52 Fun Things To Do Outside With Kids as a Family

Playing outside with your children isn't just about encouraging more physical activity. Research has found that kids who spend less time in green spaces are more likely to develop psychiatric issues, such as anxiety and mood disorders. So, time spent outside may improve your child's mental health, too. And not only that, getting outside with your family encourages bonding, provides a much-needed change in scenery in between the routine of work and school, and offers the chance for adventure—and remember that your kids will probably be a lot of happier if they feel like you're the fun parent.

But it can be hard to think of fun activities to do—and wrangling kids of varying ages to participate in a single activity may seem difficult. To make it easier, we've rounded up 52 mostly free things to do outside as a family to help you find the perfect fit. Next time the weather looks inviting, try these creative ways to play outside.

Creative Outdoor Activities

Engage your child's imagination with arts, crafts, and hands-on activities. Some of them can get a bit messy, but since you're outdoors there's less pressure to contain the mess.

• Paint rocks or hand dye eggs.
• Blow bubbles using a DIY mix.
• Build a fort using lawn furniture.
  
• Build paper airplanes. Compete to find out who can make theirs fly the farthest.
• Make homemade playdough and bring it outside.
• Make mud pies. See who can make the fanciest cake using rocks and twigs as decorations.
• Gather a wagon, stuffed animals, and pots and pans, and have an instant parade.
• Set up a canvas and let your little ones paint.
• Film a home movie.
• Gave an outdoor dance party on the lawn.
• Draw a fancy hopscotch board with chalk.
  
• Set up a sprinkler, grab your bathing suits, and pretend you're at the water park.

Fun and Silly Outdoor Activities

Sometimes, kids just want to have fun. Silly activities are great when there's grumbling about heading outside.

• Make s'mores.
  
• Eat homemade popsicles.
  
• Go "fishing." Set up a wading pool with objects and let your little one try to catch them.
• Is it getting dark outside? Play hide and seek with flashlights.
• Learn to do cartwheels.
• Play classic outdoor games like Red Rover, Red Light Green Light, or Steal the Bacon.
  
• Play Follow the Leader through your yard or neighborhood.
• When its dark out try to count the stars or find as much constellations as you can
• Play wiffleball or kickball.
  
• Wash the car.
• Sing as loud as you can.
• Drive to a neighboring town and find a new favorite playground.
• Do things you'd normally do inside, like play board games or have a pillow fight.

Educational Outdoor Activities

The great outdoors is also a great classroom. There's much to learn outside simply by paying attention to your surroundings.

• Look for natural items like leaves, sticks, shells, and rocks to make a mobile.
• Make bird feeders out of pine cones, peanut butter, and birdseed.
• Find a shady tree and read.
• Drive to another neighborhood and go for a walk there. Pretend to be observational scientists: What's different? What is the same?
• Host a nature scavenger hunt. Look for pine cones, acorns, and other common outdoor items and tally who found the most pieces.
• Water the plants. Give your younger children some basic experiments to consider: Does the hose make water come out faster than the watering can? Which is easier to control?
• Pick flowers.
• Search for bugs.
• Walk barefoot in the grass. What other surfaces can you make your feet touch?

Physically Active Outdoor Activities

Do your kids get the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day? These outdoor activities are guaranteed to get their blood pumping:

• Have a water balloon fight.
• Make your own Olympic games.
• Play tag.
  
• Host a dance party.
• Hula hoop.
• Race each other around the yard
• Go for a walk. Set a timer to see how far you can walk in five minutes, 10, 20, or 30.
• Ride bikes.
  
• Roller skate.
  
• Play catch.
  

Relaxing Outdoor Activities

There are plenty of ways to get some downtime that don't involve sitting in front of a screen. Have some fun winding down outside to change things up.

• Find shapes in the clouds.
• Fly kites.
• Pitch a tent.
• Plant a small container garden.
• Have a picnic at a local park, beach, or your backyard.
• Take a nap in a hammock or on a blanket you lay on the grass.
• Set up lawn chairs and turns listening to your favorite songs.
• Share fun memories or tell jokes around a firepit.