We do a lot of Outdoor Activities with kids. Living on the farm and having pretty good weather all year round is impossible not to go outside and play.
What happens when kids get bored is a post I wrote a while ago about... well... boredom and how cool is it. However, this time we have planned some activities.
Today we tried to practice balance. It's really super fun and useful especially if you have multiple children different ages. My toddler enjoyed it and was challenged a bit, where my 6 year old adopted all of these balancing activities to her level and had lots of beneficial play and learning.
We used what we had around the farm to set up for our outdoor activities. Which was awesome!
Outdoor activity Nr. 1
We choose to set up this activity on the sand in case someone falls (when you put the blocks make sure they are firm in the sand and not moving). Arrange them all through the plot and put some 1×6 or 1×8 wood on top of the blocks. Make sure it has turns and some higher and lower points.
We played different games during the day:
- we started by practicing and trying to finish the walk without falling off (it took few tries)
- then we included some gymnastics elements: low jumps, turns while on the boards.
- we timed how fast each kids would finish the walk
First my toddler was not confident to walk my himself, so I held his hand. Later on he managed to finish all by himself.
Boy I tell you, it's evening now and my toddler just told me that tomorrow he wants to "wiggle wiggle on the bridge again". He loved it.
Outdoor activity Nr. 2
Walking cans! Now this was fun too. A lot of laughing!
You need 2 cans (we used tomato sauce ones) and some shoe laces. Pock 2 holes (use screw driver) on each can and stick the shoe lace through both of the holes. Put kid's feet on top and tie the lace. Let them walk and giggle...
It's not as hard as it sounds and looks. After some practice my toddler was sprinting...
Outdoor activity Nr.3
Walking on the rope. Again, it' s very simple to set it up. All you need is strong rope and a place to tie it to. It could be between 2 trees, fences or some poles. Tie it strong and let the kids walk on the rope. Well, this part is not that easy. They will need some help and practice and most likely they will not be able to do it like we see in circus, but with the help of some sticks they will get to the end eventually.
Outdoor activity Nr.4
Balancing on the board. This was one the most challenging outdoor activities of the day. But it was funny.
To set up, you need a board. (A piece of plywood or any other stronger board will do). Also find a plastic tube. I found it on the property and I believe it's plastic pluming pipes that you can find in any home improvement store.
The task for this activity is to balance the board without touching the ground. Let your kids hold on to something (or you) before they can do this by themselves. This balancing activity would be good for ages 6 years and up.
That's all of our outdoor activities we did to practice balance. Kids didn't even notice mom had a "mission". All the games we did were so playful and fun. Best part they loved it so much, we are keeping the set ups for the next few days. I hope you get inspired and take few ideas from us to go outside and play (while practicing balance).
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