What to do with kids in summer holidays?
Are you looking for some fun outdoor play activities to get the kids outside this summer? If yes then this post is for you! Outdoor play provides kids with many benefits, but we know it can be hard to get them away from their screens. So that’s why we’ve listed 5 types of outdoor play that will get them feeling creative, energised, and ready for some fun in the sun!
Here are the 5 Kinds Of Summer Outdoor Play That Your Kids Need!
First let's take a look and see why it is important to get the kids out of the house when we are not sunning it on the beach next to the sea.
Why is outdoor play important?
Studies have shown that children who spend more time outdoors have a better relationship with nature when they grow up. This means that your child learns to respect the environment around them, which is a super important life lesson that they will benefit from in the future.
We also found out that the average screen time for children in the UK is 6.3 hours per day! Whilst screen time has its benefits and can be an important educational tool, it’s important that kids have a balance between this and spending time outside for some outdoor play.
Keep reading to find out about the 5 types of outdoor play that you and your family can have this summer.
Water is fun, cooling, and a great type of outdoor play!
The best days of the summer holidays are those that end in water fights! Water is a fun element to add to outdoor play that we know kids love! So we listed a few water activities below to help keep your family cool this summer.
Have a water balloon fight! Fill up some balloons in a bucket and test your kids' aim! If you have a paddling pool, jump in and splash around, you can have races to the pool, who will be quickest to jump in? If you have one of our Capikooa Balance Boards your kids could use it as a diving board to jump off and make some cool poses before they hit the water! These activities are sure to get them excited about playing outside.
Arts and crafts aren't limited to being indoors! There’s plenty of creative outdoor play to be had!
A fun outdoor play idea that also encourages motor skill development is to make chalk drawings, or marks on the ground! This gets your little ones to use their fine motor skills by using a chalk crayon and it also encourages creativity. You could also draw hopscotch whilst you have the chalk out to involve some movement too!
Another activity to do with the kids could be to find some big rocks or pebbles and paint them. You could ask them to search for some rocks outside and then let them paint their favourite one! This will hopefully bring a creative touch to the day.
You could also gather twigs, rocks, moss, and plenty of flowers to make fairy homes! This activity adds some magic and make believe to your child’s day which is great for their imagination and overall fun!
Adventures always start during outdoor play!
There are many adventurous activities to do during outdoor play, your kids can play classic games such as hide and seek and tag that will get them running around and exploring. Or, you could hide a bag of chocolate coins for them somewhere in the garden and make a map for a treasure hunt! Finally, a classic activity for any adventure-obsessed kid is to climb trees! Take them to the park and allow them to run around and climb as many trees as they can! This is great for gross motor skill development!
Sports are a great way to get them outdoors
There are many sporty activities you can do with your family for outdoor play. Every child is different, if yours are sporty then the following ideas are for you!
One of the best activities that is not only a healthy form of exercise but so much fun also, is roller skating! For slightly older kids, putting on a pair of skates develops their gross motor skills as many muscles are being used and balancing is essential!
An outdoor play activity that’s great for smaller children is recreating classic sports day activities that they know and love! All you’ll need is a skipping rope, a hula hoop, and a few bean bags. With these you can create a small circuit for your children. Set them a time limit for skipping and then move on to hula hooping and so forth. If you have a Capikooa balance board then you can even use that to throw the bean bags on! If you would like to see how to do this then we have a reel coming very soon on our Instagram @capikooa that will show you how. Keep an eye out for it!
Outdoor play is fun for the whole family!
An exciting outdoor play activity is to pitch up a tent in the garden and camp out for a night with the kids! After a long day of playing outside you could roast some marshmallows in the evening and if you have one of our Capikooa Balance Boards you could get cosy and do some stargazing! Camping is a classic way to connect your kids with nature.
Our last idea is a good old fashioned family bike ride! You can plan out a route in your local park and take the kids on an adventure that gets them out into nature where they can explore. Biking is a great way to engage their gross motor muscles too!
Hope you enjoy some outdoor play with your children! If you use any of these fun play ideas and activities then make sure you take pictures and tag us over on Instagram @capikooa as we'd love to see them! Thanks for reading and stay tuned for next month’s post which is about all the ways you can use recycled materials for playtime!
Check out our other Capikooa posts here
