It’s that time of year again, and we’re so excited!
It’s officially spring, and even though we have snow on the ground still, the sun is starting to shine and the snow is slowly melting.
The perfect time of year to start getting outside!
Here Are Four of Our Family Favorites for Outdoor Fun!
1. Hide and Goal Seek
In this variation of hide and seek, one person counts while the others go and hide just like normal.
But, when the seeker starts to look, the hiders have an objective.
They try to make it back to home base before the seeker touches them. It definitely adds an active element to this game, and eliminates a lot of the waiting around.
We had to make a house rule for no “puppy-guarding.” That means the seeker has to actually go seek. She can’t just stand in front of base and wait to tag people.
It’s such a fun game, and the kids are starting to develop some strategy. They’re beginning to work together to outsmart the seeker.
And it combines two classics, tag and hide-and-seek. Fun times!
2. Soccer
My husband really enjoys kicking a soccer ball around. So do the kids and I.
So, we built a soccer field in our front yard, and set up some goals each year.
Need some soccer goals? Here’s the style we’re trying this year, since our old ones broke…
3. Boat Building
We’re blessed with a creek on the property. That means we can do some water play on a regular basis.
I love to partner the kids up into two-person teams, and ask each team to make a boat. They can only use items that are outside already.
We’ve had some great boats made of leaves and sticks, and others made from scrap wood that was in the barn. This game really gets the creativity going!
Once the boats are ready, we walk down to the creek and drop them in the water. We head downstream, and see which boat clears the finish line first.
4. Training Camp
Similar to follow the leader, this game gives everyone a chance to be in charge.
The leader is the trainer. The trainer gets to put everyone else through training exercises.
We’ve had stick sword throwing events, were asked to fling fallen apples as far as we could, and participated in running competitions.
Anything goes as long as it’s not dangerous!
After everyone has a chance to compete at the exercise, we switch leaders.
What’s your favorite way to encourage outdoor fun for families?
Please share in the comments–we’re always game to try something new!
