I’m sharing some of our favorite Fun Outdoor Summer Activities and How I Worry Less & Play More, enjoying the short eighteen summers that we have with our kids with intention.
I can still feel the breeze in my hair and the freedom of the open road below my spinning wheels. Time would slow in exact proportion to the speed my little feet could tread.
It was our time. My brother and I would explore, imagine and practice the art of saving each other. He’d save me from a mission gone wrong – us “spies” hopping on our escape vehicles and pedaling to safety, and I’d save him… from the bees. The very real bees who swarmed our “escape vehicles,” parked leisurely under a climbing tower at the park.
To this day, biking is a favorite outdoor adventure for our family. Thankfully, it’s been sans the very real threat of a swarm of bees since that day in the park with my brother. But the adventure, the fun, the feeling of freedom and the wind in our hair… those memories are still actively being made just with a team now made up of 6 spies.
I know that it doesn’t happen as often as I’d like, but the true freedom found in fun outdoor summer activities is so important. Watching my kids through the kitchen window and into the open space of our backyard… their imagination playground where they take blocks (from our Giant DIY Tumbling Blocks Game featured in The Fresh Edit, page 66-67) and create worlds for their toys or as they splash and dive through challenges into the pool; it all brings a this-is-what-it’s-all-about kind of exhale.
And it’s worth noting that in the stage of childhood that most of my little people are at, the one where they all transform into some kind of dog, or lion, or a current favorite… Incredible’s character Dash who can run at lightning speed – it means that our home is loud. It’s fair to say, as the indoor collective volume increases, unfortunately, I can tend to get loud as well.
When that’s happening, I know it’s time to take things outdoors.
I suppose that’s when the call of the open road is at it’s strongest. You know those moments where the space you’re in feels to small and frantic for a number of reasons, some very real and some imagined. That’s when I find my mind remembering the feeling of freedom, the exhilaration of the wind in my hair and I remind myself that it’s just a few steps out the door.
Now I will say, as a mother, we don’t feel the same empowerment to let our kids ride free. There’s this push and pull to let them be kids, play harder, ride further juxtaposed to the net of safety we want to keep them in. So while I feel the nostalgic pull of my childhood, I also feel the different set of rules this world has offered us parents this time around. And so, I ride with them.
Chris straps the carrier to the back of his bike, of which Aria calls her bike, and we ride, together.
On our family rides now, and as my kids grow they have a little more freedom to push further, discover, and explore.
Now, I just need to find something to protect them from bees.
10 Favorite Fun Outdoor Summer Activities (besides biking, of course):
- OLD CLASSICS, LIKE TAG OR HIDE-N-SEEK
- CREATE A BACKYARD OBSTACLE COURSE
- Giant Dice (for games like Yard Yahtzee)
- DRAW AND COLOR WITH SIDEWALK CHALK
- Giant Tumbling Blocks Game (for games like Jenga or imaginative play)
- SCAVENGER OR TREASURE HUNT
- Fun With S’mores (also try these 10 best s’mores recipes!)
- WATER FUN! (POOLS, SPRINKLERS, WATER GUN, BALLOONS, ETC!)
- Finger Paint (we love this edible version, and playing outdoors makes cleanup a breeze)
- HEAD TO THE Beach or Park
Kathi says
Love these pics! Great exercise for the whole family – makes for better sleep at night too.
Tabitha Blue says
Thanks! Yes definitely helps with getting exercise and wears us all out for sleep! 🙂
Chris says
Wish I had something like this when I was a kid. Great way to keep in contact with kids while giving them some space and peace of mind for me as a dad. Looks fun too!
Bri says
I loved walkie talkies when I was a kid, they added a hint of spy craft to every adventure. We were big on bike rides and forts as well, and it’s still something I enjoy.
Tabitha Blue says
Same here! Walkie talkies, spy games… it was all so much fun!!
sheree says
These are all great activity ideas for the whole family! We like to get the kids outdoors as much as possible in the summer, I agree walkie talkies are always a great idea!
~xo Sheree
poshclassymom.com
[email protected] says
that mint colored bike is SO CUTE! Looks like fun
Tabitha Blue says
Thank you so much!! I got it when we moved to Florida and love it!
Jeremy says
Those walkie talkies sound awesome! My boys are learning to ride bikes this summer and this would really come in handy when they start to take off around the neighborhood!
Tabitha Blue says
Oh yeah, they would totally love it!
Rachel Cossette says
I used to love riding my bike in the summer! That full size Jenga looks fun too!
Chimara says
Wonderful Post. Will definitely be planning these for the weekend!
Jennifer Maune says
What a great way to bring back a little bit of our childhood! These walkie talkies sound so fun and useful!
-Jennifer
https://maunelegacy.com
Rebecca says
What beautiful memories. We are taking our boys to the city tonight for the light festival, I am sure it’s going to be something they remember forever, such magical times! x
Tabitha Blue says
That does sound amazing!!! Who wouldn’t love a light festival!
Meg says
I LOVE the picture of you practically doing the splits on your bike. And, those walkie talkie type things sound super fun. My boys are getting old enough now that if I’m walking with the baby in the stroller, I can’t keep up with them!
Tabitha Blue says
Haha! My son was pretty impressed with those “splits” too! 🙂
Name (required)Lindsay says
I Love this list and your fun family photos. You’re bike is especially cute, baby i loved Walkie Talkies growing up. Your huge Jenga game is the best!
Amanda says
We took our 1 year old to the zoo on Wednesday and he had so much fun! Some other activities he enjoys doing is playing outside, and going to the pool.
Amanda says
Love all of these suggestions. Beach is definitely on the top of my list as well.
Sam @ The Haunted Housewife says
Yes! My roommates daughter (she’s 7) is usually on her ipad but it recently broke, she’s already going stir crazy one week into summer vacation. I found your post at the perfect time. She has a bike and I want to get one with a basket and we can stroll the neighborhood 🙂
Laura says
Thank you for sharing these suggestions!
Savannah says
These photos are the cutest, and you make me miss having a bike! I’m excited for sunny weather that lets us get outside more!
Karin says
What a great post for summer! I love the outdoor Jenga game!! So many great ideas here!
Dominique says
That looks like so much fun. We have gotten out of the habit of riding as a family — my son rides his bike to school so he wants nothing to do with it once he is home again LOL! My husband rides in long-distance bike rides so he doesn’t ride around the neighborhood anymore either — oh well!
Great post!
Anjali w says
Such great suggestions! I totally agree that outside activities are more fun than staying glued to screens at home. Thanks for the listing of enjoyable activities!
Joanna Clute says
I love to ride bike. It is my biggest form of exercise!
Alexis says
Your photos look so fun! All of these activities are a great way to get outside and enjoy the lovely summer weather.
Kelly says
These activities are not only fun but will build a lifetime of memories. What a great list!
Keating says
Such a great list!! I always spent my summers outdoors as a kid. We rode bikes, went to the beach, played games, and did arts and crafts. Summers were always so fun so I really want to raise my daughter with that same lifestyle.
Nikki says
I love this idea! I could see myself using these with the kids over the summer.
Brittany Nicole says
Great post! I love finding lists of things to do with the kids that are pretty much free! Thanks for sharing 🙂 xo, Brittany Nicole | http://www.theblistblog.com
Ashley Dwyer says
My favorite outdoor activity are picnics!! We have free local concerts every week in my town (many towns do), and friends and family come out to the green with packed picnics and kids play together and enjoy the outdoors. I love picnics so much I made this Ultimate Picnic Guide to encourage others to do the same with helpful tips and tricks and things you DON’T want to forget. I love that this encourages families to be outside together. http://www.thewelldressedtable.com/ultimate-picnic-guide/
Sammie Mcnelley says
This is a nice food recipe, thank you for sharing it with us.
Hobo Hammocks says
Nice outdoor fun with the family. Thanks for the share.
Harvindar K Grewal says
Hi Tabitha , great blogs and cute photos….I also Jenga its my all time favourite game.