Five ideas for outdoor play for children

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If you need a few bright ideas for keeping your children entertained, look no further. We have put together some inspiration for outdoor games for toddlers and children.

You can do these activities in your garden or, if you don’t have access to outside space, some are suitable for socially-distanced play in your local park or forest…

Muddy play

Kids love getting muddy, even if their parents don’t love having to wash their clothes afterwards. If you have a patch of ground you don’t mind them turning into mud, let them dig out rivers and lakes, set them dam-building tasks and ask them to create mud sculptures. They could mix up mud pies using whatever ‘ingredients’ they can find in the garden and some kitchen utensils (spoons, mashers, whisks etc), or you can send them on a worm and insect hunt. 

Water experiments

Take your science lesson outdoors by doing water experiments. These can be as simple as filling a bucket and seeing which objects float and which ones sink, to more spectacular experiments, such as mixing baking soda, washing up liquid and vinegar for a bubbly eruption. Add food colouring to make the effect even more impressive. If that’s too fiddly, get a bag of balloons, fill them with water and play a risky game of catch. All kids love chasing bubbles, so get some giant bubble wands for no fuss outdoor entertainment. 

Camping and outdoor games

Playing in tents and dens is always exciting for little ones, and our wigwam tent will be the perfect addition to your garden glamping. A treasure hunt is an easy way of getting them moving outside, and budding gardeners can get started with this Plant & Grow herb set. If you’ve got the space, croquet, crazy golf and tennis sets will help bring out their competitive streak, as will these pop-up football nets. Check out our full range of summer games here.

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Assault course

Channel your inner Joe Wicks by getting your kids exercising in the garden. Outdoor furniture, picnic rugs and stools can be used to create an assault course. Make sure they play safely as you time them going round the course – and encourage them to include sporting challenges on the way round, such as doing star jumps and throwing a ball in a basket or bucket. 

Art

Budding Picassos and Frida Kahlos will love a spot of painting in the great outdoors. Whether they are using felt tips, pens or paints, set them up in your garden and challenge them to draw something they can see: the neighbour’s cat, say, or a blooming rose bush. Do your own painting alongside them as a relaxing break from work or home school lessons. Show them works by famous landscape artists such as Van Gogh or Turner, and challenge them to come up with paintings in a similar style, or create collages with leaves, stones and petals. Here are some extra tips for getting started.