{"id":807,"date":"2022-10-19T23:19:38","date_gmt":"2022-10-19T23:19:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/s37407.p1377.sites.pressdns.com\/resources\/101-outdoor-activities-and-games-for-kids\/"},"modified":"2022-10-19T23:19:38","modified_gmt":"2022-10-19T23:19:38","slug":"101-outdoor-activities-and-games-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/101-outdoor-activities-and-games-for-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"101 outdoor activities and games for kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s important for kids to get outside and play. First of all, it’s fun. But it’s also good for them. Len Saunders, a children’s health, fitness and wellness specialist and author of “Keeping Kids Fit<\/a>,” explains that children have become sedentary because technology has overtaken physical activity. “Getting children into the habit of playing outside at a young age is important to their growth and development.”<\/p>

There are actually many more health benefits to playing outside<\/a>. Besides just getting kids up and moving, playing outdoors also helps them get fresh air, sunlight and much-needed Vitamin D. It can also reduce the risks of obesity, diabetes and stress, says Denise Fields, author of “Baby 411<\/a>” and “Toddler 411<\/a>.”<\/p>

So if you’re ready to get kids outside, try these 101 outdoor activities for kids to keep them active and having fun.<\/p>

Sports<\/h2>

1. Play a sport such as baseball, basketball, soccer<\/a>, football or hockey.<\/p>

2. Kayak or canoe on a lake or river.<\/p>

3. Go for a run\/jog together.<\/p>

4. Play golf or go to the driving range.<\/p>

5. Go to the batting cages.<\/p>

6. Play kickball.<\/p>

7. Ride your bike.<\/p>

8. Play ultimate Frisbee<\/a>.<\/p>

9. Play volleyball.<\/p>

10. Play catch.<\/p>

11. Do yoga.<\/p>

12. Set up circuit training.<\/p>

13. Play tennis.<\/p>

Backyard games<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>

14. Play Frisbee<\/a>.<\/p>

15. Jump on a trampoline.<\/p>

16. Set up relay races.<\/p>

17. Play hacky sack.<\/p>

18. Play cricket.<\/p>

19. Build a fort.<\/p>

20. Barbecue lunch or dinner with burgers, hot dogs and s’mores.<\/p>

21. Set up lawn games like bocce ball, croquet, horseshoes, corn hole and ladder ball.<\/p>

Water and beach activities<\/strong><\/h2>

22. Swim.<\/p>

23. Go white water rafting.<\/p>

24. Snorkel.<\/p>

25. Surf.<\/p>

26. Visit a water park.<\/p>

27. Have a water balloon fight.<\/p>

28. Go puddle jumping.<\/p>

29. Play pool games<\/a> like Marco Polo and water tag.<\/p>

30. Build a sandcastle.<\/p>

31. Set up a slip and slide.<\/p>

32. Go boogie boarding.<\/p>

33. Search for seashells.<\/p>

Winter <\/strong><\/a>activities<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>

34. Ice skate.<\/p>

35. Make snow angels.<\/p>

36. Ski or snowboard.<\/p>

37. Cross country ski.<\/p>

38. Have a snowball fight.<\/p>

39. Build a snowman.<\/p>

40. Go sledding.<\/p>

Playground games<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>

41. Play tag.<\/p>

42. Play jungle gym games like sandman and gravel.<\/p>

43. Play hide and seek.<\/p>

44. Play cops and robbers.<\/p>

45. Jump rope<\/a>.<\/p>

46. Play hopscotch.<\/p>

47. Play four square.<\/p>

48. Play basketball games like horse and around the world.<\/p>

49. Play wall ball.<\/p>

50. Play capture the flag.<\/p>

51. Play duck duck goose.<\/p>

52. Play on the jungle gym like on the swings, slide and monkey bars.<\/p>

53. Use a hula hoop.<\/p>

54. Play marbles or jacks.<\/p>

55. Race toy cars or balls.<\/p>

Outdoor crafts<\/strong><\/h2>

56. Draw with sidewalk chalk.<\/p>

57. Blow bubbles (use different-shaped wands to make fun shapes).<\/p>

58. Make a piñata and break it open.<\/p>

59. Create and have the kids do an outdoor scavenger hunt<\/a>.<\/p>

60. Paint rocks.<\/p>

61. Make bird feeders.<\/p>

62. Tie-dye T-shirts<\/a>.<\/p>

63. Make your own craft using flowers, leaves, twigs, pebbles and other things found in nature<\/a>.<\/p>

Extreme outdoor activities and sports<\/strong><\/h2>

64. Go rock climbing.<\/p>

65. Do archery.<\/p>

66. Go to a shooting range.<\/p>

67. Go horseback riding.<\/p>

68. Go ziplining.<\/p>

69. Rollerblade or skateboard.<\/p>

70. Make an obstacle course.<\/p>

71. Go paintballing.<\/p>

Outdoor activities with animals<\/strong><\/h2>

72. Go to the zoo.<\/p>

73. Take your dog for a walk.<\/p>

74. Go to the dog park.<\/p>

75. Go bird-watching.<\/p>

76. Catch fireflies.<\/p>

77. Hunt for bugs.<\/p>

Outdoor activities with plants<\/strong><\/h2>

78. Make a garden.<\/p>

79. Pick flowers.<\/p>

80. Pick fruit in an orchard or garden.<\/p>

81. Go to a local nursery or botanical garden.<\/p>

82. Make a compost.<\/p>

Other outdoor activities<\/strong><\/h2>

83. Have a picnic.<\/p>

84. Go camping<\/a>.<\/p>

85. Gaze at the stars.<\/p>

86. Go hiking.<\/p>

87. Climb trees.<\/p>

88. Play in the mud.<\/p>

89. Dig a hole.<\/p>

90. Make a sundial.<\/p>

91. Use a slingshot.<\/p>

92. Set up a lemonade stand<\/a>.<\/p>

93. Make bottle rockets.<\/p>

94. Jump in a bouncy house.<\/p>

95. Go sightseeing.<\/p>

96. Go miniature golfing.<\/p>

97. Dance.<\/p>

98. Bob for apples.<\/p>

99. Make a bonfire.<\/p>

100. Sing campfire songs<\/a>.<\/p>

101. Make up a new game, and share it with friends.<\/p>

Sara Parker is an editor and writer who is passionate about the written word. She loves to read, write, travel and try new things.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the weather’s decent, getting kids outdoors is always a good idea. This extra-long list of outdoor activities for kids is a great place to start.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":924,"featured_media":7248,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"enable_toc":false,"care_reviewed_by":0,"care_post_updated_flag":false,"care_updated_date":"","last_update":"2022-10-19","view_count":32680,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"member-type":[4],"vertical":[6,17],"platform":[2],"class_list":["post-807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","member-type-all","vertical-children","vertical-child-care-advice","platform-resources"],"acf":[],"created":"2015-02-07","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/924"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=807"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87841,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807\/revisions\/87841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=807"},{"taxonomy":"member-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/member-type?post=807"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=807"},{"taxonomy":"platform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/platform?post=807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}