5 Fun Ways to Spend Time Outside With the Kids This Year

Confession time: I am NOT an outdoors person.

I wasn’t raised to spend a lot of time outside. I spent most of my afternoons parked in front of the TV watching cartoons.

But my kids love being outside. Which means…I have to find a way to love being out there with them. And that’s why I wanted to share these five fun ways to spend time outside with the kids!

These are easy enough for even the most nature-averse person (AKA me) to try!

We’ve tried a few of these already and, I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed myself each time. So I can tell you from experience that these tips actually do work.

Want more ways to make outdoors fun with the kids? Don’t miss our list of 60 outdoor play ideas for summer!

5 Fun Ways to Spend Time Outside With the Kids This Year

Images c/o: monkeybusiness & Wavebreakmedia / depositphotos

1. Go on a road trip.

Going on a family road trip is a classic outdoor activity for kids. We went on several road trips when I was a kid and I always loved traveling to new places and finding cool stops along the way.

With our kids, we try to take road trips to places we can spend time outside. And we try to find interesting routes so that we can see cool roadside attractions as we drive.

Give yourself an extra day or two on the journey so you can stop and explore natural sights you come across. Bring along a few learning road trip activities to make your trip educational too!

2. Go camping.

Remember how I’m not an outdoors person? Camping is one of those outdoor things that I have always said I’d never do.

Guess what we’re doing this summer?

So far, I’ve bought the tent, the sleeping bags, the charcoal, and the LED lights. And I still feel uncertain about it. Fortunately, though, we’re going with an experienced camping family who will, hopefully, be patient with us as newbies.

From what I hear, camping is a wonderful outdoor activity for kids. I’ll report back after our experience, good or bad.

3. Go for a picnic

Picnics are super fun ways to spend time outside with the kids. You can make some simple meals ahead of time (and let the kids get involved with that too!) and take them to a scenic spot to eat.

Use this time to talk about anything with your family and bring a long a few card games or family board games. When the kids get restless, walk around and see what you can find near your picnic spot. Snap a few pictures to remember your time together.

4. Explore a new park in your area

One of our favorite things to do outside is to take a trip to a park we’ve never visited before. In our state, we have plenty of beautiful state parks to explore and, every time we’ve found a new one, we’ve found something unique that we haven’t seen before.

Take a look at your local area and make a list of the outdoor parks. Then let the kids choose one or two to visit this week. You might be surprised at how much you all enjoy it!

5. Go for a nature walk.

Nature walks are excellent ways to explore science in a hands-on way. All you do is take the kids outside (in your own backyard or neighborhood) and try to learn about the plants and animals that are all around you.

If you find it hard to think about specimens you can discover, pick up a set of our flower identification cards, bird identification cards, butterfly identification cards, or leaf identification cards to see which species you can spot locally!

Did you love the ideas here for fun ways to spend time outside with the kids? Take a look at these other tips!