I love talking about this. We live where there are all 4 seasons. We definitely spend more time outside during the spring, summer, and fall. I could go on and on and on about getting your kids outside, but I'll try to stick to some of our favorite activities! I have been very inspired by 1000 hours outside. It's easier than you probably think!
- Bubbles are your friend. We buy so many gallons of the refills. I love the target brand of bubbles. Amazon also has a really cool giant bubble set. They are huge and so much fun.
- A sandbox, or a sand pile, or a dirt pile (My son's favorite.) My son has spent hundreds of hours at his dirt pile playing with all sorts of trucks and shovels and anything else you can imagine is good for a dirt pile. The best part is that a lot of those items, you can grab on Facebook marketplace. There is a small kids shovel set that we love from amazon that we have had for about 5 years. You can grab it here.
- A swing. I know that these are expensive, but you don't need a fancy one. We spend so much time out at our swing set and we love it. We have one from Sam's Club.
- Ride a bike. My son loved his balance bike!
- My daughter prefers a bike with training wheels.
- Buy a cheap ball and let them use their imagination.
- Collect leaves and see how many types or colors they can find. Rake them up and let them jump in them! This keeps my kids giggling and active for 20-30 minutes.
- Let them explore and get dirty and climb trees. (As long as you feel they are safe.)
- Go exploring or go for a walk. We love to go on hikes.
- Jump in the puddles and play in the rain.
- Rain boots + jacket
- Little Tikes Cars- Grab a used one. My kids would play in these for such a long time between age 1-4. Kids like to get them muddy and then do their own car wash. They haul things in them. They drive each other around. Keeps them busy for a while. Here is a new one on amazon.
- Grab a kite at the dollar tree. You can't go wrong for the price.
- Climbing Domes, grab one like this.
- During the winter there is sledding, and building a snowman and so much more.
- Put them to work, kids love to help! That might look like picking up sticks or helping in the garden. Outdoor helper set!
- Trampoline: This one is probably controversial, but I had played on one growing up at my grandma's and we got a used one for our kids. Fingers crossed; they haven't gotten hurt yet. They have so much fun.
- During the summer it's nice to have a water table for outside play. We have this one and used it for both kids. Even better, get a used one on Facebook marketplace or at a consignment store. It will pay for itself over and over. My son would wash all of his little outside cars in it and my daughter loves to play with tiny little buckets that are meant for a bathtub. I couldn't find a recent picture but this water table lasted us about 5 years!
- Splash blobs. Sam's club has had a $30 splash blob the past few years. They are similar to a splash pad but the bottom is a soft blob making wipeouts less painful. These are a little more work for the initial setup but provide SO many hours of entertainment. They are less worrisome (to me) than a kitty pool because they don't hold standing water.
- A Sprinkler! Grab a cheap one wherever find them. I got one on amazon a few years ago.
- It does SO much good for everyone to get outside! Even if you just sit in the sunshine for awhile.
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There are so many more outdoor play ideas in my Easter Basket post.
