Spring is here and summer is on its way, along with summer holidays. And while that can mean fun in the sun for the whole family, it can also mean long days of trying to find something for your kids to do.
Luckily, you don’t have to look far or spend a fortune on kids’ games and activities this year. Here are our favourite outdoor activities that will keep your children enjoying those sunny days all season long.
Water gun painting
This one is perfect for any kids who love turning walls into artistic masterpieces. All you'll need is an easel* prepared with a giant paper pad or roll*, a water gun*, and some watercolour paints*. Fill the water gun with the paints mixed with water or other liquid, and let them spray and swap out colours until they’ve created a watercolour dream.
Pavement art
This activity is a classic for a reason, and requires minimal setup and supplies. As long as you have a bit of pavement or paving stone and multi-coloured chalk*, you’ve got an activity that your kids can enjoy for an entire afternoon. What’s more, you can also chalk out games for double the fun.
Slip and slide
On the hottest days, grabbing the hose and a water slide* is an inexpensive way to cool down the kiddies. Want to dial up the messy fun factor? Try using whipped* or shaving cream* on your slide and get ready for some major belly laughs.
Obstacle courses
From sack races to yarn mazes*, creating an obstacle course in your back garden or a park can be cheap, easy, and result in hours of fun. You can really let your imagination run wild with this one, and it’s also a great way to get the kids involved in a creative, problem-solving activity.
Painting rocks at the beach
If your family needs a change of scenery and the nearest beach is more rocky than sandy, pack up a paint set for this activity*. Smooth rocks work best for intricate drawings, but gritty or rough stones present the perfect opportunity for your kids’ inner artist to break loose. There’s no limit to the critters and patterns they can create.
Bird-watching or bug-catching
A toy bug catching net* and a homemade toilet paper tube set of binoculars are all you need for this activity. Plus, it can be done in your back garden, at a park, on a nature walk, or even on holiday. It’s a great way to teach kids about the great outdoors.
Water fight
A great way for kids to cool down from summer sports is to get out the sprinkler. But to make this activity even more fun, water guns* and water balloons* can be used for an all-out family water fight.
Chasing bubbles
One of the first, and best, activities that come to mind when we think of outdoor summer fun is blowing bubbles. You can check out our easy recipe* to get started, or add paints and food colouring* to add a rainbow flair!
Play in the sand
You may have seen sandboxes at playgrounds, but if you want to save your garden from the mess, you can keep it to a sand table*. Or grab some beach sand from holidays, cornstarch, and glue to create sand slime to keep them occupied for hours.
Nature scavenger hunt
Looking for something to do on a family nature walk? Print out scavenger hunt sheets and have your kids hunt for specific leaves, flowers, rocks, bugs, and more. Once they’ve found their treasures, you can easily press them in heavy books for future family memories.
Bonus! Create a kids’ garden
You’d be surprised at how fascinated some kids are with gardening! To move it beyond a chore or just playing in the mud, paint pots with funny faces, find kids’ sized gardening tools*, let them pick out their own seedlings, and create a homemade bird feeder out of ice lolly sticks.
These are just a handful of ideas that can keep your kids occupied until school starts up again!
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