There are so many things to do with kids outside year round and many of them are FREE! Here are our family’s top 30 simple outdoor activities for kids you can do in your own backyard, your community, or a nearby park while getting some fresh air.
Outdoor Activity Kids’ Calendar
Get rid of the excuses and plan to be outside every single day. Our printable calendar gives you great ideas for outdoor activities every day of the month. Some of the activities listed below have clickable links to instructions or a printable, like the nature scavenger hunt printable. Other activities are simple ideas that our kids love and will inspire you to get outside more.
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The printable outdoor activity calendar is great for all ages, so whether you have younger children or teens, the activities will be fun for all! Print off the calendar and use it as inspiration for hours of outdoor play, having fun, and having outdoor adventures every day.
Fun Things to Do Outside With Kids
Paint the Driveway with Water
Use water guns or paint brushes dipped in water and “paint” the pavement. Kids have a great time watching their designs evaporate and then repainting a new one.
Ride Bikes Around the Neighborhood
If the kids don’t know how to ride, it’s the perfect opportunity to teach them. We have a bicycle sizing guide here and tips to help you get started. Don’t forget your helmets and water bottles!
Create a Leaf or Bark Rubbing
Create your own still-life work of art with a crayon or soft pastel leaf rubbing. Get the step-by-step leaf rubbing tutorial here.
Study Nature Up close
Find something in nature that catches your eye and interests you. It could be a bird, insect, flower, or an intricately layered rock. Look at it closely; use a magnifying glass if you have one. Draw/sketch what you see and once you get home you can look up more information about it.
Can’t read now? Pin for later!
Run Through the Sprinklers
I don’t know a kid (young or old) who doesn’t enjoy that splash of coolness while running through sprinklers. Make it even more fun with challenges to see who can jump over the top of the sprinkler stream.
Camp in Your Own Backyard
Camping is a favorite family fun activity. So set up the tent or hammock in the backyard and camp out under the stars. You can find more fun camping at-home activities and ideas here.
Scavenger Hunt in Nature
Take the game of I Spy to a new level with a scavenger hunt. This one is perfect for the backyard to help spot pollinators; birds, butterflies, bugs, flowers, etc. Get the nature scavenger hunt printable here and find more ideas for pollinator activities here.
Garden From Your Windowsill with Kitchen Scraps.
Grow carrots, romaine lettuce, celery and more from parts of the plant you usually throw away. Get this garden tutorial to see how to get started.
Paint Story Starter Stones
We all love stories around the campfire. But sometimes you aren’t sure where to start. So gather 12 2”-3” stones and wash them clean with soapy water. Once dry, use acrylic paint to paint images or words that help you tell/start a story.
Read Under a Shady Tree
Curl up with a good book and be carried away to distant lands and thrilling adventures. (P.S. This is a good way for mom to get some quiet time, too.)
Picnic at Home
Get some snacks together and head out to your favorite outdoor space (backyard works too) and enjoy time with family outside. When my kids were really little they loved to bring their stuffed animals outside for a teddy bear picnic. Encourage creativity and play.
Catapult Your Way to a Painting
Older kids especially will love this art project/outdoor activity that is part science and part art. Use this tutorial from Fun A Day to construct a catapult, tint pompoms, and sling color onto a canvas or butcher paper.
Take a Sensory Walk
When looking for fun things to do outside at home with kids, a sensory walk is definitely the easiest. Grab your shoes and head out the front door. Use your vie senses to observe all the world around you. What sounds can your kids identify? What do they see? What small details might they normally miss? Any edible berries around? How do they taste? Once you get back home, you can recreate all you’ve seen in a nature journal.
Hang up a Bird Feeder
We create an eco-friendly bird feeder with stale bagels, nut butter, and bird seed. Get the DIY bird feeder tutorial here. You can also use toilet paper rolls, a pine cone, or other materials too.
Make Lemons into Lemonade
Let the kids create the lemonade, set up, and create signage. For budding entrepreneurs, you can take them through a complete lemonade business plan or just let them have fun with it. For something different, try this recipe for watermelon limeade.
Make a Nature Collage
Collect leaves, sticks, acorns, etc. Use these materials to create an art collage.
Go Fishing
Head to your nearest lake, pond, or river and cast a line. Be sure to check if you need licenses or permits for fishing in your area.
Fly a Kite
That phrase is one of my favorites from Mary Poppins. When was the last time you flew a kite? If you don’t have a kite, find one online or use this kite tutorial from Instructables to make your own from a garbage bag.
Wash the Family Car
Not only will kids have a great time sudsing up your car (and most likely each other), but they’ll also learn a valuable skill. For older kids, they could combine this with their lemonade stand for a one-stop shop entrepreneurial experience.
Jump Over a Backyard Obstacle Course
Set up obstacles with jump ropes, chalk outlines, boxes, etc. or construct an elaborate Ninja Warrior course in your backyard.
Play a Round of Miniature Golf
Once you’re done jumping over obstacles in the backyard, turn that obstacle course into a miniature golf course. Kids have just as much fun designing their own course as they do playing the game.
Pick Your Own Bouquets
Do you have a garden growing? Or even just a stubborn dandelion patch? Pick some beautiful flowers and arrange them in vases. Give a homegrown bouquet away to a neighbor or use the flowers in wildflower crafts such as presses and bookmarks.
Grow a Garden
It’s important for children to understand where their food comes from. Growing a garden, even if it’s one plant in a container is quite educational. It could be those vegetables you started on the windowsill earlier, seeds, or plants you pick up at the local garden nursery. It’s fun to dig in the dirt. Here is a tutorial to grow a pizza container garden. For kids who struggle with anticipation, radishes grow quickly.
Play Catch as a Family
Grab a ball and head out to play catch. If it’s hot outside, you can always use water balloons. Just remember to pick up the plastic pieces when you are done.
Blow Bubbles
Bubbles are endless entertainment in the great outdoors! Create your own bubble solution with dish soap, water, and a little sugar. Get the bubble solution recipe here.
Blow Up Bubble Art
Since you have the bubbles out anyway, try your hand at bubble art. Creative projects are fun things to do outside with kids. They can get messy, so it’s best done outside. This Disney tutorial shows you how to mix a little dish soap, water, and food coloring to create fun works of art.
Look for Cloud Animals
On a partially cloudy day, lay out a blanket on the lawn and look up into the sky. See if you can spot different animal shapes in the clouds.
Fabricate a Fairy Garden
Using materials found in your yard like twigs, bark, dried flowers, stones, etc., create a magical place for the wee folk with this fairy garden tutorial.
Play Hide and Seek in the Dark
Hide and go seek is one of the best kiddies outdoor activities. After the sun goes down, grab flashlights and play. Glow sticks make it less scary for the younger ones, too.
Play Classic Outdoor Board Games
Bring your family’s favorite board games such as Jenga, Connect Four, and Yahtzee outside. Teach your kids games from your own elementary schoolyard like freeze tag, red light green light, Red Rover, and kickball.
Do the Outdoor Twist
Using spray paint, create your own version of Twister on the lawn. You can cut out circles from cardboard to help as a template. Once the paint is dry, take turns calling out a color and hand/foot.
Paint a Pollock Masterpiece
Using tempera paint, canvas panels, and water guns, squirt paint to create a Pollock-inspired work of art. Simplify Live Love has a perfect tutorial on how to create squirt art canvas.
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What a great list of outdoor activities for kids. It is perfect for celebrating Earth Day!
I love sun. This is a great way to have a good time and keep fit. Plus, you train your stability. My family often spend time actively, we have long had all the necessary equipment for this, all purchased here. Excellent choice and pleasant service.
Love these ideas! Painting the driveway with water sounds like a blast. Have you tried any of these with teens? Do they still find it as fun as younger kids?
So many creative and fun outdoor ideas—love the bubble art and backyard camping!