Summertime and the living is easy. At least that’s how the song goes. It’s not as much fun when your child says, “I’m bored” for the 100th time. I can always find chores for bored children, but I’m not above sneaking in some educational activities. My motto is “learning doesn’t have to be boring.” If you’re looking for activities that encourage creative outdoor learning, these are some of our favorites.
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5 Ways to Encourage Creative Outdoor Play
1. Take a Nature Walk/ Scavenger Hunt. You don’t have to go far to enjoy nature. Take a stroll around your neighborhood. Give the kids a list of items you’d like them to find before you begin. They can be simple or complex, depending on age. For preschoolers, try finding leaves, rocks, or a certain color flower. Hint: It helps to take a small “collection” bag. Otherwise, you might find your arms filled with their treasures. When you return, allow the kids to draw pictures of their favorite items.
If you are like me and have a large collection of children’s artwork, use a Buddha Board. This nifty little gadget uses water to “draw” pictures. After the drawing is completed it slowly fades away. The board is then ready for another use. No more mess from kids accidentally drawing on the wall or the floor. No more refrigerators covered with artwork. And, best of all, no chemicals. It’s fun for adults too. I feel Zen when I sit outside in the shade and draw. When one of our friends saw it, he exclaimed, “Our family has one of these and we love it.”
2. Get Sandy. Fill up a plastic bin with sand or rice. Give the kids kitchen utensils and let them build their dream castle. Plastic cups, measuring spoons, and bowls are good choices for building materials. If you have plastic animals, this is a great time to use them to build pretend habitats. We use our sandbox on the grass, but if you need to use your porch or patio, here’s a tip. Place a cheap plastic shower curtain (like you find at the dollar store) underneath the bin. When the kids finish playing it’s easy to shake clean. Hint: Want to get the sand off the kids? Sprinkle them with baby powder. The sand will brush off!
3. Have a Blast with Water Play. The plastic bin can be reused to hold water. Give the kids the same kitchen utensils or animals and let them have a blast. When it’s sweltering outside, spend some time in the pool The Frosted Donut Lil’ Pool. This pool measures 5 feet across, but that’s not the best part. It’s easy to inflate and deflate using a standard air valve. Since it is compact when deflated, it’s easy to store. That means no patch of dead grass in the lawn or having to drag it around the yard when you have to mow. You can also use it to hold drinks when you host summer parties, or for party games like bobbing for apples.
Another activity my children enjoy are water races. The kids climb onto floats and see who can paddle to the other side of the pool first. If you want to get younger children involved in the game, try using the Lil’ Canopy float. We have a shark-which is kind of funny, since it looks like Critter is sitting in the shark’s mouth. But, if your child isn’t a fan of sharks, they have a frosted donut and a monster canopy float too. The canopy is removable, but it does provide 50+ UPD protection. It’s also easy to inflate and deflate. No more sharknados blowing around the yard during a thunderstorm.
4. Visit that Park. Have a state park or state historic site near you? Check with your local library to see if they participate in the library loan program. This allows you to check out park passes from your local library, giving you free admission into the parks. Passes are usually loaned for a week. Most parks offer free junior ranger activity books filled with learning activities. Once they are completed you can receive a badge and become a certified “Junior Ranger” for each park.
5. Grow it Yourself. Give the kids a packet of seeds and let them plant their own garden. Even if you only have a small space, a large flower pot will make a cute container garden. You can make your garden themed if you like, such as a pizza garden with parsley, oregano, tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions. Or try a Butterfly garden with sunflowers, daisies, black-eyed Susans, and verbena. Hint: If you are a new gardener, it will probably be easier to purchase a few plants rather than raise them from seed.
**For rainy day fun, try the Magformer’s 60 Piece Animal Jumble Set. This toy, designed for ages 3 and up, allows kids to make different animals using magnets. You can make traditional zoo animals or mix and match the pieces to create your own animals. This is a Critter favorite and she loves to make up stories about the animals. She doesn’t realize she’s learning valuable STEM skills, just that she is having fun.
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How do you spark creative outdoor play in your kids?
These are fantastic ways to get the kids outside and engaged. I think any reason to get fresh air and have fun is a good one. I’ll have to try painting outdoors with my kids this weekend.
These are really cool and fun idea to learn while playing it is fun to learn . I wish I had this when my kids are young. Now they are 7 and 10 year old. they like to play more that learning.
Encouraging kids to use their imagination and get outside is great!! I will have to remember these activities for when my nieces and nephews visit!
We love getting the kids outside, off their devices and getting fresh air. It is nice to get some creative learning in there too. Thanks for the ideas!
These are awesome ideas for outdoor activities. I think if I have a kid, this will helps a lot. Thanks for sharing!
Love these ideas! It’s so important to find ways to be creative with your child!
These are some fun ideas for things to do outside! And a good idea for when it rains. Staying active and creative is a good strategy.
I love all of these ideas. I think it’s great to get creative while learning outdoors. My kids love spending time outside, and to have them learn at the same time is great.
I feel lucky because both of my kids really enjoy outdoor activities. These are useful tips for parents! Thanks!
My son did those things when he was little. Encouraging creative play is always a good thing for kids.
There are so many good ideas here. It’s easy to keep kids entertained outside with the right amount of creativity. Water play is always a good idea!!
These are really cool ideas! I’d love to try to teach my niece about gardening. She likes watering plants but planting and taking care of it would be great!
Great ideas, learning outdoors is always great for kids. I hope preschools start doing stuff like this.
Loving all of the suggestions. I know what you mean, they can get bored quite easily and outdoor play is always a great option where possible. Mine love to go to the park and play with sand.
These are wonderful tips and great ideas. My children love exploring outdoor play, especially did the summer months.
I am 1000000% making sure my son is raised OUTDOORS. I will not let him sit in front of the TV all day every day. When I was a kid, I was raised OUTSIDE and I love it. I have so many memories of being OUTSIDE !! Sadly so many kids are being raised in front of technology these days!
I love these ideas. My daughter is all about being outside and exploring. My son? Well, I have to make things entertaining, otherwise he’s happy to stay in his room.
When I just saw the photo of the board, I said to myself ‘oh no not digital games!’haha. So glad that is not what that was. The suggestions are just exactly when a child should be doing and not spending hours gawking a tv or tablet screen