As soon as it starts getting warm outside, my kids want to go out and play. Keep kids entertained this spring and summer with a few simple interactive activities, nature scavenger hunts, and imaginative play with sensory activities! Of course, one highlight of the changing seasons is the adorable kids’ fashion that moms can get out and pack the past season’s clothes away!
Enjoy an Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
Make the Spring exciting and full of active play by celebrating the new season with your kids! Go on a nature scavenger hunt to find a list of discoveries, with a final clue at the end that leads to a prize, such as a handful of berries or a treat. Possible discoveries could include finding flowers, bugs, colorful rocks, and searching for specific smells or textures. You can make the scavenger hunt list as long as you’d like, depending on the age of your kids. Have your kids work in pairs or each collect their own treasures in a small pail. Your kids will love discovering nature and enjoying a fun sensory activity at the same time!
Scavenger Hunt Treasure List
- 3 pink flowers
- 4 round pebbles
- Piece of quartz
- 1 feather
- Ladybug
- Worm from the garden
- 3 different shaped leaves
- 1 interesting twig
- 1 lovely smell
- 1 unique sight
- Rough piece of bark
- Something soft
Gorgeous Summer Fashion for Girls
My girls love nothing more than dressing up in dresses so they can run around the yard. Easter and the Spring season is the perfect excuse to dress up! These darling floral dresses from Just Unique Boutique are perfect for dressing up and casual play. They are flowy so kids can run around in them and the lightweight material is easy to clean. If you are shopping for a special occasion, Just Unique Boutique has hundreds of little girl dresses to choose from in all styles and colors. These floral dresses are perfect for Easter and I love that my little girls can coordinate! Many little girl dresses offered by Just Unique Boutique come in different colors, so you can coordinate your little girls’ outfits without matching exactly. My little girls look adorable in their rose patterned dresses that I received in light blue and cream colors. The ruffly tiered skirt and sashes are these dresses are the perfect decorative touches for these whimsical little girl fashions!
Encourage Independent and Imaginative Play
Kids will come up with games of their own if left to their own imaginations! I like to encourage my kids to play together for a segment of the day without needing much structure and limiting screen time. Kids can run around the yard, play “keep away”, and make soup with good old garden materials if they are just given the chance. I used to love making mud “cakes” when I was a child and decorating them with flowers and seeds. My girls love fairies so this summer I plan on letting them make their own little fairy garden using stuff around our yard; rocks, flowers, pebbles, and sticks. Childhood play should not be all about technology and kids definitely benefit from developing their imaginations through good old fashioned play time.
Make a Backyard Obstacle Course
Twirling, jumping, running, and somersaulting all count as exercise for kids! Line up stuff in your back yard to create an obstacle course. Place two hula hoops in a line, lay down a blanket, add the kiddy pool filled with water or balls, and lay a rope on the ground that leads to the slide. Your kids can run the course; jump into each hoop, somersault on the blanket, jump into the pool, and walk along the rope to the slide. You can use any toys in your backyard to create a unique obstacle course that is easy to put away when you are done. Toddlers can work on their motor skills by walking along a rope laid on the ground or trying to balance on a rock or small box turned upside down. Don’t miss the adorable obstacle course playdate ideas at Learn – Play – Imagine.
Fill a Bin with Sensory Water Beads
Create a fun sensory box with water beads! Add a 1 tbsp. of water beads per gallon of water, A little goes a long way! The tiny water bead balls will suck up the water and quickly fill up the bin. Water beads are non-toxic and biodegradable and they are squishable and breakable into pieces, so once you are finished playing just dump the water beads out and they will easily dissolve in the grass.
Summer can be lots of fun for kids with some simple educational and imaginative activities. My kids love playing outside on sunny days, exploring the garden and having picnics on the grass. What are your favorite backyard things to do in summer?
Hi, I’m Katie! I live with my husband and 3 kids in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I love Jesus, coffee, creative projects, taking photos and traveling. I’ve previously worked as a web designer, journalist and barista. I hope you enjoy our creative projects and family adventures!
Gorgeous dresses! Thanks for the fun ideas:)
Love all of these ideas for kids to play in the backyard!!
Love the active involvement of children that these activities encourage
Such fun ideas for kids to play outside!
Love these ideas! Scavenger hunts are so fun!
That obstacle course looks like so much fun! My daughter loves picking things up on our walk, so we have been doing scavenger hunts too!
These spring outfits are so cute!
I love a good scavenger hunt and now I have a little girl to dress up!
I would like the backyard obstacle course.
Love the idea of a scavenger hunt! We do obstacle courses all the time in our backyard!
Great ideas! My kids always want to go outside as soon as it gets warm.
These dresses are so cute for little girls! The scavenger hunt sounds like fun too.