Five ideas for outdoor play for children

If you need a few bright ideas for keeping your children entertained this summer, 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 in your local park or forest for a long, fun and peaceful summer holiday break... 

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. Budding David Attenboroughs might enjoy building their own bug habitat with this handy kit, which includes a big catcher, tank and chippings. Set up a garden 'mud kitchen' where they can mix up mud pies and using whatever ‘ingredients’ they can find in the garden and some old kitchen utensils (spoons, mashers, whisks etc).  

Take your science lesson outdoors by doing water experiments which children of ages will love. 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 water balloons, fill them up and play a risky game of catch. Little children love chasing bubbles, so get some giant bubble wands for no fuss outdoor entertainment. For a rundown of our favourite outdoor water games for kids, go here. 

Playing in tents and dens is an exciting adventure for little ones, even if it's only in their own garden. Our Wild Wonders Tee-Pee ignites the imagination and is the perfect addition to your garden glamping. A scavenger hunt is a great way of getting them moving outside. Here’s our guide to the ultimate one. If you’ve got the space, croquet, and simple tennis sets will help bring out their competitive streak, as will these pop-up football nets. Disc golf is a fun new ‘spin’ on the classic game, adored by children. Check out our full range of summer games here.

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 children 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. Joe Wicks often finishes with a splash in an ice bath. Make up a child-friendly version with a paddling pool and cool (not frozen!) water. 

Keen young artists 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. Show them pictures 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. This bubble painting kit makes some surprisingly tasteful creations, even by the littlest of artists.

See the full Party Pieces range of summer games, activities, decorations and party items here.