As the weather becomes warmer and the outlook on the current situation becomes less bleak, we begin to consider the idea of being able to venture outside with our children and have fun.
However, in as much as that is the idea in principle, the practice might seem a little different. We may not have thought far ahead to what we would do with our child/ren once outside.
Yes, the current weather does make for great outdoor fun with the kids, however, the days can seem quite long in comparison to the shortlist of ideas you might have compiled.
Now, you may not have something big planned every day in terms of an outing, but the garden (or the park) can still provide that space where your child can be outside, enjoying the fresh air as well as having fun!
With that in mind, we have put together some ideas to help you ensure your little active ones are busy and getting lots of fresh air this summer.
Get creative
Brainstorm ideas together with your children. After all they are meant to a part of the fun. You will be surprised by what they come up with. Some examples we've had as feedback from our parents:
1) Create scenes and act them out
2) Take turns lying on the ground then drawing a line around each other. Once the outline has been completed, either get some clothes to decorate your flat images or draw them on - with some funny faces.
Gardening
This is a great fun activity but it is also quite educational. Your child will learn about science, responsibility by planting seeds and maintaining them. They could all be assigned their own patches to tend to. What is grown could also be decided by them.
It would also be fun to harvest the edibles and use them in your cooking together. Some research would need to be done to find out what would survive in the garden but that would be all part of the fun - choosing what to plant then nurturing the plant to maturity.
Fun games
Other fun activities to explore in your garden could be hula hooping, hopscotch, insect (and other creatures) spotting.
A picnic never ceases to get the children going, especially if they have a hand in helping to prepare the goodies. Throw a tent in there and that might go on well into the next day!
Start a project
This could be a construction project, to build a wendy house, or even a bench to sit on in the garden. Yes, it would be great if the outcome was as intended, but the focus should be more on the other aspects of the activity - fun, sketches, collaboration, teamwork, dress-up, etc.
Ball games
There are quite a few to choose from; football, tennis, throwing and catching, roll the ball, pig in the middle, etc. Again, keep it light and focus on the fun side of things. Try to rein your competitive side and remember, you are just playing and having fun.
Conclusion
The possibilities are quite endless. We are only limited by our imagination. But we hope the list above is enough to kickstart yours!
