31 Super Fun Outdoor Activities for 6 - 8 Year Olds
Are you looking for ideas of outdoor activities for 6, 7 and 8 year old boys and girls this summer. Here is a list of 31 tried and tested outdoor activities by my own son. He's 8 now, but this covers activities we have done over the last two summers and there are lots of pictures to illustrate too.
Treasure Hunts
There are lots of ways to do treasure hunts. You can actually hide some "treasure" (maybe a few coins or sweets) and draw an map for the kids to find the treasure in the backyard. Or you can create a list of clues to help them find the treasure or they can just look for it. This is a really fun activity for 6 to 8 year olds. My son loves doing treasure hunts.
You can do themed treasure hunts throughout the year. For example, Easter is a great time to involve chocolate eggs.
You can do themed treasure hunts throughout the year. For example, Easter is a great time to involve chocolate eggs.
Play Tag
If you have a group of adults and kids, playing tag is great fun. Decide who's going to be "it" and then tag the other players. Great to get kids running around. I like to play this with my sons on a colder day as it's great for getting everybody warmed up. I have to give them a few chances but they do love it.
Rolling / Running Down the Hill
Rolling down the hill is another fun activity. If it's wet or muddy, run down the hill instead.
Rock or stone painting
At the moment there is a bit of a rock painting craze taking off. Kids love painting rocks and stones. The great thing is this can be done outside and you don't have to worry about making much mess and getting paint everywhere. Here is a great article on painting rocks with lots of rock painting ideas.
Climbing
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There's lots of ways you can climb:
Climb in the playground I watch the kids play in the playground next to my son's school and the majority love climbing. There is a climber they all play on. Climb in the trees Go for a walk in the woods and see how many trees you can find and climb. Outdoor Climbing Walls If they really love climbing, look in your area for some outdoor climbing walls then can try. |
Climbing Builds Strength
I like to give my sons opportunities to climb on trees or on climbers. It builds their strength and confidence and they love it.
I like to give my sons opportunities to climb on trees or on climbers. It builds their strength and confidence and they love it.
Chalking
A fab idea for creative kids is outdoor chalking. Kids love chalking on the driveway or on concrete. They can write messages and draw pictures. And eventually it can be washed away either by the rain or by some water.
Chalk Game Activities
There are also lots of fun games that you can play outdoors with chalk: Examples include hopskotch and tic, tac, toe. Another ideas is a chalk obstacle course. Like hopskotch, you use the chalk to write different activites they have to do. For example, It could be do 10 star jumps, run on the spot for 10 seconds or pretend to be a superhero. They throw the chalk and have to do the activity that it lands on.
Chalk Game Activities
There are also lots of fun games that you can play outdoors with chalk: Examples include hopskotch and tic, tac, toe. Another ideas is a chalk obstacle course. Like hopskotch, you use the chalk to write different activites they have to do. For example, It could be do 10 star jumps, run on the spot for 10 seconds or pretend to be a superhero. They throw the chalk and have to do the activity that it lands on.
Water Play
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Water play is great for hot summer's day.
Splash Parks / Outdoor Pools Kids just love running around in splash parks or outdoor swimming pools. Another thing to check out are aqua park obstacle courses. Backyard water fun There are lots of ways you can have water fun in the backyard. Ideas include a water sprinkler, an inflatable pool, water fights, water guns or slip n slide. Water Fun Games Here are some great water fun games to play: Play catch with a water balloon. |
Sponge toss. Have sponges in a bucket filled with water. Play catch with sponges. Fun and cools kids down.
Sponge tag. Like tag but using a wet sponge. The person who's it must tag another player with a sponge.
Ice Cube Melt. I love this one. Great if you have more than one kid. Give two kids an ice cube. The one to melt it first is the winner. They can do things like rub it between their hands and blow on it when their hands get too cold.
Paddling
Paddling can be done in lots of places. Paddle in a stream or if you're near a beach, kids love paddling in the sea. Water fountains are also great for paddling in where its permitted.
Sponge tag. Like tag but using a wet sponge. The person who's it must tag another player with a sponge.
Ice Cube Melt. I love this one. Great if you have more than one kid. Give two kids an ice cube. The one to melt it first is the winner. They can do things like rub it between their hands and blow on it when their hands get too cold.
Paddling
Paddling can be done in lots of places. Paddle in a stream or if you're near a beach, kids love paddling in the sea. Water fountains are also great for paddling in where its permitted.
Bug hunt
Kids love looking and finding bugs. A really good way to do this is to write a list or create a checklist of bugs to find. They can then go outside and see how many they can tick of the list. If you really want to encourage them to do it, you could incentivise them with a prize at the end.
This can also work for different creatures such as birds, other wildlife. Or why not try it with trees and plants. It can end up being very educational.
This can also work for different creatures such as birds, other wildlife. Or why not try it with trees and plants. It can end up being very educational.
Camping
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Kids love camping.
Away from Home Camping isn't my favorite activity but I will endure it for one or two nights as the kids love it. It's great for them to experience living outdoors and it's fun to camp and cook outdoors too. The picture is of my husband and son (age 6 in the picture) on our weekend camping expedition. Camping in the Backyard If you can't get away, then why not have a camping experience in the backyard. Sometimes just putting a tent up in the day is enough to keep them occupied for an afternoon. |
Bat and ball
A really simple activity and great for hand and eye co-ordination. Can be played in the park, at the beach or in the backyard if you have time.
Bike Riding
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My son learned to ride a bike age 6 and he loves to cycle when he can.
He will cycle outside the house but this summer, I am hoping to take him on a longer bike ride. You can explore lots of different places on your back. We'll take a picnic and go and see what we can discover. There are often parks and countryside with cycle paths available to use, so it's worth checking out what's available in the area. The great thing about cycle paths is that you don't have to worry about traffic as well. |
Scooter Adventure
6 to 8 year old kids really do love their scooters so why not make it more fun with a scooting adventure. Just take the scooters out and see how far it takes you.
Go On A Walk (and Make It Really Fun!)
If you to suggest to your 6, 7 or 8 year old that you want to go on a walk, you may get some groaning but there are lots of ways you can make going on a walk interesting and fun.
Food is a good way to try and encourage kids to go walking or hiking. In the winter, I always take out hot chocolate and a snack to have half way through the walk and in the summer we bring a picnic with tasty treats.
Nature Walk
Make it a nature walk and collect interesting things along the way. You can make a work sheet with things to spot along the walk and turn it into a competition (who can complete the sheet first).
Night Walk
Another cool idea is to go on a night walk. It's really fun to go star gazing and exciting for kids too.
Food is a good way to try and encourage kids to go walking or hiking. In the winter, I always take out hot chocolate and a snack to have half way through the walk and in the summer we bring a picnic with tasty treats.
Nature Walk
Make it a nature walk and collect interesting things along the way. You can make a work sheet with things to spot along the walk and turn it into a competition (who can complete the sheet first).
Night Walk
Another cool idea is to go on a night walk. It's really fun to go star gazing and exciting for kids too.
Activities near rivers, streams, ponds or the sea
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If you live near water such as rivers, streams or the sea here are some activites for 6 to 8 year olds:
Poo Sticks - featured in the picture this activity was made famous by Winnie the Pooh. Drop 2 sticks over a 2 or more sticks into a river off of a bridge, the fist to get out the other side wins. Skimming Stones - this is another fun activity. There is a pond near where we love and both my boys will throw stones in the pond for ages. They like to see how far they can throw them, as well as who can make the biggest splash and we try to skim stones too. Pond Dipping - fill a tray with some pond water. Take a net, dip it in the pond, do a figure of 8 with it slowly. Then slowly lift the net out of the water and dip the contents in the tray so you can examine it. When you've finished looking slowly tip the contents of the tray back in the pond. Very educational. Rock pooling - kids love studying rock pools when the tide has gone out. A great activity at the beach. |
Jump Rope
Jumping rope is lots of fun, inexpensive, great for cardivascular health and muscle growth. It's portable so you can take on anywhere to have lots of fun. It's also good for hand and eye co-ordination. My son has done a little jumping rope but after writing about all the benefits I think we will do some more this summer.
Races
This one requires some space and maybe a few friends. You can set up races for kids from running races, to races where you bounce a ball to the finish, to obstacle courses, to the egg and spoon. You imagination is the limit.
Sand Play
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Sand Activities
Sand play doesn't just have to be at a beach. A sand box can be great fun for 6 to 8 year olds. In the summer there are quite often outdoor beaches set up in many towns and cities away from the sea. It's worth checking out what's on in your area Here are some activity ideas: Sand Drawings Best on wet sand. Draw pictures, write your name or write a message. You can just use your fingers or use different implements to get the effect you want. Get buried in the sand. Great for the beach. Dig a hole, Lie in it and then bury the person in the sand. Leave their head free to breathe (obviously!) |
Dig holes
How deep can you dig a hole.
Sandcastles
Obviously a tried and tested activity.
My son loves building sandcastles, digging holes and just generally playing in the sand. It amazes me how long it keeps him occupied for.
How deep can you dig a hole.
Sandcastles
Obviously a tried and tested activity.
My son loves building sandcastles, digging holes and just generally playing in the sand. It amazes me how long it keeps him occupied for.
Ball Games
There are tons of different ball games you can play. Soccer is my son's favorite. We playing passing games and set up goals. One of us is the goalkeeper and everybody else tries to shoot and score.
Backyard Bowling
There are absolutely tons of ball games you can play. You can use soft balls to play bowling. Use some tin cans or pop bottles as some pins to knock down.
Throwing Games
Throw and catch games are simple to set up, play and lots of fun. For example, set up a game of keep away.
Other throwing games don't necessarily have to be played with a ball. Beanbags are great. Play a game of beanbag toss. Have a hat or bucket in the middle of the backyard and see how many beanbags each child can get in the hat / bucket. It can be played independently or with more than 1 child as a competition.
Throwing Competition
Another idea is to have a throwing competition. See how far each child can throw an object. The person who throws it the furthest wins.
There are lots of other balls sports you can also use to give you ideas of themes and games. For a list of ball games to give you some ideas check out this website.
Backyard Bowling
There are absolutely tons of ball games you can play. You can use soft balls to play bowling. Use some tin cans or pop bottles as some pins to knock down.
Throwing Games
Throw and catch games are simple to set up, play and lots of fun. For example, set up a game of keep away.
Other throwing games don't necessarily have to be played with a ball. Beanbags are great. Play a game of beanbag toss. Have a hat or bucket in the middle of the backyard and see how many beanbags each child can get in the hat / bucket. It can be played independently or with more than 1 child as a competition.
Throwing Competition
Another idea is to have a throwing competition. See how far each child can throw an object. The person who throws it the furthest wins.
There are lots of other balls sports you can also use to give you ideas of themes and games. For a list of ball games to give you some ideas check out this website.
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