10 Entertaining Outdoors Activities For The Whole Family
Occupying yourself during the lockdown at home, or just a normal weekend, can be difficult at times. If you have previously gone on a long holiday or had a great weekend, you may find it hard to find ways to motivate yourself to do something fun again. You may want to reignite that exciting feeling but are unsure of the best activities to get you and the family back together again. Yet, it’s easier than you think. Here are the ten best entertaining outdoor activities for the whole family to enjoy together.
Getting creative
Being creative through drawing, painting, and so on, is not an activity you have to do inside. If the weather permits, you can get creative and artsy outside. Whether it be in the garden or the local park, you can take your essentials with you. You may want to create a fun canvas, so you could take some pencils, glue guns, materials, and your creative mind with you to the outside space and get creative. This is an easy activity to occupy the children, or even join in with them.
Long walks
Family walks are a great way to spend quality time together whilst also stretch your legs. Weekends are an ideal time to dedicate a few hours to being outside and walking around your local town or somewhere a short drive away. You could take along a picnic so that you can spend most of the day outside and make the most of the social time with your family.
Go back to childhood roots with skating
The skate park isn’t somewhere for teenagers in hoodies anymore. Increasingly you are finding families heading to the park with their scooters, rollerblades, and skateboards for a couple of hours of fun. So, in the long summer vacation, head on over there with a picnic and you can easily make a day of it. Children as young as five or six will be quite happy whizzing about on their mini and micro-scooters. Helmets and kneepads are a must though!
Swimming
If you really want to burn off some energy, then swimming is perfect. In the summer months, steer away from the municipal pool and instead head down to the lake to take a dip in nature. When the weather is hot, all you’ll need to take are your swimsuits, towels, and sunscreen. Depending on how far you plan to venture out in the lake, don’t forget to bring life jackets for the family. Add a picnic, and you have the perfect day out for the whole family.
Geocaching
Geocaching is a fun outdoor treasure hunt where players seek hidden “caches” based on coordinates. Caches can include tchotchkes, souvenirs, or letters. The whole family can get involved in geocaching expeditions. Besides trekking to different locations, you’ll navigate, search, explore and dig. Or, you can hide a new cache for other geocachers.
Bird-watching
Bird-watching is an outdoor activity any age can enjoy. Children and young babies love watching nature as much as elderly people do. There is something magical and relaxing about being out in nature. You can sit in your garden, a local sanctuary, or a park and bird watching. It is often free and a great educational tool for children.
Cycling
Break out the bicycles for a family ride around town. Cycle together to visit your favorite ice cream shop or food truck, or load your bikes in the car for a destination ride. If you live near a city, you may be able to rent bikes or sign up for a free bike tour. If your children don’t know how to ride a bike yet, then this activity is a must. You can teach them how to ride and soon enough go out for cycles together.
Team sports
Team sports like football and tug-of-war can give your child a chance to exercise their hands, feet, and core muscles. Physical sports enable your child to focus on something tangible, such as a ball or rope, thus improving hand-eye coordination. Similarly, sports that involve a child’s entire body, like swimming, can build strong muscles from toes to fingers. You can join in or take them to their team events each week and watch them play. There may even be an adult version where you can participate with the other parents.
Mindful exercise
If you’re looking for a calming outdoor activity, consider partaking in outdoor yoga, meditation, or Tai Chi class. These activities will help you and your family destress and relax while you enjoy the breeze and sounds of nature. You don’t have to be an adult to enjoy these mindful practices. They can be done at any age and from anywhere.
Camping
Camping does not have to be an expensive or extensive activity. You do not have to go on a week camping holiday to enjoy the entertaining activity. You can easily do it from your back garden for the night, and for free. Set up a tent, get a small fire going, and enjoy time with your children watching the night sky before you settle down for the night. Camping in the garden is ideal for young children who are afraid of the outdoors, as it will help get them used to it.
You could even set up an outdoor movie theatre with a screen, blankets, and snacks. If your children are not up to the idea of camping in the garden, this will certainly encourage them.
With these ten activities, there is no excuse not to spend some entertaining and quality time with the family. These are activities all ages can enjoy and have fun with. They do not have to be expensive either. You can bird watch in the garden or use free meditation videos online for the family to unwind at the weekends. Whatever activity you choose, get the whole family involved and make the most of quality time with them.
