9 Fun Outdoor Activities for the Whole Family This Summer

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When summer vacation rolls around, it’s all too easy for your kids to spend their long break immersed in their digital worlds. However, with a bit of planning and imagination, you can get the whole family having fun in the fresh air making memories that last a lifetime. Check out our nine ideas for inspiration.

1. Go Camping

There’s something magical about sleeping outdoors, so make the most of the good weather this summer and take your family camping. Once you’re in the great outdoors, there are numerous activities kids of all ages can get involved with, from outdoor swimming to going on a nature trail.

As the sun goes down, you’ll make memories you’ll cherish forever as you sit around the campfire telling stories, singing songs and munching on delicious s’mores. What are you waiting for? Pack your camp socks, your hiking boots and your tent, and get away from it all.

2. Organize a Treasure Hunt

Treasure hunts are an excellent activity for encouraging teamwork, making them ideal for summer vacations when sibling squabbles are often at their worst. You can make your hunt elaborate with interactive clues that cover a wide area or simply hide colored ribbons around the backyard; however detailed your treasure hunt, your kids will be running about in no time.

If you live in a neighborhood with lots of other families, why not organize a community treasure hunt with your children? They will love coming up with clues and helping the participants on the day, and it will be a wonderful way to get to know your neighbors.

3. Play Silly Group Games

Summer is a great season for getting some exercise, but what do you do if your kids aren’t interested in organized sports? Fortunately, the whole family can play tons of outdoor games that will get everybody moving, from capture the flag to hide and seek.

If you’re looking for something new, how about trying sock tag? It’s an incredibly simple game that will have everyone in fits of giggles. Everyone playing takes one of their favorite socks and places it in the back of their pants, so it looks like a tail. The object of the game is to try and take as many people’s sock tails as you can without having yours taken. If you lose your tail, you’re out. The winner is the last player still wearing their sock. Playing this goofy game is a great way to spend a summer afternoon outside.

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4. Plant Your Own Garden

Not all outdoor activities have to involve running around; a lovely, peaceful option for getting your children away from their screens enjoying the fresh air is planting a garden together. Gardening teaches kids responsibility and the value of nurturing, and it’s super exciting for them to watch as their plants sprout and grow.

If you don’t have a backyard, you could invest in some window pots or get involved in a local community garden project.

5. Create Sidewalk Art

You don’t have to be in the woods or on a beach to enjoy the fresh air, and one activity particularly fun to do in the town or city is creating sidewalk art. Grab a bucket of chalk, head to your local park, a quiet street or even your driveway, and let your kids’ imagination run wild.

If your children aren’t into drawing, they could write positive messages to cheer up the neighbors or create hopscotch or tic tac toe boards and spend the afternoon playing with them.

6. Hold Your Own Fashion Shoot

Technology and outdoor activities are not necessarily contradictory. If you’re finding it difficult to drag your kids away from their cell phones, you could try including them in your family plans. One way to do this is by holding your fashion shoot.

Whatever age your children are, they’ll have great fun dressing up and posing for photos or planning and taking the photos themselves. Set a theme, such as “summer,” to help get the creative ideas flowing and tell them you can have an exhibition of the best photos at the end of the day. You’ll be surprised just how creative they get: get ready for shots of summer dresses, swimwear and grandpa’s summer socks and sandals.

7. Try Geocaching

Sticking with the theme of using technology to encourage your family to spend time outside, how about getting into geocaching? It’s essentially a big treasure hunt in which participants use an app and the GPS on their phones to find containers, known as “caches,” other geocachers have hidden.

Some caches include objects you can swap for your own gifts, while others just have a logbook to add your names. It’s a fun way to explore new areas and get everyone working together.

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8. Make Hiking Even More Fun

Going for a hike as a family provides a lovely opportunity for conversation while getting some fresh air and exercise, but sometimes the promise of a beautiful view isn’t enough to encourage little ones to walk very far. You can spice up your family hikes with a simple scavenger hunt.

Divide your group into teams and give each team a list of things you have to collect or take photos of, for instance, “five different kinds of leaves” or “animal tracks.” The team that completes the most items on the list by the end of the walk wins! As well as keeping everyone entertained, scavenger hunts also encourage kids to engage with the nature around them.

9. Look At the Stars

Take advantage of the warm summer nights and go stargazing. Unfortunately, this is difficult to do in the city, but there are plenty of places in the U.S. where you can see incredibly starry skies. Check out the International Dark-Sky Association’s map to find a spot near you.

To make the most of the trip, do a bit of research on astronomy as a family before you go and use a tool, such as a stargazing app, to help you know what you’re looking at. Alternatively, you can just huddle up on a blanket and enjoy the view.

Find the Right Outdoor Activities For You

Whatever age your kids are and their interests, they can have fun and learn valuable skills from spending time with their family outdoors. Whether you live in a city center or the middle of nowhere, there’s an alfresco activity for you.