Encouraging kids to play outside doesn’t just promote better health—it paves the way for them to create cherished memories that they can fondly look back on.
Find out how to get kids outside with these 13 fun activities that they’ll surely enjoy.
The Benefits of Getting Kids to Play Outside
Playing outside leads to higher levels of physical activity— the benefits that come with that are as follows:
- builds strong bones and muscles
- helps maintain a healthy weight—which reduces the risk of developing obesity-related diseases
- improves cardiorespiratory fitness
- minimizes the risk of developing severe health conditions
- battles symptoms of anxiety and depression as it stimulates the release of endorphins
- increases cognitive performance
- improves sleep quality
Tips On How To Get The Kids To Play Outside
Before your little ones can soak up all those amazing outdoor benefits, you'll need to get them pumped about stepping outside. Follow these eight tips on encouraging a child to play outside, and you'll soon be on your way to thrilling outdoor escapades with your toddlers and young children.
1. Be Upbeat and Enthusiastic: You don’t need to be a fitness guru or a nature enthusiast to get kids excited about outdoor play—but a little enthusiasm goes a long way. If you’re pumped about outdoor activities, your excitement will be contagious, and soon the kids will be just as thrilled to be outside. Lead by example and unleash your inner child during playtime. Act like everything is a brand-new discovery, and don’t be shy about adding some extra oomph to your voice as you guide the outdoor fun.
2. Plan Activities That Guarantee Action: Toddlers are like tiny tornadoes—they love to move! Sedentary activities just won’t cut it. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to keep them active, like flying kites or conquering the playground. Turn your backyard or a sports field into a magical adventure land. Bring out dress-up clothes for a backyard fashion show, or organize a scavenger hunt. The more creative and varied your activities, the more eager the kids will be to get out there and enjoy them.
3. Encourage Family Time: In today’s busy world, family time is more precious than ever. Quality family experiences foster positive behavior and a healthy lifestyle in kids while creating lasting memories. Make it a point to get the family out together on weekends or other regular times. Create a list of fun activities to make these outings unforgettable.
4. Encourage Free Play: Planned activities are great, but let’s face it—kids are kids. They have short attention spans and often come up with their own little adventures. Don’t discourage this spontaneous fun—supervised free play is crucial for boosting creativity, communication, cognitive, and mobility skills. The best thing you can do is let them play uninterrupted but supervised, especially when they’re on the playground with friends.
5. Build Friendships: Kids are natural motivators for each other. They’re more likely to want to spend time outdoors if they have friends to enjoy it with. Encourage group activities and promote a healthy balance between solo and cooperative play. It might take a bit of extra effort to plan and supervise, but the joy and confidence kids gain from exploring the world with their peers are worth it.
6. Teach, but Don’t Lecture: The outdoors is a treasure trove of teachable moments, but young kids can tune out if you turn these moments into lectures. Practice the art of “show, don’t tell.” Kids learn a lot just by watching you, even if you don’t realize it. Encourage learning without lecturing by asking questions like “What do you think?” and staying at their eye level when talking. The goal is to make it feel less like you’re giving orders and more like you’re sharing an adventure.
7. Limit Access to Electronics: Kids under 5 are naturally inclined to move if they’re not glued to a screen. TV, online games, and other electronics are fine in moderation, but too much screen time can make it tough to get them outside. Try to avoid screen time during outdoor play or set a schedule that balances screen time with outdoor activities. Without the distraction of devices, kids are much more likely to get moving.
8. Take Baby Steps: Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your kids won’t become outdoor experts overnight. Take your time and encourage them to get outside by starting small. Begin with a walk in the park or a trip to the local playground, then gradually work up to bigger outdoor adventures as they get more comfortable exploring the great outdoors.
Outdoor Play for Kids: 13 Activities They’ll Love
Build a Backyard Playground
When a world of adventure awaits in the comfort of your own backyard, it becomes easier to inspire your little ones to play outside. After a productive day at school, they’ll be excited to come home knowing that there’s a play world waiting for them.
Build your kids’ outdoor play area and improve their cardiovascular health with trampolines, monkey bars and swing sets.
Nature Scavenger Hunt
When your kids play outside, why not make it a balance of physical fitness, critical thinking skills, and connecting with nature by turning it into a scavenger hunt?
Whether you’re at a park or a trail, create a list of items that the kids can look for in nature—from a specific type of flower or a snapshot of a bird or squirrel.
Obstacle Course
When kids play outside, how do you improve their speed and agility in the most fun way possible?
That’s where an obstacle course comes in to wave hello. ?
Whether it’s outdoor play for preschoolers or older children, you can incorporate hopscotch, hula hoops, skipping ropes, cones, tunnels, and balance boards to challenge them to use various skills.
Outdoor Art Station
The great outdoors is a perfect medium for inspiring creativity. At a park or in your backyard, set up an art station equipped with various drawing tools like markers, crayons, and watercolours where the kids can unleash their inner Picasso and draw nature-inspired masterpieces.
Gardening
Start nurturing your kids’ love for nature early on by involving them in some fun gardening activities. You could even separate a small patch of land in the kids’ outdoor play area where they can plant their own flowers, vegetables, or herbs.
If you’ve been wondering how to get kids outside while teaching them the importance of caring for living things, then gardening should definitely make it to the top of your list.
Sports and Games
Is your little one a star athlete in the making?
Well, you’d have to encourage them to try sports early on to find out! When it’s time to play outside, soccer, basketball, tennis, badminton, or volleyball are exciting activities that can cultivate valuable skills and bring out their inner sport.
Water Play
Put a refreshing spin on outside play for kids with this game-changing element that’s easily within reach: water.
From water balloons and water guns to small pools or even just setting up the sprinklers, there’s nothing quite like some H2O play to create some lasting memories for the whole family.
Bike Rides
Your kids are in for an endless cycle of fun when they hop on their bikes to explore the neighborhood or even a local bike trail that’s safe for children.
Make it a family bike ride and explore the great outdoors as you get in some cardiovascular exercise together. After all, there’s nothing quite like cruising through the cool breeze with the whole squad.
Don’t forget your helmets, of course! Explore Vuly’s full collection of bikes to ensure safe outside play for kids.
Camping
Whether at a campsite or in a backyard, camping creates plenty of opportunities for bonding as a family and outdoor play for kids.
Apart from playing games like tug-of-war, frisbee, and charades, don’t forget to roast marshmallows, sing by the campfire, tell stories, and stargaze!
Animal Watching
Next on our list of how to get kids outside is an educational and exhilarating adventure: animal watching.
Grab your binoculars & guidebook and challenge the little ones to identify various birds, insects, and other wildlife. You could always make it a multi-stop adventure to hone their navigation skills as well.
Kite Flying
The sky’s the limit—and kites are the best way to test that!
Outside play for kids on a windy day is best spent in an open field where they can go kite flying.
Picnics
Picnics pave the way for a cascade of outdoor activities for kids. Whether you go biking before lunch and then play hide & seek or freeze tag after, the possibilities are simply endless when you spend the day dining and unwinding outdoors.
Hiking
Make outdoor play for kids extra rewarding with a hike. You can combine a ton of ideas from above on the way—like picnics, animal watching, camping, and scavenger hunts.
The climb may be a challenge—but the view from the top is always worth it. And teaching kids this valuable lesson early on is bound to make a positive impact on their mindset.
Build Your Kids’ Outdoor Play Area with Vuly
Ultimately, the easiest way to encourage outside play for kids is by making it as accessible as possible.
And what could possibly be more accessible than an outdoor playworld in your own backyard?
Make it happen with Vuly—Australia’s #1 provider of outdoor play equipment.
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