Summer Backyard Ideas for Kids & Families

Summer is upon us, the kids are out of school & maybe you’re probably looking for some fun ways to get them outdoors! Here are a few backyard and patio activities that hopefully entertain your kids, provide you with a little break & are fun for the entire family!

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Go on a photo shoot safari: Buy a cheap disposable camera & let your kids take pictures of your backyard or neighborhood.  Get the pictures developed and make a book or use a digital camera, print the photos and make a book that way.

Make a bird feeder: Find a pinecone, roll in peanut butter and then in bird seed, hang with a string from a tree. Learn about the birds that visit the feeder.

Create and go on a nature treasure hunt: Once completed have the kids identify all the items that they found in books and/or online at home or at your local library.

Plant an herb garden: Plant seeds in clay pots, water and watch them grow and use in foods when they mature.

Rock Art: Find flat, smooth stones and use markers or paint to color them.  Put in small dish to display!

Make a clover necklace out of clover from your yard or park

Create a nature map of your yard or neighborhood

Build a fort or tepee using old towels, blankets or sheets with patio furniture

Keep a bug diary: Any time a bug is discovered have your kids draw a picture of the bug, write a description, the date and how many of them they saw, etc.  Keep all of it in a notebook and review at the end of the season.

Cloud watch: Watch clouds for funny shapes, creatures, etc. Then have the kids draw what they saw.

Make paint with berries: Instead of tossing those overripe berries, crush them up and let the kids paint with them. 

Hopscotch: Buy some sidewalk chalk and draw a hopscotch grid on your patio or driveway.

Create an obstacle course in your backyard: Create obstacles to hop, jump, run around, under, over or through, etc.

Host a backyard Olympics: Fastest runner, furthest ball throw, most somersaults, most jumping jacks, longest jump roper, most hand stands, most hula-hoops, etc.

Backyard bowling: Create pins out of plastic bottles filled with a little water, use a heavy ball of any size to bowl with (basketball, soccer ball, rubber ball, etc.)

Have a bike wash station: Provide buckets, sponges and old towels. Provide dish soap and a hose and let them scrub away!

Sand Castle Art Creations: If you have a sand box, provide kids with buckets, various containers & water and see who can come up with the best castle or other sand creation.

Create and bury a time capsule: Use a water & dirt proof container. Fill with treasures from the summer & bury in your backyard until next year. Then dig up and replace with a new one each year for an annual event!

Paint an old sheet on a fence: Hang an old sheet on the fence or other area.  Provide water base paint and paint brushes and let the kids create a master piece.  Let it dry and use for a fort!

Hanging water piñatas: Hang various balloons filled with water with rope or string from a tree, provide a blindfold, plastic bat or stick and let them have fun getting wet!

All content provided on this “Backyard Summer Ideas for Summer Fun with the Kids” blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site.The owner of this blog will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.

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