12 Outdoor Activity Ideas for Young Children

Keeping kids busy is one of the ultimate challenges that many parents face daily. Sometimes all it takes is a little creativity and thinking outside of the box to come up with some new and exciting activities for your young children. Luckily, there are a variety of fun activities that will keep young children busy that don’t even require you to leave your home. Keep reading for some creative backyard activities to try with your kids. 

Have a Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are a great way to engage young children with their surroundings and encourage exploration. Think of some items that your child may be able to find around your backyard or look to the internet for some inspiration. If you have multiple children or if your child has some friends over, you can even make it into a competition with a fun reward for the winner. 

Play Tag or Hide and Seek

Hide and seek is a classic game that is perfect for groups of kids. Plan a big game of hide and seek or tag with some of your kids’ neighborhood friends — this is also a great activity to try during a big birthday party. However, be sure to establish firm boundaries with your child so they know not to wander too far. 

Blow Bubbles

One fun activity for children of all ages is blowing bubbles. This activity is simple and satisfying for just about everyone. You can choose from a simple container of bubbles with a bubble wand or make it even more fun with a bubble blowing machine. 

Fly a Kite

Kites are an enjoyable outdoor activity that is ideal for spacious backyards with minimal trees. It may take some trial and error to get the kite up in the air but this provides a great opportunity to problem solve and learn with your child. If your backyard has too many trees and nearby power lines, you may need to take your kite to a park or the beach.

Create a DIY Ring Toss Game

A game that you can easily create for your child with items that you may already have on hand is ring toss. You can set up some old glass bottles in your yard and create some rings out of rope and tape. Simply set up the bottles and take turns tossing the rings to land them around the bottles. This simple game is one that you can easily engage in with your kids and it will keep everyone busy for a while. 

Set up a Splash Pad

Water play is always a fun option for kids. Splash pads create a fun and safe environment for children of all ages to splash around and play. Choose a hot sunny day to set up a splash pad for your kids to play in. Never leave babies or toddlers unattended to play in water. 

Rent a Bounce House

Many parents are surprised to find out that bounce houses are actually very easy to rent and tend to come at a reasonable price. You can rent a bounce house for an hourly rate or even purchase one online, if you have the storage space and plan to use it regularly. Bounce houses provide a fun and safe space for your children to get out all of their energy. This is also a great activity to plan when you know you’ll have a group of kids coming to your home. 

Create Your Own Outdoor Bowling Game

You can easily set up your very own bowling game in your backyard and there’s a good chance that you already have everything you need to do so. Simply find some supplies that can work as the bowling pins, such as tin cans or empty plastic bottles. Set the pins up as you would for a typical bowling game, or stack them on top of one another. For your bowling ball, you can use any old ball you have laying around such as a soccer ball, beach ball, or volleyball. 

Do Some Tie Dying 

Collect some of your old or stained t-shirts to use for a little tie dying fun with your kids. Tie dying can be messy so it is the perfect activity to do in the backyard to avoid making a mess inside. Look for dyes that are natural and free from harmful chemicals. Your kids will love this activity and they’ll be so excited to see the finished product once their tie dye projects are complete. 

Build a Cardboard Box Fort

If you’ve got some big cardboard boxes laying around, then why not make use out of them to build a cardboard box fort in your backyard. Your kids will have a blast helping construct and decorate the fort and then it will give them a fun place to play inside afterwards — talk about keeping them busy! 

Plant Some Seeds

Gardening is a useful and enjoyable skill to teach your children. Gather some gardening supplies and start some seedlings with your kids. Your children will likely enjoy the extra time spent in nature and it will motivate them to continue getting outside for weeks to come as they keep track of their little sprouts. If you already have some plants growing in your yard, you can carve out some time to teach your kids about the maintenance that is necessary to keep those plants alive and encourage them to help with the gardening. 

Do Exercise or Yoga

Everyone can benefit from moving their body a little bit. Set the example by doing some outside exercise or yoga yourself and encourage your children to join in. This can be a great activity to do with your child because it gives you quality time together and ultimately benefits everyone’s health. 

It’s no secret that outdoor activities are a great way to keep kids busy. Fresh air and sunlight are incredibly beneficial for our health and the more activities you do outside with your kid, the less time they’ll spend inside staring at the TV or computer. By having a good list of activities on hand, you’ll always be able to think of something fun to do in the backyard with your children. 

The Pop N’ Go Playpen is the perfect outdoor accessory for children of all ages.