Thanks to COVID-19, we’ve been cooped up indoors for weeks. But the weather has been glorious in our neck of the woods lately. The sunshine is beckoning us to come outside. If you’re feeling a similar pull, here are 50 Ways to Enjoy the Great Outdoors. Print out a copy and give one a try… today.
Granted, while social distancing rules are still in place, a few of the items on our list will have to wait. You’re not likely to find any waterparks open or music festivals to attend. And you should stay away from playgrounds until the quarantine is lifted.
But most of these ideas can be enjoyed, even in the midst of a pandemic. Still others are easily adaptable. The local orchestra may not be staging any symphonies under the stars this spring. But you can bring your ipod and enjoy classical music to your heart’s content while lying on a blanket admiring the Milky Way.
50 Ways to Enjoy the Great Outdoors
Take a picnic lunch to the park
Play a game of catch
Walk a dog
Take up birdwatching
Reinforce what you’re learning about our little feathered friends with our State Bird Coloring Pages
Run in a 5K race
Go for a swim
Last one in’s a rotten egg!
Visit a neighborhood park
Take a stroll around the block
To make it more interesting, print out our Neighborhood Bingo Cards and see who can fill theirs first. If you walk around the block often enough, you may want to do as I did and laminate the copies. That way, you can use dry erase markers to check off the items you see and reuse the same cards again and again.
Go hiking
Pick a bouquet of wildflowers
Go berry picking
Come back home and use what you pick to bake a nice crisp or cobbler. And if there are any berries left over come morning, whip up a batch of blueberry muffins.
Play Putt-Putt golf
Can’t find a course open? So why not design a makeshift course of your own with ramps, ropes, cups, and balls?
Go for a long-distance run
Weed the flowerbeds
The weeds don’t take a vacation. And the flowers will thank you for getting them out of their bed.
We nursed these annuals back to health.
Fly a kite
But find an open space to do it! We’ve had a kite stuck high in a tree in our front yard for months now!
Go fishing
Visit the botanical gardens
Check out the American Horticultural Society Website to find a garden near you.
Climb a tree
If the branches are comfortable, take a book along and read up there!
Go star gazing
Attend a drive-in movie
If you don’t live close to a drive-n theater, take the laptop outside and stream a movie in your own backyard. My son did this on the roof with my grandchildren last week, and they loved it.
Play ultimate Frisbee
Go to the lake
Hunt butterflies
But be careful not to touch!
Plant a vegetable garden
Nothing will interest kids in eating their veggies faster than growing dinner in their own backyard.
Play at the playground
Go for a bike ride
Dad bought Mom and Abby matching bikes
Trim hedges
Play foursquare
Go to the lake
I just realized I listed this one twice. That’s probably because I have such fond memories of going to the lake when I was a kid. So even if you’ve gone once already, go again! You can camp out along the water’s edge, go wading, go boating or skiing, or just hike around enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.
Sweep the porch and walkways
Play kickball
Go paddle boarding
Visit a peach orchard
Head to the beach
Build sandcastles
If you want to really get crazy with the detail, bring along a set of sculpting tools.
Have a cherry pit spitting contest
Eat watermelon under the trees
Go to a waterpark
Set off some fireworks
Attend an outdoor symphony
As I already mentioned, a live concert is best. But if quarantines or other circumstances prevent such an outing, create a symphony under the stars of your very own. Headphones optional.
Shop the farmers market
Have a shaving cream fight
Give each kid a can (and maybe a pair of swim goggles), then let them go after it.
Rent a boat and go water skiing
Play freeze tag
Draw pictures with sidewalk chalk
But you may need to lay down some ground rules, or they may end up with chalk in places other than the concrete!
Attend a music festival
Shop at an outdoor craft bazaar
Or pack up your art supplies and do some outdoor crafting of your own!
Go to a baseball game
Go to the zoo
Jog
A Bucket List for Every Season
50 Ways to Enjoy the Great Outdoors joins several other free printables in the same series:
- 50 Fun Family Activities for Spring – Just the thing when you’ve been cooped up all winter. Lots of ideas here for enjoying some fresh air and sumshine!
- 50 Things to Do for Summer Fun – Make the most of your break from school. Here are plenty of ideas to keep you busy through the warm weather months.
- 50 Fun Family Activities for FallBreak out the bulky sweaters and the pumpkin lattes! This list will help you make fun family memories when the trees lose their leaves and the air turns crisp.
- 50 Fun Christmas Activities – This list is specifically for celebrating Advent. Make your Christmas more merry and bright by adding some of these activities to your family calendar.
- 50 Things to Do for Winter Fun – We don’t get much chance to walk through a winter wonderland here in the south, but there’s lots more fun to be had during this final season of the year.
- 50 Frugal Ideas for Family Fun – Don’t feel like fun has to cost an arm and a leg. Here’s 50 ways to make priceless memories on the cheap.
- 50 Wholesome, Quick & Easy Snack Ideas – And last comes a list for my more health-conscious readers. Keep your families well-fueled with these delicious, nutritious snack ideas.
I love this so much! I’m going to pick a different one to do every few days-thank you!😊
That sounds like a great idea, Amy! The fresh air and sunshine is sure to do us all some good.