Taking your family outdoors is an important part of physical and emotional wellbeing. This is one of the reasons we camp as often as we do.
There are times, however, when you will need to keep to yourself when going outdoors with your kids. I am writing this in the middle of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, where social distancing is key to reducing the reach of this pandemic. But this also applies when one of you is sick with any other communicable illness.
You will need to be a bit creative. In this article, I summarize a few easy family outdoor activities to make sure everybody gets some vitamin D during times of isolation.
11 Easy Family Outdoor Activities
1. Set up a “tent”
For those of you who enjoy camping, then camping in your yard is an easy family outdoor activity. Set up a small tent to encourage your kids to do some independent playtime outside.
What if you do not have a tent? This is not a problem at all! Set up two chairs and a blanket on top and you are done! This will even work if you only have a small balcony 🙂
2. Do races
Kids love racing and you do not need much space for this! We have a very small space behind our townhouse, and we simply run back and forth. Yes, I include myself in this. As I said, kids love it when you spend time with them! This is also a great physical activity to get them (and yourself) moving during times of confinement.
3. Exercise outside
If you exercise (I hope you do), then consider doing it outside and incorporating your kids! Do pushups, squats, running in place, crunches, etc. No equipment needed for any of it. You’d be surprised how well a two-year-old can do burpees, and my kids have put me to shame with their handstand skills. A fun way to stay active and bond with your kids! Not feeling well? Then simply do some yoga or breathing exercises.
4. Garden
Confession: I have a black thumb. I cannot keep a plant alive for the life of me. That does not mean that you cannot try it, ya know? Water the plants. Plant some seeds. Do you think you can’t do this because you do not have seeds? Check inside tomatoes, bell peppers, or any other fruit. I bet you’ll find some there. Not only will this get you a few minutes outside with your family, but it is also a great educational opportunity. Talk about the life cycle of plants and the importance of these living creatures!
5. Set up a treasure hunt and map
This is something I used to play as a child. Hide an object, and draw a map of your yard for your kids to follow! If you are ambitious, you add different levels of complexity to this. Hide a trail of clues, each clue leading to the next. Want more? Make each clue a riddle or a math problem!
6. Set up a scavenger hunt
This is a fairly easy one, as there are many resources and printable scavenger sheets that you can find online. It is also fairly easy to make your own! After all, you know your yard, and you know what sorts of things they can find. Leaves, sticks, flowers, objects of different colors, different sizes of rocks. Of course, you can also hide objects yourself, sort of like an Easter egg hunt, and let them have fun with it!
Related: 51 Best Gifts for Outdoorsy Kids
7. Backyard picnic
Such an easy family outdoor activity! When it is time for a snack, change things up by setting up a blanket or towels outside instead of just using the dining table. It doesn’t even need to be limited to snack time! Have breakfast, lunch, or even dinner outside! Great way to enjoy the evening and maybe even watch the sunset!
8. Driveway fun
Sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and water guns all go very well together! Set up a chair for yourself outside and supervise your kids as they ride their scooters or bikes around the street. Play hopscotch. Jump rope. Hoola hoops. Want to make it didactic? Write different letters on the pavement and have them shoot the letter with their water guns or water cannons. Or maybe jump on each letter, or trace them with water and a brush.
9. Water play!
Inflatable pools are so cheap, and your kids will easily spend an hour or longer jumping and splashing around! Throw in buckets or bathtub toys and you are set. If you do not have an inflatable pool, then use a water table or dishpans. Incorporate bubbles, animal figurines, or even sand. Or give them dish soap and brushes and have them scrub their outdoor toys. Let them get wet and messy!
10. Collect nature materials and do an art project
You can combine this with the scavenger hunt. They can collect leaves and do some leave-rubbing artwork. Want to include math? Have them sort out their collections by color or size. Give them some glue, paint, and cardboard surface and let them create patterns with the materials they found.
Related: 7 Simple Tips to Teach your Kids how to Pack
11. Backyard campfire
Do you have a fire pit? Then get some firewood and you are good to go! Portable firepits like this one are also rather cheap, and you can easily find them in many stores. Get the fire going, get some marshmallows or hot chocolate, and have your kids tell stories around the fire.
What to Avoid During a Pandemic
If you are sick or in the middle of a pandemic, there are a few things and activities you should minimize or avoid
- Driving far – If you will be driving, do not go far. Driving far means having to stop for gas, which is something you want to keep to a minimum.
- Geocaching – This is such a cool and popular outdoor activity to do, but it is something to avoid during these times. First of all, it involves going to faraway places. Also, it involves handling objects that other people will be touching too.
- Playgrounds – Hopefully this is an obvious one. You need to avoid touching public surfaces as much as possible.
- Public pools – Properly treated pool water should help kill pathogens. However, the surfaces around the pool may still be contaminated.
- Public bathrooms – This is, once again, part of avoiding public surfaces. Keeping your adventures short and near home will help you avoid the need to use a public restroom.
- Stopping for snacks – We usually add snack time on a park bench or picnic table. However, this is something to avoid during a pandemic. Why? Because other people may have used that bench or table before you. Pathogens can live on surfaces for hours or days. If the purpose is to avoid contact with pathogens, then I would suggest you wait until you get back in your car or home for snacks.
A Challenge or an Opportunity?
You would think that outdoor activities should be easy enough to do in times when you need to be isolated. And in many ways, it can be. Yet, when there are no beaches, pools, or playgrounds to go to, getting some outdoor time can be a bit daunting.
Your options at that point can be severely limited. At this point, you can simply be upset about all the things you used to be able to do.
Here’s an alternative: take this as an opportunity to play an active role during playtime with your family.
It may sound silly, but it makes a huge difference. And by this, I do not mean you should be spending hours planning dozens of different activities. Instead, keep them very simple and be a part of them when you can.
You are the world to your children, and they will love every single minute of it. You will too.
If you still need to get away…
Sometimes, you just need to get your family out for an hour or two. These can be done safely, as long as you follow the rules I highlighted at the beginning of this article.
Nature Walk
Going for a walk on a trail near home is a nice and easy way to stretch your legs. As long as you keep the trip short, there is no need to do a whole lot of prep! Try to choose places that are not too crowded, and remind everyone in your family that the purpose is to walk. No stopping around play areas, and no playing with other kids.
Of course, encourage your kids to be kind and offer a smile to strangers walking by, while keeping their distance.
Related: Best Hiking Snacks for Families
Biking
An outdoor activity that kids love is bike riding. You can either bike around your neighborhood, or go on a biking trail near you. The great thing about biking is the activity requires riders to keep a good distance from each other from other people. Make sure you do not need to drive too far and keep the ride reasonably short. This way, you do not need to worry about taking breaks or using public restrooms.
Related: Best Bike Attachments for Kids of all Ages
Fishing
One thing you will notice about people that enjoy fishing: they usually do it in small groups and keep a distance from each other. I imagine it is to keep lines from tangling, but I would not know. We are not much into fishing. However, we do own a pocket fisherman that comes in handy for an easy family outdoor activity.
If you live near a stream, lake, or canal, then you are good to go!
Paddling
If you have a kayak, canoe, or paddleboard, and this is a great alternative. This is another example of an outdoor activity that forces people to keep a distance because of the size of the equipment and the need for space to maneuver the paddles. If this is something you are curious to try out, these inflatable kayaks in the photo are a great starting point. They are cheap, and do not take much storage space! This is not an outdoor activity you want to do now if you need to drive far, or if you need to rent the equipment.
Do not forget to…
Cut yourself some slack. These activities are suggestions to give you up to a few hours of outdoor time with your kids. If you are sick or stressed, and you cannot fathom the idea of setting up even simple outside activities like these, it’s fine.
The outdoor is always there, so it is ok if you just need to take it easy. Let your kids make a mess inside the house or let them have some screen time while you take care of yourself and your needs.
In Conclusion
I hope this list gives you ideas to pass the time during times of home confinement. What are you doing to give your family a break?
