71 Fun Games to Play Outside with your Kids to Spark Joy and Creativity

Frey taking a walk in the woods with her moose

Having your kids spend time outside is more than just play—it’s nourishment for their soul. The sunshine, the giggles, the grass-stained knees all weave into the fabric of childhood. Outdoor play helps children explore, grow, and discover joy in the simplest of things.

This post is all about 71 things for kids to do outside—simple, creative, adventurous ideas that will keep your kids busy, happy, and connected with God’s creation. From backyard fun to nature adventures, here are ideas to spark fresh air and fresh joy.

71 Fun Games to play outside

Classic Backyard Fun

1. Blow bubbles and chase them.

2. Play tag or freeze tag.

3. Ride bikes or scooters.

4. Jump rope.

5. Hula hoop.

6. Play hopscotch with sidewalk chalk.

7. Build a fort with sticks or cardboard.

8. Kick a ball around.

9. Play hide-and-seek.

10. Roll down a hill.

Games to play with your Kids

11. Build a fort with sticks and blankets.

12. Have a water balloon fight.

13. Draw with sidewalk chalk.

14. Ride bikes together.

15. Make mud pies.

16. Play tag or hide-and-seek.

17. Go on a scavenger hunt.

18. Fly kites in an open field.

19. Jump rope or hula hoop outside.

20. Roll down a grassy hill (yes, moms can too!).

Kiddos sitting on a log at the lake

Move Your Body

21. Go for a walk.

22. Try an outdoor yoga session.

23. Run a mile around the neighborhood.

24. Do a workout in your backyard.

25. Try roller skating.

26. Go hiking on a new trail.

27. Swim in a lake, river, or pool.

28. Play frisbee.

29. Try tennis or pickleball.

30. Dance barefoot in the grass.

Creative Adventures

31. Paint rocks or shells you’ve collected.

32. Sketch flowers or trees.

33. Make pressed-flower bookmarks.

34. Start an outdoor journal with your kids.

35. Take photos of tiny details in nature.

36. Build fairy houses from sticks and moss.

37. Write poetry while sitting under the sky.

38. Create chalk art murals on the driveway.

39. Try leaf rubbings with crayons and paper.

40. Decorate your sidewalk with encouraging words.

Grizzly and all 4 kids on a walk

Memories with Family + Friends

41. Roast marshmallows around a firepit.

42. Host a backyard BBQ.

43. Play flashlight tag after dark.

44. Watch a movie outside with a projector.

45. Host a family game of soccer or kickball.

46. Share stories under the stars.

47. Have a potluck picnic at a park.

48. Invite neighbors for lemonade on the porch.

49. Do a family relay race.

50. Teach your kids an old-school yard game.

Connect with Nature

51. Plant flowers together.

52. Start a small vegetable garden.

53. Go berry or apple picking.

54. Visit a local botanical garden/park.

55. Listen for bird songs and try to identify them.

56. Feed ducks at a pond.

57. Go fishing.

58. Hike at sunset or sunrise.

59. Build a birdhouse.

60. Collect seashells at the beach.

Frey with a flower crown

Little Adventures

61. Visit a farmer’s market.

62. Explore a new park.

63. Go geocaching.

64. Try camping—even if it’s just in the backyard.

65. Take a day trip to a nearby town.

66. Ride a ferry or boat.

67. Try horseback riding.

68. Rent paddleboards or kayaks.

69. Explore a local trail with a picnic lunch.

70. Go sledding (if it’s winter!).

71. Take a “yes day” adventure with your kids outside.

✨ Childhood is meant to be lived with grass stains and wild imaginations. These outdoor activities will give your kids space to laugh, play, and remember that the world is a wonder worth exploring.

Dirt is the best toy God gave parents. Let your kids explore the world through the backyard and see the place God made for them.

Ideas and ways to play with dirt.

What are the reasons you should even play with dirt.

Now, if you clicked on this post you probably aren’t afraid to let your kids play in the dirt. Which is FANTASTIC! There are numerous benefits of letting your kids play in the dirt. Some of them are: building their immune system, sensory exposure, imaginative play, fine motor skills, and stimulation for their little brains.

Letting your kids let loose in the dirt can build many immunities against illnesses even asthma and allergies!

Dirt gives them a new sensory experience and expand their world. Kids love sensory activities, this is a free and classic one.

Playing outside in the dirt encourages kiddos to use their imagination and connect with the Earth literally.

When you play with dirt you’re using not only your imagination but your hands and that is a fabulous way to grow and hone fine motor skills.

Going outside and playing already stimulates the brain and is great for mental health, but dirt play just adds another fun element to it.

Ways to let your kids play in the Dirt:

1: Mud kitchen

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have a mud kitchen.

Just go to the dollar store and get some bowls, plates, utensils. Kids will go nuts with some mud, a bowl, and a ladle.

Now, if you can build a mud kitchen they are a blast. But it’s SO not needed to play kitchen in the mud.

2: Paint with mud

This activity is so simple to clean up too. Make mud, get some paint brushes, and then let them paint.

Paint the house, the fence, whatever you want. Once you’re done, grab your hose and spray it off.

3: Add leaves and flowers

Gather some leaves, grass, flowers, pinecones, or really anything you want.

Make a mud cake or any shape and then decorate your mud with your treasures!

You could even go to the dollar store get some little colored rocks, feathers, and other fun things. Or just use what’s in your yard.

4: Mud car wash

Have a bowl of clean/soapy water for your kiddos to dunk their dirty cars into and make a car wash.

You can give them brushes or sponges to wipe the dirt covered cars off with or just use your hands.

This is a great one since you can do it over and over. Cleaned the car?! Great!! Play in the mud with the car and then wash it off.

5: Mud animal wash

This is literally the same as the car wash but with animals instead.

I love this one as well since you can talk about the noises they make, the color of the animal, the size, etc

Cleaning their animals is a beloved activity and opens up so many ideas and conversations!

6: Mud cup cakes

You’ll need a cup cake tin, you don’t need cupcake liners but you’re welcome to use them

Give them the cupcake tin and let their imagination run loose

Add leaves, feather, dry dirt as dirt cake toppings!

7: Ice cream mud shop

Giving the kids spoons, scoops, bowls, or even cones and let their imagination run amuck . They can grab things from arouond the yard as toppings.

Use regular dry dirt as sprinkles for example. Kids love ice cream and I have found that dang near every kid LOVES to play ice cream shop.

Mud makes the perfect outdoor activity and when your kids are done running their own ice cream shop maybe letting them have some ice cream as a treat!

8: Dump trucks/ Construction site

What a classic am I right?? There is nothing more classic than playing construction site with some trucks in the mud.

Scooping and dumping the dirt out seems so simple, but it is truly SO entertaining. If you wanted to take it a step further, you could have your kids get some sticks to outline and even become part of a construction site that they work on.

9: Dig

Another classic activity, obviously if you don’t have a spot in your yard to dig you can not do this one, but if you can kids love to dig.

Maybe dig in the mud and dirt and plant some seeds. Or if you have alittle dirt pile your kids can do a treasure hunt for each other. Have one kid dig and hide a toy and then the next kiddo can dig looking for the toy.

Dig looking for cool rocks, or just to see how far they can go! The nice thing about diggin is you can always fill up the hole up after they are done.

10: Mud slide

Mud slide can be a yummy dessert or if you have a hill you can make it into a little mud slip and slide!

Mud can get slippery and make the best slip and slide, your kids would get super messy (nothing a good bath couldn’t curb).

In the heat of the summer being able to slip and slide around in mud and water is a blast!

11: Mud pit

This is one of my kids favorite, a lot of our yard is dirt and I will hand them the hose and just go ham with making a mud pit out of the yard.

They can pretend to be little piggies, or just roll around in the earth. Let them feel the mud in between their little toes and enjoy this world the Lord has given us.

12: Alphabet in the Dirt

Let your kids take a stick or their finger and write out the alphabet, make words, practice sounds!

All while enjoying nature. Learning does not need to be at a table with a workbook, you can let them learn and explore at the same time!

Especially if your child is a kinetic learner. Going outside and having them move and play while they learn can help them expand.

13: Shapes in Dirt

Similarly to the alphabet in the dirt, learning shapes in the dirt, sand, or mud can be so fun! Give your kids a great sensory activity at the same time.

Letting them explore with different tactiles and acquire more knowledge.

Play in the dirt!

Letting your kids out in the dirt will benefit them to explore their world, give them a great immune system, and more. Dirt is such a wonderful tool for us in life and in parenting.

Kids truly love to play in the dirt and it is truly beautiful to watch them expand their worlds. Let them loose into the world with an imagination.

While it does require a little bit of clean up, playing in dirt and mud is so much fun and a wholesome entertainment.

Enjoy your time outside and watching your little flowers flourish!

Screen free activities

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As a teenager all I wanted was screen time and didn’t understand parents who limited it

Now as a mom, I just want to throw our tv away. Don’t get me wrong my kids get a bit of screen time everyday.

After lunch my oldest daughter gets 1 movie or 5 episodes of something which ever she picks.

But for the majority of our day we don’t have any screens. I put my phone away and we shut off the tv.

Here are our favorite activities that are screen free!

1- Bake Something

My oh my do my girls love to bake something with me. Kids love to spend time with you and what is better than spending time with your little ones. Then at the end of the activity you have cookies! Oh man it is heaven.

Baking is something so wholesome you can do away with your littles away from any screens. We try every week to make a new fun treat. The kids and I pick it out while I meal plan for the week. Then later that week we make the treat and enjoy.

2: Make a fort:

What is more fun than making a fort and having your own lair to play and read in? This is Lucy’s new favorite activity.

The nice thing is you can pretty much make a fort anywhere and anyway. Our favorite right now is cardboard boxes and blankets to make a fun secret hideaway.

3: Paint Something:

Washable watercolors are a God send. Lucy is obsessed with painting. I think we do it everyday now. This one does need set up with getting the brushes, water, paper, and paint.

But it can provide hours of screen less enjoyment for your littles. Paint a picture for anyone in your life. Or make it a fun activity by painting a picture then putting it in the mail to send to someone!

4: Busy binder:

When we were younger we had a busy binder and I have such fond memories of this activity. I made one for the girls and while it took a couple hours spread out across some days, it was beyond worth it.

I have definitely seen the work I put into this activity pay off. The girls love it and keeps them busy (and learning) for a good chunk of time. Huge win!

You can buy pages for busy binders on Etsy, or you can look up ideas on Pinterest. I just made my pages and then printed them off and laminated them.

If you are unsure what a busy binder is I will link an example here.

5: Sing songs:

Kids LOVE to sing. Whether its songs from the radio or the itsy bitsy spider kids love to sing. Nursery songs can be very good for kids development.

Songs with finger play (like wheels on the bus and itsy bitsy spider) helps kids increase their vocabulary, learn different, sounds, and engage with you.

Singing with your kids is such a good time to bond and give your baby one on one attention. Without the screen, it’s a wonderful way to spend time with your kiddos.

6: Play outside:

There is something so magical about a childhood spent outside exploring the world we live in. Kids normally also love to be outside which is a huge plus.

Playing outside gives you so many options on what to do too Sardines, tag, red rover, red light green light and more.

If you don’t have a back yard that’s okay! Parks are always a good option. Or if your yard has 0 grass that’s okay. Ours is just dirt right now too.

We got some random kitchen items from the dollar store and the girls LOVE to just play in the dirt with the bowls, spoons and more.

The great outdoors gives you so many options. It is marvelous.

7: Read:

Reading to your kids not only gives you time without screens but it also so beneficial for their development.

It helps their vocabulary, think skills, concentration and more. How freaking amazing is that??

Reading is so good for bonding time as well. Nothing better then snuggling up with your babies, reading, helping their development, and being able to sit and bond with them.

Lucy could read forever, no joke she will sit at listen to chapter books at 3 yrs old. We spend at least an hour reading each day. It is always a great time.

I have a post with great books for kids that we read all the time. I’ll link it here.

8: The floor is lava:

Man oh man is this such a fun game. The floor is lava engages their imagination and can be quite an active game too.

Jumping and moving thing to thing so you don’t touch the ground is always a hit amongst kids. We have loved this game.

We try to get to certain places in the living room and find a fun prize on who can get there the fastest as well as see who can do it in the fewest moves. There is a million ways to change this game and have fun.

9: Sensory Bins:

Sensory bins are truly a God send. Not only do they help your kids explore the world, discover new textures, it also keeps kids entertained for more than 10 minutes.

There is SO many different sensory bins you can do with you kids so it’s never a bad activity. You can switch it up. I like to try a different sensory bun every week.

I have a post on how you can set up sensory bins. I’ll link it here.

Kids love sensory bins and playing around with different things. You can even do themed sensory bins for holidays! So what could be better??

10: Scavenger hunt:

Scavenger hunts are such a wonderful screen free activity. You can make them as simple and as complicated as you like!

This is such an easy activity to gear towards what ever age your kids are.

Pinterest is a wealth of ideas of different ideas for scavenger hunts. We love to do a scavenger hunts on walks and at parks.

11: Stickers:

Lucy is obsessed with stickers. We probably play with them everyday.

This is such a flexible activity. You can do 100+ things with stickers.

You can put them on paper, coloring pages, and anything else.

Another thing you can do is use for multiple activities. We’ve been using stickers like this (I’ll link them here) to work on our colors.

We often bring them to church as a quiet activity. The girls love a themed picture with stickers. For instance a picture of a farm yard and then farm animals as the stickers.

Amazon has plenty. Linked here is Lucy’s most recent favorites.

We hope you enjoy these activities and make wholesome screen free memories that will last a lifetime!!!!

10 Entertaining Summer Activities

Summer activities for toddlers don’t need to be complicated, expensive, or over the top.

In fact, the simplest joys- bare feet in the grass, jumping in puddles after the rain, sticky hands from popsicles are often the memories they will remember the most.

But as every momma knows, toddlers come with endless energy (and meltdowns), which can leave you searching for new ideas. The good news?? You don’t need fancy ideas, but just a handful of simple, engaging activities that can turn ordinary days into memory-making ones.

This post is all about fun and easy summer activities for toddlers to keep them entertained. 20 tired and true ideas that will help you keep little ones entertained, engaged, and busy all summer long.

1. Run Through the Sprinkler

This wholesome classic activity cools your toddler down, gets their wiggles out, and will create sweet, carefree childhood memories you and your kids will treasure. Nothing says summer like the sound of giggles through a backyard sprinkler.

2. Go on a Scavenger Hunt

Toddlers love to explore, and a scavenger hunt can make every walk an adventure. Keep it simple, look for leaves, sticks, rocks, flowers, etc. Bring along a basket for collecting treasures and let adventure begin!

Taking a walk with the kids

3. Draw with Chalk

Sidewalk chalk is one of the easiest summer activities for toddlers. They can practice letters, shapes, draw, and make games. Total bonus: it’s great for developing fine motor skills while keeping them busy outdoors!

Child coloring with Chalk

4. Visit the Library

Libraries are a hidden gem for summer fun. Many offer toddler story times, play spaces, and summer reading programs. Plus, it’s free, air-conditioned and full of new books to spark their little imaginations!

5. Explore a New Park

This summer you should go to a different park each week and figure out which is your favorite park. Parks are a wonderful way to get energy out, and get some fresh air at the same time. Another idea is during the summer go to different elementary school playgrounds.

A beautiful park

6. Pick Wildflowers

Take a walk and pick wildflowers together. Your toddler will love to search for the blooms. To add this memory go home and arrange them in a vase. It’s simple, calming, and helps see the beautiful world God made for us.

Lake Smelling a Flower

7. Create a Pouring Station

Though this activity sounds quite unusual I have always found it to be a hit. Kids love to pour and dump when given the chance. Set up where the kids can pour water from one container to another. Try to spice it up by seeing how many scoops from one container to fill up a second container.

A baby pouring water beads

8. Blow Bubbles

Bubbles are sure a entertaining and straightforward activity. It is also super inexpensive, you can find them at pretty much any store. See how big you can get the bubbles, or how small. Or just chase them around and pop them!

Bubbles

9. Have a Picnic

Turn snack time into an adventure by eating outside. Spread a blanket in the yard, pack a lunch for the park. Toddlers love the novelty of a meal in a new place.

10. Build a Cardboard Fort

A stack of cardboard boxes can become castles, tunnels, spaceships, houses, and more with a little imagination. Toddlers will love climbing in and out, decorating with crayons/paint, and turning into something magical.

Little girl painting cardboard

Final thoughts

Summer does not need to be packed with big plans to be meaningful. With a few simple summer activities for toddlers you can turn ordinary days into core memories.

From sprinklers to story times, bubbles in the backyard, picnics in the park-the little things really are the big moments.

So take a deep breath, soak in the sunshine, and enjoy this fleeting season of sticky hands, giggles, and the pitter patter of tiny feet running wild. These are the days you’ll look back on and miss.

This post was all about the best summer activities for kids!

Activities for 4th of July

Doing crafts and activities correlate with the upcoming holidays can give you extra time to celebrate these holidays and teach your child more about them. Unleash your creativity with some fun 4th of July crafts! Here are some of our favorites.

Red, White, and Blue Foam Sensory Bin

This activity is taste friendly and easy to clean up. It is just garbanzo bean juice from a can and then whipped up. Once whipped separate into 3 bowls and add blue food coloring to one bowl, and red to another bowl. Stir in the food coloring, then add the foam one color at a time to the sensory bin.

I took this activity outside, but you do not need to. It is just garbanzo bean foam and will be wiped up easily. Your child will love to explore this texture, at the same time expanding the joy the 4th of July brings!

• Materials need:

• A Can of Garbanzo Beans

• Kitchen aid/Whisk

• Sensory Bin Container

4th of July Pasta Necklaces

This activity is also a wonderful fine motor skill! You just need some painted pasta, and a sting. Just have your child put the string through the pasta in any pattern they want.

Your child will love being able to make their own accessories and wear them around. Maybe make some for your family members so they can have some lovely gift from the little ones in their life too.

• Materials Needed:

• Pasta of your choosing

• Paint

• String

Firework Craft Painting

Collecting toilet paper rolls is something I find myself doing all the time. With good reason, you can use these for tons and tons of crafts. For this craft, Cut 1/3 up the roll, then bend outwards. It will create a perfect 4th of July stamp!

Have fun stamping fireworks on to paper, paper plates, and really anything you want.

• Materials Needed:

• Toilet Paper rolls

• Paint

• Paper

• Scissors

Pasta Sensory Bin

Sensory bins are one of my favorite things to do with the girls, they are so easily adapted for holidays and ages! You can add the pasta to the bin like the flag or just have them all mixed together for the bin.

These are easy to clean up, the pasta are large enough you can just snag them up in any fall out. You can also make this a pouring activity by pouring the pasta into different containers and how many pieces of pasta can fit into one container at a time

• Materials Needed:

• Pasta of your Choosing

• Paint

• Sensory Bin Container