Fun Outdoor Activities for Kids and Families: Guest Blog by Play Outdoors

Hiking & Camping

Take a walk through your neighborhood, backyard, local park or nature trail and try to find something for every color of the rainbow. Look hard with kiddos to find something that matches every color: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo (a purple blue), and Violet.

Go for a family hike on a local trail, mountain or even in the neighborhood park. Play games, chant a song, pick up pretty leaves and point out all the different animals and insects you see along the way! (Be sure to bring plenty of water and healthy snacks, little tummies are sure to get hungry!)

Plan a family camping trip – whether it’s one night spent in a tent in the backyard or a week-long excursion camping at the lake, kids love to camp! Spend the night lying under the stars together, roast s’mores and tell ghost stories.

Out & About

Puddle jumping! Grab your rain jacket, slip on rubber boots and splash around. Take the whole family, and a few friends too, out in the rain and see who can make the biggest splash!

Bug discovery: Let kids play in the dirt to find as many insects as they can. You’d be amazed how long a caterpillar, inchworm or lady bug can fascinate young children! Help by lifting up rocks, rolling over logs and looking under fallen tree branches.

Go for a family bike ride. Everyone put on tennis shoes, strap on helmets and go for a ride through the neighborhood. Pick a fun destination that everyone will enjoy riding to and won’t make for too long of a trip home!

Take a walk to a construction site and watch the men working. Little boys love construction and most any child will love watching an excavator digging in the dirt!

Snow

Snowshoeing: This is a great family activity! If you can walk, you can snowshoe. Many winter resorts, sporting good stores and equipment rental locations offer snowshoes to rent in all sizes. Find a beautiful trail freshly lined with snow and spend some great family time together!

Cross-country skiing is a great way to encourage winter sports in young children. Find an equipment rental location near you, dress in weather-proof gear and away you go!

Make snow angels! Kids love snow, especially when they wake up to a fresh blanket of white powder (not to mention if school is cancelled!) Bundle the whole family up and head the backyard for snow angels.

Build a snow cave or igloo! Nothing is more fun than huddling together with hot chocolate in your freshly built snow cave. Use recycling bins, plastic boxes or whatever you can find to pack the snow and build a wintery hiding place!

Make snow treats! Gather fresh snow from outside, take it inside (keep it from melting!) and boil some maple syrup. With proper supervision, pour hot maple syrup onto the snow and watch it crystallize. The snow will turn into sugary, delicious maple snow candy!

Backyard Fun

Gardening: This is a great way to teach little ones about fruits, vegetables, plants and where they come from! Plant small seeds in pots to keep in the kitchen window and as they grow, transfer them to the backyard.

Set out seeds for birds in the winter and see who comes! Search for a pine cone in the backyard, paint it with peanut butter and roll it in birdseed. Hang the feeder outside and watch for birdies to come snack!

Make leaf rubbings! Set out on a backyard adventure to find your favorite leaves or piece of bark from a tree then take them inside to make fun crayon rubbings!

About Play Outdoors

Play Outdoors’ priority is to help families with young children get outside and enjoy the world around them, and is based in the outdoorsy and adventurous town of Bend, Oregon. To achieve this priority Play Outdoors provides information and is a resource for families focused on raising naturalists, and offers stylish kids outdoor adventure clothing and gear from trusted, dependable brands. Play Outdoors is an ecologically- and socially- conscious business and seeks out manufacturers and service partners who are like-minded.