Welcome to summer! Goodness I hope you have all planned some amazing activities for the kids but in case you are a bit behind, here are some of the FUN and MUST TRY Outdoor Activities for kids that we will be getting inspiration from! Some of these outdoor kids activities are done on picnic tables, some in the woods, and some where ever you happen to be. Some are simple and some take a bit of planning. Have you tried any of these?
Fun Outdoor Activities For Kids
Escape the dreaded, “I’M BORED” phrases in your home by choosing some of your favorite activities from this round up and writing them each on a little piece of paper. Throw them in a jar and now you have a boredom buster jar!
Of course I want my kids to have the best summer ever with so much fun but fun can be educational too! There are things you can do to help battle Summer Brain Drain! Did you know that over 2.5 months of math skills are lost over the summer and on average 2 months of reading skills? All it takes to mitigate that loss is 3 hours a week dedicated to those skills. This can happen by playing games even! A fun game for kids is Sight Words Jumping and this very unexpected and hilarious Watermelon Spitting Seed measurement game! I was joyed to find this summer outdoor activity for kids because it was unexpectedly beautiful and educational, Finding Symmetry in Nature.
Like so many of you other Parents I don’t have all the time in the world so quick crafts are excellent crafts! This Sand Art Kit was perfection as it made it appear as if I spent a lot of time setting it up and working on it, but truly, everything was in the box and ready to go! Another quick and easy activity to have planned for kids are these 10 Fun Tag games to Tire Kids Out. With just a few supplies this fast Water Pistol Painting project is sure to be fun! If all else fails, these Kids Camping Kits are fantastic!
Art is part of a healthy STEAM education and so we are sure to include activities like a Flower Petal Suncatcher, Nature Paintbrushes, and Shaving Cream Painting.
Did you know that A child is six times more likely to play a video game on a typical day than to ride a bike, according to surveys by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the CDC? Getting kids outside is important as kids spend less than half the time outside as we did as kids. These activities will help your kids get the fun and vitamin D they need: Take Kids on a Gem and Mineral Dig, A Listening Walk, Scooter Activity, and Family Canoeing!
Not all summer days are going to be sunny so having great fun activities ready to go is important! I love this Finger Paint Butterfly Craft! Animal Yoga for Kids inside works too, specially to get out the wiggles! An Ocean Sensory Bin can help bring the outside inside! Don’t worry if you run out of paint this summer, use the rainy days to make Homemade Finger Paints!
Does your child love scary creatures?? Then you definitely need to try this water play shark sensory bin or dinosaur swamp outdoor bin!
Have you ever heard of color changing sidewalk chalk? It seems amazing. How about you do some shadow play too while you are out there! Kick it up a notch by making those shadows into an art shadow activity!
If the temperature gets really high and hot then you definitely have to try making some unique and colorful crayons with the sun!!
What about working on some science to prevent summer brain slump by doing some science water play activities. The kids will be actively learning while getting to cool off with fun water play. These sponge water bombs are SUPER simple to make and age appropriate for almost ANY aged child! Have you ever heard of water balloon parachutes? This is definitely splash worthy!
Have your children ever played with mud? Yeah, it might be out of your comfort zone but I promise you once you see the laughter and giggles this activity brings a little mud wont scare you anymore!
We all know how much I love doing art with the kids? But looking for an artistic summer twist is even more fun! These nature resist tie dye shirts has got to be one of the most unique art ideas i’ve ever seen! If your little one loves scavenger hunts then you definitely need to try this outdoor color hunt!
Making moon sand is even more fun than actually playing with moon sand. It is slimey and gooey and the perfect activity for siblings to work on together.
When I think of summer, I often think of picnics. So does my little girl!! She loves to have these beautiful pretend play picnic filled with learning and even some alphabet letter fishing!
No matter what you have planned this summer, we are wishing you lots of fun, adventure, and excellent outdoor time!
Hey Nadia, thanks for the great post! I full agree with your video game v. riding a bike point – I have two kids and it took me a lot of time and effort to get them used to my ‘riding a bike each weekend’ routine. -Jack
Hey, your list of outdoor activities looks great. Thanks for sharing it. -Jack