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Times have changed from when we were younger and our days were spent outside until the lights came on. Kids now make many memories indoors, in front of screens or playing with toys until their parents can go outside with them because it “isn’t safe.”
It can be tricky to get kids outside! However, once you get them out there and see their eyes light up, their moods shift, and a sense of wonder comes across their face, it will sometimes be a struggle to get them back inside when needed.
Here are some tips to get your kids outside when they don’t want to by season.
Tip! Be sure to grab your FREE Outdoor Activity Calendar before leaving!
Winter Activities to Get Kids Outside When They Don’t Want To
- Grab the sleds and head for a hill or the mountains if you live somewhere that gets snow!
- Get a kit from Amazon to “build a frosty” or have a challenge of who can build the best snowman. Or you can make it a true nature snowman by using rocks, sticks, and other items.
- Heat some hot chocolate and sit on the porch watching the snowfall.
- Have them build tunnels for their monster trucks or hot wheels in the snow.
- Put food coloring in a bottle of water and let them spray the snow to change it’s colors.
- Build a snowfort.
- Try out ice-skating at the local rink.
Spring Activities to Get Kids Outside When They Don’t Want To
- Encourage puddle jumping! Allow them to get wet, and jump in the puddles with them.
- Go for a nature walk, and identify the signs of spring that you are seeing.
- Play nature bingo, find different colors, and see who can get the bingo first. This can be as simple as taking a piece of cardboard and scribbling a color on it, then having them find an item that matches.
- Buy some pots, pans, muffin tins, and utensils from the dollar store and have the kids make mud pies or have a mud kitchen.
- Plant a garden. Whether it’s flowers or vegetables, learning about gardening can be fun and a great skill to have as they age.
Summer Activities to Get Kids Outside When They Don’t Want To
- Find a splash pad or local swimming pool. Kids can spend HOURS playing in the water.
- Run a sprinkler in the backyard.
- Play dates with friends! The kids can play, and you can catch up with an adult! This is especially great if you are friends with the parents.
- Make a carnival. Get out bubbles, chalk, ring toss, or other yard games and have them play the games to win little prizes.
- Have a picnic for lunch or dinner. Pack up something simple and head to a local park, or take a little drive to a beach for a special meal.
- Freeze some of their tiny toys in ice overnight, then grab the hammers and safety glasses and let them break the ice apart to get their toys out.
- Go fishing. Grab a little fishing pole from Walmart and head to a lake. Great if it’s stocked with fish. This is a perfect activity for teaching patience too.
- Have fun with rocks! You can paint, skip, stack, and so much more!
Fall Activities to Get Kids Outside When They Don’t Want To
- If you live in an area where the leaves change, go exploring! Fall is so beautiful with the changing colors and the excitement of holidays.
- Visit a pumpkin patch! There are many activities, from corn mazes and apple cannons to picking out your pumpkins.
- Rake up leaves and jump in the leaf pile. This can go on and on, and they have so much fun.
- Visit a local family farm and pick some apples, then go home and make apple sauce or apple butter with them.
- Find different types of leafs and rub them onto paper (with a crayon).
Activities to Get Kids Outside When They Don’t Want To: All Seasons
- Go for a bike ride, walk, hike or run! Whether doing the activity alone or riding along, the fresh air is incredible.
- Find a park! See how many new parks you can visit in a day or a week. The app playground buddy is an excellent resource for finding parks in your area.
- Playdates! Getting together with friends and creating those lasting memories is something your child will hold on to forever.
- Let them be bored. Kids get creative when bored, even if they complain about it initially. Allow them to use natural items such as picking flowers, breaking sticks, picking grass, etc. They can create forts or potions or whatever their mind thinks up.
So many options are available; you just have to think outside the box. Kids follow the adult’s example, so get down on their level, do the activities with them, and it’ll encourage them to keep going.
If you aren’t available, because, let’s face it, sometimes work or chores get in the way, set them up with simple things to do like chalk and see what they create.
Let them get creative, sit back, observe what they are doing, and ask questions to encourage them to keep going. I promise you’ll wind up with happy kiddos who are exhausted at the end of the day.
Click here to download your FREE Outdoor Activity Calendar for each season!