Spending time outside is great for kids and once their imagination is sparked they often enjoy the time out of the house. For people with backyards of any size, there’s no limit to what your kids can do in the space to get out their energy, exercise their brain, or just enjoy some time in the sun. You might think backyard activities have to cost money, but you don’t need 11 foot trampolines to have fun. Easy things like sidewalk chalk, scavenger hunts, or building terrariums are all ways to keep your kids entertained without spending a fortune.
DIY Fun
One easy way to occupy your children is to build a bowling set! All you need is some cans, roughly the same size, and a ball, any ball will do. You can save cans that you use for cooking during the week and when the weekend comes, let your kids paint them however they like. Then, you can set them up like pins in the grass and let them roll a softball or kick a soccer ball over and knock them all down!
Another easy game to make is a ring toss. All you’ll need are two boards, a few wooden pegs, and some rings. You can nail the boards together in an X, screw in the pegs, and let the kids toss the rings all afternoon. This is another project that includes the option of letting the kids decorate the materials themselves so they feel like it has a personal touch.
A third game is clothespin tag, which is a great way to eliminate arguments of who got tagged and who didn’t. Decorate some wooden clothespins and use those to indicate if someone was tagged. There’s countless ways to structure games with these, so find the one your kids enjoy most!