The long hot days of summer have
finally arrived so it’s time to turn
off the TV and head outside to play.
Keep the kids entertained with these
seven fun outdoor games and
activities. We promise you won’t
hear the words, “Mommy, I’m bored,”
all summer long!
Send them on a scavenger
hunt. Your child can do
this activity alone, with a friend
or in teams, says Lisa Hall,
director of the Eastern Start School
Age Program in Oriskany, N.Y. Give
your child a list of items to find
in nature, such as a rock,
dandelion, leaf or something a bird
would eat. Have the kids draw
pictures of what they find and
finish the hunt by tallying up how
many things they ticked off the
list.
Chalk it up to fun.
An inexpensive box of colored chalk
can keep the kids busy for hours.
Have younger kids draw pictures on
the sidewalk or driveway. For the
older children, try a game of Tic
Tac Toe or hopscotch: draw a
hopscotch pattern with eight
squares. Players toss a marker (try
a stone or button) into a square and
then hop over it on one foot.
Bet on bug races.
See how many critters the kids can
spot—without actually picking them
up--in the backyard for a short time
period, such as five minutes, says
Penny Warner, author of Kids Outdoor
Parties (Meadowbrook Press). “Add up
how many bugs they see and give them
a sketch pad to sketch as many as
they can. Then have them share their
artwork.”
Knock ’em over with
backyard bowling. Find
household items that will tumble
over easily, such as empty cereal
boxes, empty soda cans and small
stuffed toys and align them in a row
like bowling pins, suggests Warner.
Then, using a smaller ball for older
kids and a bigger ball for the young
ones, have the children roll the
ball. They score a point for each
object they knock down.
Play Kick the Can.
A variation on Hide and Seek, this
game works best with at least three
kids. One person is designated “it”
and will guard the “can” (an empty
coffee can or ball) which is set in
an open space. While the other
players hide, the “it” counts to 20
(or higher) and then tries to find
and tag the other players. If
captured, players must go to “jail”.
Any player who hasn’t been caught
can run in and kick the can, setting
all of the captured players free. If
the “it” finds everyone, he wins the
game.
Create an outdoor canvas.
Hang an old sheet on a clothesline
or tape paper to a fence for your
budding artist to paint on.
Encourage them to try painting with
different kinds of brushes, says
Warner. “Try dipping grass into
paint and swishing it on paper, then
try painting with a leaf or a twig.
The kids can also try painting rocks
and creating little people or bugs
with them.”
Host a mini-Olympics.
Get the kids competing in running
and wheelbarrow races, obstacle
courses, water balloon tosses and
jumping competitions, suggests Hall.
Finish off the fun with a
mini-Olympic awards ceremony to
honour all of the athletes. Buy
medals at the local dollar store or
make your own with construction
paper, coloured pencils and string.
