69 Ways to Get Outside and Play

Leave the zombie zone and head outdoors for a happier, healthier, and more productive way of life. Both children and adults now spend less time outside than previous generations, but you can buck the trend and break free of the allure of TV and the Internet. When people get outside and play (or work), it helps lower stress levels and reduces the risk of depression, obesity, and attention-deficit disorders like ADHD, notes the No Child Left Inside Coalition. So be inspired as you peruse these 69 ideas to give you a running start. With so many worthwhile activities you can enjoy outside in the fresh air, there is every reason to get outside and play!

Fun / Relaxing Activities

1. Take a nap outside--in the grass, on a blanket, or in a hammock.

2. Draw a piece of nature--a leaf, a flower, or whatever catches your eye.

3. Get out some chalk and do sidewalk art.

4. Take your bike(s) out for a spin; drink in the breeze and natural beauty around you.

5. Read a book or magazine outside.

6. Bring out a guitar or homemade musical instrument to play.

7. Have a water fight with garden hoses, balloons, or water guns.

8. Make jewelry or wood crafts.

9. Stargaze.

10. Go puddle stomping in or after a rain storm.

11. Call a friend while you watch kids play outside.

12. Sit outside and journal your thoughts, reflections and observations.

13. Play a game of tag.

14. Get a rope to climb or use to swing.

15. Have a treasure hunt or outdoor scavenger hunt.

16. Build a sandcastle or sculpture in a sand box.

17. Set up a sprinkler and run through it. Or get wet from other sprinklers that reach the sidewalk.

18. Go to a nature park or botanical garden and explore it fully. Get a tree or flower guide (or garden catalog) and see how many types you can find and identify. Take photos if you like, and label them.

19. Go fly a kite!

20. Have a toy car race.

21. Play hopscotch or four square.

22. Play a game of marbles.

23. Build a campfire in a fire pit.

24. Visit a farm.

25. Find beautiful flowers or other natural objects and photograph them.

26. Photograph your children playing. Or let older kids take their own photos.

27. Enjoy a cold or hot drink as you recline outdoors

28. Attend an outdoor festival, concert, or theater production.

29. Visit a zoo.

30. Go on a canoe or paddleboat ride on a nearby lake, pond, or river.

31. Get a fishing rod and spend a day fishing.

32. Pick up a badminton set and play.

33. Set up a soccer field and play with your kids or friends.

34. Try a game of croquet, lawn darts, etc.

35. Throw some Frisbees around.

36. Make your own mini-carnival--with a ball toss, bowling game, etc. and invite your friends or neighbors.

37. Set up a stage for an outdoor puppet show.

38. Play a board game, dominoes, or chess.

39. Do stretching or gymnastics routines.

40. Take out several boxes of junk and sort through them.

41. Do a crossword, jigsaw or sudoku puzzle.

42. Create sculptures from play dough or clay. There's no need to worry about the mess when you take it outside.

43. Have a picnic meal or snack in your yard or a nearby park.

44. Take a walk and look inside nearby businesses that you rarely or never visit. If you have kids and know of a shop selling pets or fish, your kids will be thrilled.

45. Blow bubbles.

46. Stage a food fight.

47. Have a sidewalk parade with wagons, bicycles and strollers. Decorate them as you wish. Invite others to join you.

48. Have a backyard camp out. Borrow a tent or sleep under the stars if you don't have your own tent.

Productive Activities

49. Build a birdhouse.

50. Shop outdoors at a local farmers market.

51. Help your kids set up a lemonade stand.

52. Walk to the neighborhood grocery store or weekend garage sales.

53. Bring out laundry to line dry.

54. Recruit kids to help pull weeds.

55. Sweep out your garage.

56. Plant some seeds or plants and help them grow.

57. Offer to help a neighbor with their yardwork.

58. Take a walk and pick up litter around your block.

59. Grill food outside.

60. Sit outside and write a letter to someone.

61. Wash your car, bicycles, or children's toys.

62. Iron, fold clothes or match socks outside if it isn't too windy.

63. Go out and check off a task like balancing your checkbook under blue skies.

64. Sign up to walk or run in a fundraiser event for a charity or foundation.

65. Wash your windows.

66. Take a dog for a walk--yours or someone else's.

67. Take seeds or stale bread to feed birds or ducks.

68. Paint, knit, or mend something.

69. Pick some fruit. Visit orchards, berry farms, and pumpkin patches when local produce is in season. If your neighbors are busy and amenable, ask if you can pick fruit from their trees that would otherwise be wasted. You might also find edible berries (mulberries, for example) along public nature paths.

A richer, more natural way of life awaits just outside your door. Go out to forge new habits and memories as you and your children explore the possibilities. As you spend more time outside, your body, mind, and spirit will relish the renewed vigor and joy that result.

Reference

No Child Left Inside, Nature Deficit Disorder. Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 2009.