9 Outdoor Activities You Can Do With Your Family While Social Distancing
Are you looking for ideas for outdoor activities you can do with your family?
Studies have shown that Vitamin D is vital to a healthy immune system. While you can (and if possible should) take supplements to boost your Vitamin D, it is best to get it directly from the source. And that source is direct sunlight. Spending time every day outside in the sun (and fresh air) can go a long way toward staying healthy. Yet in the current situation, we have to be careful about what we do and where we go with our kids for this outside time. Now, depending on where you live and the current restrictions you may be under, you may not be able to do all these activities listed below, but hopefully, you will be able to do a bunch of them.
Where I live in Utah we were never under a Shelter in your Home mandate, but we are under a stay at home directive. This means we are allowed to leave our homes but are asked to be smart and safe when we do. Recently our Governor has also reopened State parks and encouraged outdoor recreation again still advising us to be safe. It's still important to practice social distancing, wash your hands/use hand sanitizer and where applicable wear protective facial masks, stay away from playground equipment, and large groups of people.
So while Keeping this in mind what are some outdoor activities you can do with your family right now to stay healthy and active?
Go on a Walk
Family walks are probably one of the easiest outdoor activities to do with your kids to help them get fresh air and lots of sunlight. We like to walk fast enough to keep our kids and dog engaged but slow enough that we can hold conversations with each other. We like to let our kids lead the way so we switch up where we walk each day making it more fun.
If you want to switch things up you can do a nature walk where the kids have to keep their eyes out for fun nature items (leaves, flowers, bugs, animals) to collect, sketch, or even just point out along the way. For older kids consider making a Nature Journal for them to record what they see and find. For younger kids, you can have them do a nature scavenger hunt. I have a Bug Scavenger Hunt printable HERE.
Go for a Hike
The difference between a walk and a hike is mainly the location. Where walks take place in your home neighborhood, for hikes you usually have to drive to a location (like up the canyon). With state parks being opened, we took our kids up the canyon last week for a nice hike through the woods. It was soo refreshing to be out in nature, and the trail was a bit more intense than a walk through the neighborhood but was just what we needed to rejuvenate our bodies and spirits.
Go for a Bike Ride
For those who have bikes, a family bike ride can be a lot of fun. Biking gets your heart pumping and your blood flowing as you zoom to your destination. If you have really little kids who aren't ready for biking you can always invest in bike Trailer (Like this one HERE) that you hook onto mom and dad's bikes t take them along for the ride.
Go Fly a Kite
On those nice sunny days where there is a breeze in the air going to an open park to fly a kite as a family can be lots of fun. I know my kids are always begging to go fly our kite. If you don't have a kite you can always order one on Amazon HERE. They have a great selection.
Have a Picnic.
You can do picnics in your yard, up the canyon, or even in open parks. If you are having a picnic in a public place I would advise making sure you are spread out from anyone else who is there. Also, I would advise finding a park that doesn't have a playground (since they are too much of a temptation for little kids)
Grab a large blanket, some yummy food, and don't forget to pack wet wipes and/or hand sanitizer to use before and after you eat. We love having picnics so we like to keep a designated blanket (like this one HERE) in our car to be able to use spur of the moment. Sometimes we will pack food and other times we will pick some up takeout to enjoy for our picnic.
Make Mega Bubbles
You are never too old to enjoy making bubbles. Especially when they are mega bubbles. Years ago we found a recipe for homemade Mega Bubble solution that actually works. (Get the recipe HERE) We have found that Mega Bubbles are good for hours of fun for the whole family.
You make it up in Gallon size batches and you can even store the solution in a lidded contain to use at a later date (we have used solution over a year old and it still works great!) This solution works great with those little plastic wands you probably have lying around as well as specialty bubble wands(learn how to make one HERE) to make those larger than people bubbles.
Make Art With Sidewalk Chalk.
If you have a driveway/sidewalks pulling out your sidewalk chalk can be a lot of fun. Whether you use the chalk to draw fun photos, write inspiring messages or create entertaining games (like hopscotch)
If you don't have any sidewalk chalk (and it's sold-out near you) you can always make your own. You can find a great recipe for homemade sidewalk chalk HERE and a great recipe for Sidewalk chalk paint HERE.
Play With Water
As we head into warmer weather, water play in your yard can offer hours of cool refreshing outside fun for the whole family. If you don't have a full-sized swimming pool or a lap pool installed in your yard, but want to enjoy some pool fun with your kids on a budget you can buy an above ground pool on Amazon they have a great selection HERE
Other fun water play options that are even more budget-friendly are kids sprinkler heads, water balloon fights (for which I recommend getting bunch o balloons to save your fingers), slip and slides, and water tables.
Plant a Garden
If you haven't started a garden yet, now is a good time to do so. It's not too late in the season to still enjoy a yummy harvest this year. Whether you have a full-sized garden or just a few pots on a patio it's still worth it.
Gardening isn't just for adults. It can be a whole family project. If you need ideas for how to involve your kids in your family garden Check out my post HERE.
What are your favorite outdoor activities as a family right now? Is it one of the ones I listed or something else. Let me know in the comments.
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