Perfectly planned crafts and adventures are fun and all, but sometimes I just need something quick and easy for my kids to do right at home, no planning required! That’s why I like to keep this list of go-to outdoor activities for kids handy to use in those moments. (In case you need a quick reminder about why choosing outdoor play can be so beneficial, take a peek here!)
Because there have been plenty of times where I didn’t plan anything for the day but we find ourselves with some free time and absolutely zero ideas. That’s why it’s so nice to have an easy list of go-to ideas that I can glance at and quickly choose an activity. I also try to make sure and only list activities that will actually engage my kids for more than 10 minutes before they’re bored again.
And, of course, these are all things you can do outdoors without leaving your own yard or neighborhood! So here are 50 of our tried and true easy outdoor activities for kids:
1. Dig for worms.
Kids always seem to have fun digging up these plump little guys! My son also had fun keeping some worms in his own container as “pets” for a few days.
2. Search for/collect insects.
Grab a jar or bug catcher and see how many different creepy crawlies are out in the yard!
3. Trace different tree leaves.
Collect a variety of different shaped tree leaves around the yard or neighborhood (before they turn crunchy). Bring them home and trace over them on paper with some colorful crayons and see how the different patterns and textures show up! Use this fun book for more ways to explore and learn about trees!
4. Paint a picture outside.
Less mess to clean up indoors, and your child might find something outside to inspire their painting! Use an easel like this to easily transport everything.
5. Read a book outside.
One of the easiest ways to get kids outside is to move something we normally do indoors outside instead! Try it on a blanket or in a hammock for something new. Check out our favorite books about nature here!
6. Build a fort.
Use natural materials, blankets draped over porch furniture, or whatever you have available in the yard! If you don’t have any natural materials available, we love this fort building kit.
7. Swing.
Swinging is obviously one of the classic outdoor activities for kids! We replaced our old tire swing with this one.
8. Do some yard work.
Sometimes I’m surprised at how excited my little dude can get about helping with stuff around the yard. He’s helped saw up branches for firewood, trim bushes, rake leaves, pull out ivy. And offering to pay him a little for his work never hurts either.
9. Take care of the garden.
If you already have a garden planted, you have some built-in outdoor activities for kids right there! Have them help you water, weed, or pick some of the harvest. My kids love having their own garden tool kit.
10. Go for a bike ride around the neighborhood.
Another one of our favorite go-to outdoor activities for kids! And if you’re getting bored with riding around the neighborhood, try and see if there are some new places that are still close to home.
11. Play dress up in the yard.
Sometimes all you need is a costume to spark hours of imaginative play!
12. Have a pirate treasure hunt.
13. Go on a nature scavenger hunt.
This can be open ended where your kids just walk around and collect whatever they want, or you can have them look for specific items with these free printables!
14. Make a nature rainbow collage.
Use this printable to collect things around the yard and have your kids make their own nature rainbow!
15. Make mud pies.
This is one of my absolute favorite outdoor activities for kids! And it never gets old because as the seasons change, there is constantly a new supply of ingredients to use for the “pies”! Setting up a mud kitchen the yard is easy and can lead to hours of outdoor play! Here are some other ideas for setting up a mud play area.
17. Have an outdoor tea party.
This was one of my favorite activities as a kid! Grab a tea set (or some extras from the kitchen) and head outdoors. Have the kiddos create their own special set up, perhaps bring along some stuffed animal guests, then let them serve some simple fare that you have around the house (like lemonade and crackers).
16. Have a campfire “party”.
This idea spawned completely from the mind of my son. He entertained himself one day by stacking up logs in a teepee formation for his “fire” and pretending to roast marshmallows on it. Sometimes just the imagination of a child is enough, folks! When I saw how much fun he was having, I put a candle on top of his stack and lit it for him, then read him a few camp themed books while sitting by the “fire”.
18. Have an outdoor concert.
Bring the instruments outside and let the kids go to town! Also a great choice if you happen to have obnoxious neighbors who are in need of a little retribution .
19. Blow bubbles.
20. Play a sport.
Put to use whatever equipment you have available! We enjoy kicking a soccer ball around the yard, baseball, and hockey in the driveway.
21. Make mud faces on trees.
22. Start a rock collection.
Have your kids collect rocks that they think are interesting. Put them in a bowl of water to really observe the different colors, textures, and patterns! Or have your kids categorize them by size, color, or type of rock.
23. Draw with chalk.
We love drawing colorful chalk pictures in the driveway! Another fun thing is drawing roads for my son to ride his bike or little blue truck on. We have a ton of fun adding scenery like towns, stop signs, forests, rivers, barns, meadows, and railroad crossings!
24. Make something out of boxes.
I’m pretty sure my son plays with boxes just as much as he plays with his toys. Have the kids bring some boxes outside and draw or paint on them (or even use screws and nails to attach pieces together)! Using boxes, he’s made forts, houses, robots, cars, ships, and rockets!
25. Mix up potions.
26. Search for wildlife tracks/signs.
27. Tell stories and roast food around a fire.
