10 Outdoor Activities To Do With Kids

Keeping your kids entertained — especially when school’s out — can be a challenge. Not only do you have to come up with activities that will hold their attention. As a parent, you’ll probably want to use the opportunity to make those activities educational and healthy for your little ones by moving them away from their screens and into nature.

The good news is that there are plenty of outdoor activities you can do with your children. Even more, by exercising some creativity, you can transform these pastimes into family traditions, ensuring you get some quality time to spend with your little ones while being in nature and keeping things sustainable.

So, without further ado, here are 10 exciting, outdoor activities you can do with kids, regardless of whether you’ve got to fill a single afternoon or a whole summer.

1. Set Up a Badminton Court in Your Backyard

Racquet sports are great fun. Plus, research shows that they’re exceptionally healthy as well. According to the Harvard Medical School, activities like tennis and pickleball have notable longevity-related benefits.

However, what’s best about racquet sports isn’t just that they’re healthy. By choosing the right equipment and ball type, they can be a great outdoor activity, even for little children.

So, if you want your kids to soak up some much-needed Vitamin D and keep active, why not set up a badminton court in your backyard? Sets for two can cost as little as $10, while for a bit more money, you can get racquets for two adults, two kids, a net, and several birdies.

2. Go on a Golf Adventure

If you’re looking for something that doesn’t require access to outdoor space in your home, you could also take your children on a golfing adventure.

Golf is a fantastic low-intensity activity both for adults and kids (though your local course may have some regulations regarding minimum age). Plus, taking up this sport is a great way to teach your children to enjoy nature, encourage them to make new friends and ensure they get some exercise.

The one thing most parents worry about when it comes to golfing is its expense. However, you can rent most golf equipment at your local club. If you’re looking to buy your own clubs and shoes, check out your local thrift store.

3. Create a Herbarium

If you’re a hiking family (or have a flower) garden, it may be interesting to teach your kids about the flora in their local environment.

One excellent outdoor activity to help you do this is to create a herbarium. All you need to do is pick flowers and leaves on your everyday routes, press them, and then add them to a book (extra points if you make it fancy) along with their Latin names and some info about them.

4. Go Camping

More often than not, the best outdoor activities to do with kids are the ones you did when you were little. And camping is something that most people remember fondly well into adulthood.

Whether you decide to set up a tent and a bonfire in your backyard or go on a full-out camping trip in an RV is entirely up to you. Just remember to pack your camping essentials — like a small generator and a folding solar panel. And don’t forget to carve out some time to make smores!

5. Build a Treehouse

Need an outdoor activity that will fill up an entire summer (and keep your kids occupied for years to come)? Why not design and build a treehouse?

This is a great way to get your kids outside. It’s also an opportunity to use some spare building materials most dads have lying around the house. Plus, by letting the little ones decorate the hideaway to their liking, you’ll automatically get them to spend more time in nature and include more movement in their day.

6. Plant a Veggie or Herb Garden

If you’re trying to prioritize eco-friendly outdoor activities, planting a vegetable or herb garden may be the perfect way to spend quality time with your kids.

Gardening is a relaxing way to spend time in nature. It can also help you build a healthier relationship with food. It can teach your children valuable lessons about where their meals come from. And it can be fun, watching a tomato or strawberry bush grow thanks to the love and care you invest in it.

7. Consider Litter Picking (SpoGomi)

Want to do something different and teach your children about caring for nature? In that case, you might wish to explore the Japanese sport of SpoGomi. 

As a team sport that has participants collect garbage and litter within a limited time frame and specified area, SpoGomi is a great way to spend some quality time outdoors. Plus, it can help you infuse a bit of healthy competition into your daily life.

8. Build a Bug Hotel or a Birdhouse

Do your little ones show an affinity towards insects, birds, or small animals? In that case, you might want to help them build shelters for the tiny beasts frequenting your garden.

The great thing about these structures is that they can be super-easy to build with some bricks, scrap wood, or even just twigs you’ve collected. And they can become a home to a variety of animals, from bees to frogs to hedgehogs.

Furthermore, creating bug hotels, birdhouses, and other shelters encourages your children to care for the animals around them — without having to get a family pet that you may not be ready for.

9. Hunt for Shooting Stars

During the warmer months, the ideal outdoor activity to do with your kids may be to lay back on a cozy blanket and hunt for shooting stars.

Of course, stargazing isn’t always possible — especially if you live in a place with a lot of light pollution. But if you can get away to a more remote area or know when and where to go to witness a meteor shower, catching a falling star may just become a reality for you and your little astronomer.

10. Create an Outdoor Bowling Alley

Last but not least, if you’re strapped for time but need a fun outdoor activity for your kids, you can try making an outdoor bowling alley.

The best thing about this idea is that it only requires a few pieces of equipment you probably already have around the house. Any ball will do. As for the pins, you can make them out of common household items such as plastic bottles, sturdy reusable cups, toilet paper tubes, or even some toys.

Wrapping Up

There you have it — some great, outdoor activities to do with your kids. These ideas offer great ways to spend time with your children, but even more, they can inspire your family to spend more time in nature, do something eco-friendly, or learn something new.