11 Outdoor Activities to do with Kids during Covid-19
Has it been overwhelming with the kids home all day? Do you need ideas to keep them busy? Cody and I are home with our kids 24 hours a day. They get stir-crazy if they stay inside all the time. To be honest, I get antsy if I don’t get outside. So we sat down and wrote all the outdoor activities that we have fun doing with the kids. These should stir up some great ideas and help to keep the family happy.
Active Outdoor Activities
Go on a hike
Taking a hike at a nature preserve or the National Forest are great outdoor activities. I have been finding great trails on the AllTrails App, It details everything about the trail and area. I was able to learn that a trail was paved so we made a point to bring the stroller. We let Scarlett run part of the time but when she was done, loaded her in the stroller and continued on.
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Here is a little tip for hiking on trails through the woods with a toddler. We took Scarlett on a hike through the woods the other day and she went for a while. Soon she was done walking tho. The boys found a ball and Max had the idea of throwing it down the trail and letting Scarlett chase it. That worked like a charm, she was happy to chase it and went at a good clip as well.
Take a bike ride
Go on a bike ride somewhere new. Rail trails are great to find for biking. Check if there is a trail or route you have not done yet. Maybe go yourself first and if its good for bringing the kids, then do next time. Even if the Social distancing goes on for a while then at least new scenery and a change of pace will be a great way to release energy. Or find a pump track for the kids. Pump tracks are great outdoor activities to keep kids busy. There are mini ones, too much more challenging bike pump tracks. Our kids love them and we just make sure they are wearing a helmet.
Go for a run or walk
Take a run with the kids, maybe challenge them to a race. Once I do get myself to run I realize how good it feels and why I love doing it.
Taking a walk, even if it’s only 30 minutes around the neighborhood feels good. We have brought Scarlett out walking a few times and she loves it. Cody and I both appreciate soaking up the fresh air and spotting the Spring blooms as well. I don’t think we could keep Scarlett in the house for that long. She brings us her shoes multiple times a day, As shes loves playing outside and having fun.
Outdoor Activities Games
Play SPUD
Cody and I played SPUD as kids, The other day when we were outside with them, we were brainstorming different outdoor activities to play. I remembered Spud and we did our best to come up with the rules on the fly. The kids had a blast and we did a good amount of running around. It was a great way to burn off energy and get a bit of exercise. All you need is some sort of playground ball. Since we struggled with the rules, here is a quick YouTube video on how to play SPUD.
Play Sidewalk Chalk
Every kid loves chalk and the Art designs they can create. One of my brothers always drew a cowboy, in contrast, I always loved to draw houses. How about a game of Hopscotch or four square. Your little artist can draw on the sidewalk or driveway. Give the kids some chalk and maybe they will just surprise you.
Creative Outdoor Activities
Start a Bug collection.
There are many ways you can collect bugs. Get creative and have fun with it. First safely catch the bug without it biting you. Next put it in the freezer in a container until it dies. After that, take it out and pin it on a styrofoam board or cardboard. If it is a moth or butterfly make sure the wings are spread out for the first day or so. See how many different types of bugs you can collect. Make sure to look up the names of the bugs and pin a label near them.
When Cody was a kid he had a bug collection. It was huge with a few hundred different species until his older brother got sick of the smell in the bedroom closet. Thinking back I probably should have put them in the garage or another outdoor building. So my brother grabbed the bugs and threw them outdoors. The wind carried them around and damaged them so severely I gave up on collecting bugs. At the moment I was pretty pissed, but now I understand where he was coming from.
Plant a Garden.
Eliana has been asking to plant a garden for some time now. I can’t wait till we settle down and plant a little garden together. I have all sorts of ideas. We would love to do herbs and I think mushrooms would be so cool. Cody has always loved planting flowers from seeds and then reproducing them and planting them the next year. I think his favorite was zinnias.
Play with mud
Find some mud or clay and create dishes. Near Lake Norman the other day Eliana discovered that the mud was like clay and she made a few dishes. She spent time shaping and handling the clay until she was pleased. It was fun to watch. When it came time to leave, I couldn’t help but think someone may see them and think they were cool as well and it would inspire their creativity.
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Creative projects
Paint Rocks
We haven’t painted rocks yet but our kids definitely have wanted to. When we settle down, I would love to paint rocks and place them around. We have found rocks with sweet notes and others with facebook groups on them. Our kids do love it when they find one so why not us place them around. We follow a great family on Instagram that lives in Costa Rica and she paints the prettiest ones and sells them on Etsy.
Do a Scavenger Hunt
Write up a scavenger hunt or better yet print one up. Our kids love running around searching for items they can find. It’s also perfect to get them outside exploring the outdoors and finding new things. Rather if they have phones or can use yours, they can take a picture of the item too show proof they found it.
Build a Volcano
There is a bunch of kits for building a volcano or you can get the separate ingredients and do it yourself. The main ingredients for it to erupt are baking soda and vinegar. While if you want to get really creative build the volcano by making paper mâché. We did paper mâché as a kid and it was quite the activity.
If you have any ideas I would love to hear them. Comment below with any tips for having fun with kids.
