One of the best ways to keep kids healthy and burn off their energy is playing outdoors.
Sometimes, getting down to the local park just isn’t doable – you might be sick, not have access to a car, or even have a park very close by. After a while of being inside, the kids will usually get bored with inside play.
It’s these times that backyard, outdoor activities for kids come in super handy – and they’ll have a ball with these fantastic ideas.
Obstacle Course
Let the kids set up an obstacle course outside, using safe equipment, such as:
- bikes
- brooms
- the hose
- pot plants
- bins etc.
Time each each child or run-through of the course. Everyone has a go and tries to beat their own time. Make pack up part of the game – whoever packs away the most first, wins!
Easy!
Animalates Exercise
Get fit and have fun as a family. Pretend you are an animal, and REALLY get into character. Use the animal as an exercise, and pretend you are the animal for 1 minute. Then the next person chooses the next animal – and do that animal for 1 minute.
Learn to:
- ROAR like a lion and crawl on your knees
- CHOMP like a crocodile and snap your hands together.
- TWITCH your nose like a rabbit and use your face muscles!
- TAP your toes like Tiger and work on your balance!
- Draw GIANT circles with your arms like a Giraffe
Branch Weaving
Explore outside for small branches and other objects like leaves, feathers and bark. Children can wind brightly coloured wool around the branch, and then weave other objects through the wool – even scraps of coloured paper and cloth.
Bear Hunt!
Children love to pretend, and this song will give them an opportunity to move around and explore the park or backyard. This can also be played sitting down with the actions in brackets.
Bear Hunt
Let’s go on a bear hunt. (slap hands together)
I see a wheat field.
Can’t go over it. Let’s go through it. (brush hands together)
I see a bridge.
Can’t go around it. Let’s go over it. (slap hands together)
I see a lake.
Can’t go over it, can’t go under it, let’s swim. (arms swimming)
I see a tree.
Can’t go over it, can’t go under it, let’s go up it. (climb with arms)
I don’t see any bears, (look around)
Let’s go down.
I see a swamp.
Can’t go over it, can’t go under it, let’s go through it. (pull hands up and down slowly)
I see a cave.
Can’t go over it, can’t go under it, let’s go in. (slowly slap knees)
I see two eyes. I see two ears.
I see a nose. I see a mouth.
Yikes! It’s a bear!!!
Let’s get out of here. (reverse movements very fast)
Half an hour stretch
Take half an hour to stretch each muscle in your body together with the kids. Make it a family event. Pretend to be a cat, or a lion and really stretch out! You will gain instant stress relief. Have some family bonding time and have a better spine.
Grass Boogie Boarding
Are you too far to the beach? Just take your kids and their boogie boards down to the park!
They can zoom down any hills (the bigger the better) on their boogie boards! Crash helmets might be a good idea for this activity.
Try out these ideas and activities – and check out our Things to Do Hub for even more fantastic ideas!
Image credit: martinan/123RF Stock Photo