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If you are looking for ways to make sure your kids have a brilliant school summer break without it costing you a small fortune every day, use this list of 50 free outdoor activities for kids to get them playing and having fun for free.
There is a lot of pressure to spend money in order to make your kids’ summer break a totally amazing experience. But the reality is that most of us can’t and don’t want to spend big bucks every day.
The other big challenge is finding a way to compete with the lure of tech, the instant gratification of watching YouTube or, for older kids, scrolling endlessly through social media like TikTok.
To help take the pressure off, just think back to your own childhood to remember how sometimes it is the simple things that can give you the most pleasure.
Some of my happiest childhood memories are simply playing in the garden with my brother and our family dog, making ‘perfume’ from rose petals, seeing how many different ways I could hula hoop and making ‘radio shows’ with my best friend.
So, whilst it is lovely to be able to create memories doing big-ticket activities like going on holiday or visiting an amusem*nt park, there are plenty of things you can encourage your kids to do outside in the sunshine that are equally fun to do in the moment, are just as likely to create wonderful memories and balance out the budget against the big spend days.
Many of these ideas also work well if you are planning an outdoor kids’ birthday party on a budget.
50 FUN THINGS TO DO OUTDOORS FOR FREE
Use this list of fun but free outdoor activities for kids to encourage your kids to make the most of the long sunny days of summer by having fun outdoors.
1. Nature Scavenger Hunt
Take the kids on a nature scavenger hunt, where they find and collect natural items like leaves, rocks, or pinecones. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Little kids can find magic in the smallest of things.
- Suitable for kids aged 3+
2. Bug Spotting
Turn your garden into a mini safari, using binoculars and/or a magnifying glass to spot and study insects.
- Suitable for kids aged 4+
3. Gardening
Teach kids how to plant seeds and care for them as they grow into plants. If you plan ahead, you can collect seeds from your garden ready to plant next year. In fact, that’s another lovely activity for kids to do. Here’s a quick guide from the Royal Horticultural Society on how to collect and save seeds.
- Suitable for kids aged 5+
4. Picnicking in the Park
Pack a lunch and enjoy a meal outdoors in your local park. You’re going to eat lunch anyway, so turn it into an event on a sunny day. Find a tree to sit under and spread out your picnic.
- Suitable for kids of all ages
5. Cloud Gazing
Get the kids to lie on their backs and let their imaginations run wild with the shapes of the clouds. Obviously, do make sure they know that they should never look directly at the sun.
- Suitable for kids aged 3+
6. Cycling
Explore your local area or a park on bicycles. It’s amazing how easy it is to overlook the most simple of things. Bikes end up gathering dust in sheds rather than being used.
- Suitable for kids aged 5+ (or whenever they are able to ride a bike)
7. Hopscotch
Use sidewalk chalk to create a hopscotch grid and jump through it.
- Suitable for kids aged 3+
8. Bird Watching
Learn about different species of birds and try to spot them in your area. This is one where you can incorporate a bit of tech to really bring the bird-watching to life. The kids can spot a bird and then look it up online.
- Suitable for kids aged 5+
9. Rock Painting
Find some smooth stones and paint them with colourful paint. Get involved in the Kindness Rocks Project by leaving the decorated rocks for others to find.
- Suitable for kids aged 3+
10. Leaf Rubbing Art
Create art by placing leaves under paper and rubbing over the leaves with crayons. Watch the video for a quick guide on leaf rubbing.
- Suitable for kids aged 3+
11. Frisbee in the Park
Have some fun throwing a Frisbee back and forth in a local park.
- Suitable for kids aged 5+
12. Outdoor Story Time
Read a book to your child/children under the shade of a tree or in a cosy outdoor spot. This is a lovely thing to do after lunch or just ahead of bedtime.
- Suitable for kids of all ages
13. Stargazing
Make the most of not having a set bedtime by allowing the kids to stay up and stargaze on a clear summer’s night. Read up on the constellation so you can be their star guide.
- Suitable for kids aged 6+
Star Buy!!
£6.99
2023 Guide to the Night Sky: A month-by-month guide to exploring the skies above Britain and Ireland.
02/11/2024 09:33 am GMT
14. Hide and Seek
Kids can play this timeless game in the back garden or local park. I’ve included Hide and Seek in my roundup of the best party games for kids. There are plenty of other fun games on the list that work well for the summer.
- Suitable for kids aged 3+
15. DIY Obstacle Course
Create a simple obstacle course using household items like chairs and buckets.
- Suitable for kids aged 4+
16. Sidewalk Chalk Drawing
Let the kids express their creativity by drawing pictures or writing messages on the sidewalk with chalk.
- Suitable for kids aged 2+
CRAYOLA Washable Sidewalk Chalk (Pack of 48)
£7.49 (£0.16 / count)
The novelty of drawing on patios and sidewalks never ends. Also useful for hopscotch grids.
02/12/2024 01:48 am GMT
17. Mud Kitchen Capers
Mud kitchens are a thing. And one of the best things about them is that they don’t need fancy toy pots and pans. The best mud kitchens use old pots, pans and utensils. Kids can make mud pies to their hearts’ content.
- Suitable for kids aged 3+
18. Jump Rope Contest
Have a friendly competition to see who can jump rope the longest.
- Suitable for kids aged 5+
19. Tree Climbing
Find a safe, sturdy tree and let the kids climb under supervision.
- Suitable for kids aged 6+
20. Shadow Puppets
This is a fun way to while away the late afternoon as the sun starts to dip. Teach your kids how to create shadow puppets with their hands and encourage them to create their own show.
- Suitable for kids aged 4+
21. Outdoor Dance Party
Play some music and have a dance party in your backyard. Let’s face it, this is fun for kids of all ages, from the tiniest toddlers to adults who want to keep their inner child-busting moves.
- Suitable for kids of all ages
22. Beach Combing
Leave near a beach? Search the beach for unique shells, rocks, and sea glass.
- Suitable for kids aged 3+
23. Hula Hoop Games
Hula hoops might be simple hoops of coloured plastic, but they provide kids with the chance to be endlessly creative with how they spin them. My favourites include spinning around the neck, wrist, and ankle and spinning two around the waist at once.
- Suitable for kids aged 4+
24. Building Forts with Sticks
Find an area with fallen branches and let kids construct their own little forts. Maybe they can have a picnic in the fort once it’s built?
- Suitable for kids aged 5+
25. Flying Kites
On a windy day, take a kite to the park and learn how to fly it.
- Suitable for kids aged 4+
26. Water Balloon Toss
Fill up some water balloons and play a friendly game of catch, where the aim is not to let them burst. I’ve included this game in my roundup of outdoor party games for kids.
- Suitable for kids aged 4+
27. Outdoor Yoga
Lead a kid-friendly yoga session outdoors, introducing simple poses and stretching exercises. I am a regular user of the FitOn yoga sessions. Some of the simple ones would work really well for kids.
- Suitable for kids aged 4+
28. Duck Feeding
Now this has to be an absolute classic! Visit a local pond or lake to feed the ducks with healthy snacks. Here is a list of things that it is safe to feed ducks. Do remember, NEVER feed them bread.
- Suitable for kids of all ages
29. Skipping Stones
At a calm body of water, practice the art of skipping stones.
- Suitable for kids aged 6+
30. Football (Soccer) Game
Gather some friends for a fun and informal game of football in the park.
- Suitable for kids aged 4+
31. Sack Races
Have a laugh with old-fashioned sack races – you can use old pillowcases as sacks.
- Suitable for kids aged 5+
32. Nature Photography
This is another great way to let the kids use their tech for something positive. Challenge them to create some artistic photography from what they can see in the great outdoors.
- Suitable for kids aged 6+
33. Tree Identification
Learn about different types of trees in your area and go for a walk to identify them.
- Suitable for kids aged 5+
Ultimate Explorer Field Guides British Trees
£6.99£6.50
Use this book to help turn your kids into tree detectives.
02/11/2024 10:03 am GMT
34. Fossil Hunting
Go on a hunt for fossils or interesting stones in your local area. This is a useful guide to fossil hunting for beginners.
- Suitable for kids aged 6+
35. Wildflower Picking
Go for a walk and pick wildflowers to make a bouquet (only where allowed and without damaging nature).
- Suitable for kids aged 4+
36. Homemade Bubble Blowing
Mix a simple bubble solution and make giant bubbles with homemade blowers. Red Ted Art has a useful guide to making your own bubble mixture at home.
- Suitable for kids aged 3+
37. Pebble Stacking
Pebble stacking is so zen! It is also a traditional Montessori activity for kids. Pebble stacking is a great way to get kids to do something calm that requires them to focus their concentration, flex their motor skills and keep their cool.
- Suitable for kids aged 4+
38. Sand Sculpture Contest
At the beach, host a contest to see who can build the most creative sandcastle or sand sculpture.
- Suitable for kids aged 4+
39. Ball Bouncing Games
Don’t just focus on footballs and rugby balls. Smaller balls can be lots of fun too. Use a rubber ball for a variety of games, from catch to ‘SPUD’.
- Suitable for kids aged 4+
How to play SPUD: Players take turns throwing a ball into the air, calling out a player’s name. That player must catch the ball and yell ‘SPUD’, causing all other players to freeze. The player then tries to hit one of the other players with the ball, assigning them a letter (S-P-U-D) and passing on the role of thrower to that player. The game continues until one player accumulates all four letters.
40. Twig Raft Building
Gather twigs and string and teach kids how to build miniature rafts, then float them on a pond or go to a stream and chase the rafts down the bank of the stream or nudge them along with sticks.
- Suitable for kids aged 6+
41. Nature Drawing
Bring paper and pencils outside and draw the natural landscape or individual plants and animals.
- Suitable for kids aged 3+
42. Pinecone Bird Feeders
Create simple bird feeders using pinecones, peanut butter, and birdseed, then watch who comes to eat.
- Suitable for kids aged 4+
43. Running Races
Set up a finish line and host running races in your backyard or local park.
- Suitable for kids aged 3+
44. Sunset Watching
Find a great spot to sit and appreciate the beauty of the setting sun together. Take a picnic and make an evening of it.
- Suitable for kids of all ages
45. Exploring a Nature Trail
Find a local nature trail and while away an afternoon exploring it.
- Suitable for kids aged 5+
46. Outdoor Plays and Pantomimes
Create a short play or pantomime and perform it outdoors for family and friends.
- Suitable for kids aged 5+
47. Leaf Boats
Use large leaves and tiny twigs to construct miniature ‘boats’, then float them on a stream.
- Suitable for kids aged 4+
48. Freeze Tag
Play a game of freeze tag, a classic outdoor game that will burn off energy. Here is my roundup of 10 prop-free outdoor games, including Freeze Tag, that can keep kids happy and occupied for hours.
- Suitable for kids aged 3+
49. Fruit Picking
Visit a local fruit farm that allows you to pick your own fruit (not technically free but often very cheap, and you get to keep the fruit!).
- Suitable for kids aged 3+
50. Treasure Hunting
Make a simple treasure map of your backyard or local park, hide a small ‘treasure’, and let the kids find it.
- Suitable for kids aged 4+
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Luci McQuitty Hindmarsh
Hello, I’m Luci, founder of Mums Make Lists (Est. 2011). Over the last decade or so, I have combined my experience as a mum, journalist and shopping editor to create useful guides and lists of ideas and inspiration to make it easier for busy parents to plan and host kids’ parties and find great gifts. Plus I create beautiful party printables, from invites to party games.Read more.
Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts
As an expert and enthusiast, I have personal experiences or opinions, but I can provide you with information on the concepts mentioned in this article. Here's a breakdown of the concepts and some information related to each one:
Free Outdoor Activities for Kids
This article provides a list of 50 free outdoor activities for kids to enjoy during the summer break. These activities are meant to be fun, budget-friendly, and a great way to create lasting memories. Some of the activities mentioned include nature scavenger hunts, bug spotting, gardening, picnicking in the park, cloud gazing, cycling, hopscotch, bird watching, rock painting, leaf rubbing art, frisbee, outdoor story time, stargazing, hide and seek, DIY obstacle courses, sidewalk chalk drawing, mud kitchen capers, jump rope contests, tree climbing, shadow puppets, outdoor dance parties, beach combing, hula hoop games, building forts with sticks, flying kites, water balloon toss, outdoor yoga, duck feeding, skipping stones, football (soccer) games, sack races, nature photography, tree identification, fossil hunting, wildflower picking, homemade bubble blowing, pebble stacking, sand sculpture contests, ball bouncing games, twig raft building, nature drawing, pinecone bird feeders, running races, sunset watching, exploring nature trails, outdoor plays and pantomimes, leaf boats, freeze tag, fruit picking, treasure hunting, and more.
Please note that the information provided above is a summary of the concepts mentioned in the article. For more detailed information and instructions on each activity, I recommend referring to the original article.
I hope this helps! Let me know if there's anything else I can assist you with.
