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As a momma to a three-year-old, I’m always interested in new, fun little activities for her to do, especially outside. I know how important it is for children to play outdoors and to get some wonderful fresh air, and nothing beats all of the awesome, free, and fun things kids can do outside. Nature is like one big playroom for kiddos. You don’t need anything extra when you’re outside… kids can go for a walk, look at the animals in the trees and the clouds in the sky, investigate leaves and bugs, make little mudpies, and more. That’s why I love the outdoors… fun, easy, simple, free, and great for our little ones’ curiosity and creativity!
We try to spend as much time as we realistically can outdoors. We can’t be out for hours every day… that’s not super realistic for us as a family right now. I remember playing outside for hours and hours with my siblings as an older kiddo, but it’s different for parents with little ones who still need supervision. As parents, that’s life! There’s a lot to do during the day. But I still love getting outside myself, too. It’s just good for the soul. Plus, I usually have a lot of fun, too, when we play outside. Let the kids play… and let the parents play, too! (:
As a parent, I know there’s an added layer of pressure to feel like you need to make playtime and activities “educational.” Let me remind you to take that pressure off of yourself… kiddos are meant to play. They are meant to have free time where they can just be kids… Where they can be curious, observe, laugh, and do what their sweet little selves want to do (safely, with limits, of course. Haha!). Don’t feel like you have to ask children questions, quiz them, and make activities “educational.” They are learning just as much by freely, naturally, and happily playing.
That being said, you can still be mindful to create little activities, have fun resources available, and play with kiddos outside! I’m always interested in new ideas to incorporate during outdoor playtime. My daughter gets very invested in her play outside and can easily tune out the world, but other times she loves when we play together. Below I’ll mention some of our favorite little things to do outside, things you can both do with your young kiddos and older kids can do themselves.
Let’s get playing…
Our all-time favorite… chalk! My daughter loves to draw, and I’ll use it to make fun little games in the driveway and sidewalk. You can be as creative as you want, chalk is something that’s so versatile and there’s no clean-up… just wait for a good rain! I’ll draw rainbow dots for my daughter to jump to, she likes to pretend to be a bunny or a frog and hop across the dots. Hopscotch is a favorite for kids, but my daughter is only three and still learning numbers. Instead, I’ll draw hopscotch using different shapes. She can hop to the different shapes and likes to name them. You could use chalk to create a little pathway for kids to ride a bike or scooter around, or even make a fun little “lava” or “island” game. You can draw little pretend rocks and logs to hop on to get across the driveway and draw little fish or things to avoid. This is especially fun for older kiddos who have developed more of a complex imagination. Create a category chart for kids with different colors, shapes, or textures, and have kids find objects outside to put in each category! There are so many fun things to do with chalk! It’s a great way for kids to be creative and have fun while also incorporating some learning.
We have a plastic container with water bin toys that we frequently pull on on a hot summer day. We’ll fill the bin with water and my daughter plays and splashes around with her little toys. She loves having “Barbie pool parties.” So sweet! You could use one of those mini-round kids’ pools, too. It’s a quick and easy way to enjoy a hot day without having to take out a lot of things or pack up to go to the pool.
Mud kitchens! We don’t have a mud kitchen right now (we live in a townhouse and don’t have a proper fenced-in backyard.) If you can make one, buy one, find one at a thrift shop, etc. I would recommend a mud kitchen. It doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy! I think parents overdo it sometimes- they want to build or buy these elaborate mud kitchens with chalkboards, cooking utensils, a running sink, etc. and it becomes overwhelming. If you want to do that and have the means to do that, that’s amazing! If not, that’s just fine, too!! Kids use their creativity just the same. I never had a mud kitchen growing up, but I still have great memories of making mud pies and cookies with my siblings. We would make “soup” with a bowl of water and anything we could find outside. Not having a big ol’ fancy play kitchen did not lessen my fun. Right now, we have a “mud kitchen” bin. It’s full of old bowls, pots, spoons, spatulas… basically anything that might have been donated or thrown away. When we got a new pan set because the old ones were pretty rough, well, the old ones? They went to the mud kitchen bin. A spatula that was stained from too much turmeric? Mud kitchen bin. Things like that. Check garage sales or thrist stores for inexpensive finds, too. Now my daughter makes her own mud pies, cookies, and lovely herby and grassy stick soup! It’s not fancy or elaborate, and it’s not even an actual kitchen, but it’s fun and functions just the same!
Some other ideas to have for outdoor play include bottles of bubbles, a butterfly net, outdoor balls, child-sized gardening tools, a mini wheelbarrow, a little pull wagon for kids, and anything else with wheels like a tricycle, balance bike, scooter, or a regular bike! My daughter has a balance bike and loves it. Anything with wheels can be endless fun for kiddos!
For older kiddos, the “I spy” game is always fun! We love going for walks around the neighborhood. Sometimes my daughter will be silent and just observe what’s around her when we walk, while other times she likes to talk and tell me what she sees. Sometimes kids don’t need or want to constantly “play.” A quiet little walk is wonderful during any time of the year! When my daughter is a little older I have a feeling she’ll love playing “I spy.” You can spend time in your yard, or driveway, or take a little walk and take turns guessing what the other person sees. “I spy something… white!” And your kiddo may be talking about a cloud, car, flower, etc… lots of fun, and again, it incorporates a little learning!
To help make things easier and more convenient for play, I recommend having a special “play” bag, tote, bins, or baskets. We have plastic bins in our garage that keep things organized. There’s a chalk bin, a water toys bin, a mud kitchen bin, a ball bin, our rice sensory bin (lidded), a bin with art supplies, a bin with the “extra” stuff like bubbles and random little toys, and a bin with a couple old and cheap shower curtain liners and old rags for cleaning up. I think there’s a pack of wipes in there, too. Things like that! We got our plastic bins from Target, but Amazon has some similar ones here .
Sometimes we have to get things done as adults. If I need to sweep the driveway, lend to the lawn, trim the bushes, etc… any of the things we adults have to do, these are some ideas for kiddos that hopefully will allow you the freedom to do what you have to do. My daughter will sit and color with chalk while I do some sweeping. She’ll run around the yard and find some things for her little jars while I clean up the lawn after a storm. Oftentimes, though, she just loves to help! Kiddos love to participate in real-life activities, like helping with tasks around the house. This includes outside, too! My daughter will help sweep leaves in the driveway. She’ll collect sticks and make a little pile for me (which sometimes leads to playing with the sticks, like building a tower, which is awesome!). She loves to help me tend to our plants, so we got her a little watering can and it’s her special job to help water the flower pots. If I ever get new plants for our pots, she’ll help me transfer the dirt with a little shovel and get our plants looking nice and pretty! It’s fun for kiddos to help… to them, it isn’t “work,” it’s just playing! And they feel good and proud to help us. It’s always a nice reminder for me as an adult that tasks aren’t “work” and shouldn’t be something to be dreaded in any way. I love getting outside and having my daughter help with little tasks. We both have fun!
Anyway, hopefully, these little ideas may inspire you for some outdoor play activities! Children love to play, they have a natural gift of curiosity and creativity. They don’t need much or anything really! Less is more!!! They just want to be outside. Sometimes I feel sad that the pure and lovely imagination of childhood goes away as we get older. I wish I had the sweet and fun mind of my daughter. Getting outside and spending time with her definitely brings out the inner child in me, though. We’re able to get some fresh air, do a little learning, and have a lot of fun together!
Thanks for reading!
Anna
Links from the article:
Just for fun… Outdoor Games for Kids from Amazon
