make sure to cover your springs with a frame to prevent possible water damage.
Painted Tree Trunk
Get creative with your artistic materials by watering down some sidewalk chalk and painting a tree trunk. This nature-inspired kids’ craft idea is a great way to lighten up your backyard without damaging the tree itself.
Teen Activities
Scavenger Hunt
Something with seeds, a reflective object, and grass longer than your arms are great additions to a challenging scavenger hunt. Have your teens either bring back all their objects or take photos to share on their phones.
Outdoor Movie
Take the party outside when you turn your backyard into the perfect outdoor movie theater! Avoid taking out your entire TV by purchasing a projector to showcase your movie. Bring around the patio furniture or throw a big outdoor rug on the ground for a relaxing outdoor screening. Just make sure you’ve got your bug-repelling candles!
Water Balloons
Create a cool outdoor activity by setting up a water balloon war. Fill a bucket full of balloons, pick your teams, and challenge your neighbors to the ultimate fight!
DIY Teepee
Stimulate the kinesthetic side by having your teens create their own teepee. All it takes is a few sticks, a sheet, some string, and a few pillows to place inside. Making sure your sticks are long enough, gather them together at one end and secure with string. Then, with a sheet you’re not completely attached to, cut a hole in the middle and drape over your sticks. Fill your teepee with pillows or blankets and voilà!
S’mores
Provide sticky-fingered deliciousness that appeals to any age. Just make sure to save one or two for yourself.
From educational bug catching to delicious treats, we’ve collected all the best outdoor activities to get your kids back into nature. Enjoy the warm breeze and sun rays this summer with these family-friendly kids’ activities!
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