Video games, TV shows, and other electronic devices may seem attractive to your kids, but too much of these can lead to an unbalanced lifestyle. On the other hand, playing outdoors has numerous fantastic benefits for your child's overall health.
Did you know outdoor play can create an environment for them to socialize, learn about the world around them, sleep better at night, and stay curious about nature? Inspire your kids with these outdoor activities to help foster a love for nature and exercise.
Let's look at the best ways for kids to enjoy themselves while getting some fresh air.
1. Learn Jump Rope Tricks
If you have a rope lying around, you have all the tools necessary to try exciting jump rope tricks. Teach your kids to double dutch or help them learn the silly songs you sang in childhood while jumping rope with friends.
Jumping rope is an activity they can return to multiple times as they improve their skills and experiment with new tricks. It's a fantastic way for your children to fit physical exercise into their day without realizing it. Level up: You can even make jumping rope part of a backyard obstacle course.
2. Make a Sidewalk Chalk Art Mural
Playing with chalk is an essential childhood experience. If you have an artistic child, you may find that they prefer working on crafts indoors to sports and outdoor games. You can encourage them to get some fresh air by taking their creativity to the driveway or sidewalk.
There, they'll be able to perfect a chalk mural that's larger than anything they could have created indoors. Try sidewalk chalk paint with brushes to create a perfect bulls-eye for a water balloon toss competition.
3. Hold a Relay Race
If you have neighborhood kids who come over to play often, you may find yourself searching for ways to facilitate safe outdoor play. One way you can do that is by inventing a simplistic relay race in your backyard.
Have your kids select their teams and let the games begin. You might even conclude your race with celebratory popsicles. Feel free to involve bikes or other toys for extra excitement.
4. Make a Slippery Water Slide
You don't have to pay hundreds of dollars for water slide fun. If you have a tarp, soap, water, and even ground, you can make a DIY at home that's just as exciting. Ensure your yard is free of rocks, pine cones, and other obstacles, then lay a long tarp across its length. Drop a few teaspoons of dish soap or shampoo onto the tarp to make it extra slippery and sudsy, then spray water on it with a water hose.
Let your kids run and slide and splash on the tarp repeatedly for a day of H2O play. Don't stress the mess: let it turn into a chance to make mud pies in a pretend mud kitchen.
5. Set-Up a Makeshift Mini-Golf Course
Who said your yard was boring? You can help your kiddos transform your lawn into a mini-golf course with a few easy steps. First, find a long object that can act as a golf club. If you don't have a golf club readily available, you might try a soft baseball bat.
Next, choose ping pong balls or plastic golf balls to putt across the lawn. Finish your course with buckets, plastic cups, and makeshift contraptions that you can use for each hole. Your kids will have a blast designing their own course.
6. Have a Car Wash
Is your car currently sporting a layer of filth? You can have your car cleaned while facilitating outdoor play for your kiddos with a sudsy car wash. You'll love seeing your vehicle sparkling, and your kiddos will have a field day spraying one another with the water hose or bucket of water and laughing at their soap beards. You may even want to leave them a tip to compliment a job well done. Make sure to use a non-toxic bubble solution.
7. Plan a Night of Stargazing
If you live in the countryside or away from city lights and pollution, you might have a beautiful view of the stars each night. Consider letting your little ones stay up past their bedtime to have a night of stargazing.
This activity can help instill a love for nature in them from an early age. If you have a telescope, bring it out and marvel at the beauty of the night sky together.
8. Make S'mores in the Backyard
If you have a safe fire pit, this suggestion is for you. Have your kids help you prepare plates of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows, complete with clean s'mores sticks.
With adult supervision, they can roast their marshmallows over campfires and enjoy their puffy, gooey snacks after dinner while the sun sets. S'mores are a crowd-favorite snack for pleasant evenings (and there are even vegan options!), and we think you'll enjoy making them as much as your kids do.
9. Wet Sponge Relay
Here's another water-soaked outdoor activity. Have your kids perform their own relay race in the yard with oversized sponges. Have two children start by holding multiple soaking sponges in their arms. Then, each child will run to hand off all their sponges to the next child to make it to the finish line.
Watch as they laugh and try to keep each squishy piece in place while staying cool in the process. For an added splash, turn on the sprinklers!
10. Go For a Treasure Hunt
This activity is one your kiddos will remember for a lifetime. If you have a free day to spend with your kids, consider making a treasure hunt for them in your neighborhood. Print out clues that help them to feel like detectives solving a mysterious riddle. Hide treats along the way and a small prize at the end to celebrate their solving the hunt.
Don't love hunting for treasure? Try a bug hunt or a nature scavenger hunt on your favorite trail.
11. Eat Snow Cones by the Pool
Do you have a pool in your backyard? Encourage your kids to love the sunshine by playing supervised games in the pool. You might even have them conduct swimming races to get some exercise in.
Take a break for snacks and neighborhood snow cones by the poolside. It's a classic refreshing summer treat to have at least once in the summertime.
12. Teach Your Pet To Play Fetch
Do you have a pet? Here's one exercise that can keep your children busy for hours. Your kids can entertain themselves by attempting to teach your dog a few outdoor tricks. They might set up a hula hoop for their dog to jump through. Playing with a pet outside is one way to keep your big kids active while having a blast.
13. Have an Outdoor Movie Night
If you have a large white sheet or white garage door, this activity is a terrific one to try. Have your kids choose their favorite movie and set up a projector for them outside. Bring chairs, blankets, and pillows near to create a cozy atmosphere while they watch their chosen flick on the projector screen.
Make sure you keep the bugs away, and you'll have an outdoor memory for the books.
How To Stay Comfortable in the Summer Months
Are you ready to send your kiddos outside to enjoy the fresh air? Participating in recreational games and activities outdoors has tons of advantages, but your kids can get uncomfortable quickly if you're not prepared. Bug bites, sunburn, and dehydration are a few of the common problems that can accompany outside exploration.
Let's look at a few key steps to ensure everyone has an enjoyable time while playing in nature.
Have Water Readily Available
Staying hydrated is essential to having a successful playtime outside. When your kids play in the heat, it's vital to keep track of their water intake. Sweat helps cool their bodies down to continue being able to enjoy their fun, but this process is dehydrating. Replenishing their bodies with plenty of water is crucial for keeping them comfortable and healthy in outdoor play.
Set Up a Shady Area
While you and your kids are outside playing water games or drawing fancy chalk portraits, you'll want to stay protected from the sun. Consider dressing your kiddos in sun hats to shield their faces from getting sunburnt.
You may also consider putting up a sunshade to provide a comfortable area to work on outdoor crafts and games. If you have a sensory bin or other play structures, place them in the shade.
Wear Buzzpatch Mosquito Repellent Stickers
Outside activities can make for the most delightful memories. They can also make for an unpleasant environment of swarming mosquitoes. These pests are relentless. They'll bite adults and children alike, leaving uncomfortable welts behind.
At The Natural Patch Co., we know how kids are. When they get a mosquito bite, it's too difficult for them to leave it alone. These bites can soon develop into nasty wounds that stick around for too long. You can prevent these scabs by stopping mosquitoes before they bite.
There's a better way to keep mosquitos away than spraying your kids with chemical bug spray. You can use BuzzPatch mosquito repellent patches to ward off these mean insects with natural ingredients. It's as easy as attaching a cute sticker to your child's shirt, shorts, and socks. Our patches will keep mosquitos away for hours so you can get back to making memories outside.
From Toddler to Preschoolers to Big Kid: Outdoor Fun
When your kids get restless indoors, these solutions can help inspire them to make their own fun. By now, you probably know that getting outside is a terrific way to ensure your kids get enough physical activity and vitamin D in a world of technology. As they play, make sure to give supervision as necessary and provide them with ways to stay protected from nasty bug bites and keep comfortable while they have outdoor adventures.
Sources:
31 Outdoor Activities for Kids | Super Healthy Kids
