Need quick ideas for getting kids outside today?
Whether your kids are bored, full of energy, or just need a break from screens, this list of easy outdoor activities will help you get started quickly. These ideas use simple supplies, require little prep, and work for a range of ages.
Start with a quick idea below, or scroll for a full list of outdoor science, art, and backyard activities you can try today.
What Can Kids Do Outside Today?
If your kids are already saying “I’m bored”… try one of these slightly different ideas:
- Make a “target splash zone” with cups or chalk circles and aim spray bottles or water balloons at different point values
- Build a “tiny world” using sticks, rocks, and leaves (add small toys if you have them)
- Try a fizzing color experiment by adding food coloring to baking soda and spraying with vinegar
- Create a “challenge path” where kids have to hop, balance, crawl, and spin to get through
- Try a “texture hunt” scavenger game around your yard 👉 Need ideas? Try these scavenger hunt outdoor ideas for kids
These feel like games instead of “activities,” which is why kids stick with them longer.
Quick Outdoor Ideas (Start in 5 Minutes)
These are the ones you can say, “go try this,” and they’ll actually do it:
- Freeze small toys in ice, then set up a “rescue station” with warm water, salt, and tools
- Tape paper to a fence and try “drip + race painting” (which color drips fastest?)
- Set up a “sink or float station” with random backyard items and a tub of water
- Make a “shadow challenge” — trace shadows now, then come back later and compare
- Fill a bin with water and create a “pouring + transferring station” using kitchen tools
50 Fun Things to Do Outside
Below are some of our favorite outdoor activities for kids. Each idea includes a quick description so you can get started right away, with optional links for deeper projects.
Outdoor Science Activities
Take science outside with hands-on experiments kids can see, touch, and explore.
- Make a baking soda and vinegar bottle rocket using a plastic soda bottle to create pressure and launch it into the air.
👉 Try this bottle rocket experiment for kids - Drop Mentos into a bottle of soda to create a fizzy eruption and explore gas release.
- Test what melts in the sun by placing ice, chocolate, or butter on a tray and observing changes over time.
- Build a simple solar oven using a box, foil, and plastic wrap to trap heat from the sun.
👉 Learn how to make a DIY solar oven for kids - Create an erupting volcano in the sandbox using baking soda and vinegar for an easy outdoor reaction.
👉 Make your own baking soda volcano experiment - Push sharpened pencils through a sealed plastic bag filled with water to test pressure and polymers.
- Build a simple wind tool and observe how fast it spins in different conditions.
👉 Make an anemometer weather activity for kids - Make ice cream in a bag using ice, salt, and simple ingredients for a fun, edible chemistry activity.
👉 Try this ice cream in a bag experiment
💡 Outdoor science is perfect for messy experiments and real-world observation.
👉 Explore more outdoor hands-on science experiments for kids
Outdoor Art Activities
Take art outside and give kids space to create, experiment, and move.
- Mix baking soda and food coloring, then spray with vinegar to create fizzy sidewalk paint.
👉 Try this fizzy sidewalk paint activity - Make your own sidewalk chalk using simple molds and plaster or baking soda mixtures.
- Use a fly swatter dipped in paint to create splatter-style artwork with movement and texture.
- Fill spray bottles or water guns with watered-down paint and spray onto paper or cardboard.
- Freeze colored water into ice cubes and paint as they melt across the page.
👉 Try this ice cube painting activity - Blow bubbles in colored paint and press paper onto the surface to create prints. Or let them pop naturally to create a masterpiece
👉 Make your own bubble art for kids - Collect leaves, sticks, and flowers to use as natural paint brushes.
Outdoor art allows for bigger movements and less cleanup stress.
👉 See more outdoor art projects for kids
Backyard STEM & Building Ideas
Encourage creativity and problem-solving with simple outdoor builds.
- Create a water wall using recycled bottles, tubes, or containers attached to a fence.
👉 Build an easy DIY water wall STEM activity - Build a backyard fort using sticks, tarps, or outdoor furniture for structure and shade.
- Set up a pulley system using rope and buckets to lift small objects.
- Create a toy zip line between two points and test how fast objects travel.
- Design and fly a simple kite using paper, string, and sticks.
These activities help kids test ideas, solve problems, and improve designs.
👉 Try more outdoor engineering projects for kids
Nature & Exploration Activities
Use your outdoor space to explore and observe the natural world.
- Go on a scavenger hunt to find leaves, rocks, insects, or colors in nature.
👉 Grab a nature scavenger hunt printable - Build an insect hotel using sticks, pinecones, and natural materials.
👉 Make an insect hotel for kids - Create a bee hotel to support pollinators in your yard.
- Observe a small outdoor space closely by creating a “square foot jungle” observation area.
- Make a simple cloud viewer and track the types of clouds you see.
Nature activities help kids slow down, observe, and connect to science in real life.
👉 Discover more nature activities for kids
Things to Do in Your Backyard
You don’t need a big yard or special equipment to create meaningful outdoor play.
Try these easy backyard ideas:
- Set up an outdoor science station with simple supplies
- Create a nature collection tray for found objects
- Build an obstacle course using everyday items
- Start a seed jar to watch plants grow
👉 Try a seed germination experiment for kids - Make a bird feeder and observe visiting birds
👉 Make an easy DIY bird feeder ornaments for kids
Backyard activities are easy to repeat and adapt for different ages.
Free Printable Outdoor Activities Guide
Want an easy way to plan outdoor play?
This printable pack includes:
- Idea Guides
- Outdoor STEM challenges
- Observation pages
👉 Get your free printable outdoor activities pack here
Explore More Outdoor Activities for Kids
If you want more ideas organized by theme, explore:
FAQ
What are easy things to do outside with kids?
Easy outdoor activities include chalk drawing, water play, scavenger hunts, and simple building projects like forts or obstacle courses.
What can kids do outside when bored?
Kids can try quick activities like bubble play, outdoor art, simple science experiments, or creative games using everyday materials.
Excellent ideas to use on this day’s of shelter in place with my children
We’ve made a kite like this and it was really fun. Also lets kids run off some energy during the play 🙂
My son’s favorite place outdoor is his nook under the climbing frame. We’ve made a busyboard to place there, and not it’s the ultimate Rascals headquarters 😀
*now