Spending time outdoors is a great way to promote creativity, imagination, and happy kids!
This summer, I made it a goal to slow down, spend more quality time with my kids, and fill our days with fun, creative projects we could enjoy together. With my oldest heading off to middle school (seriously… HOW is that even possible?!), I wanted to soak up every bit of childhood magic while also finding activities that all three of my kids could enjoy—from my middle schooler to my busy 3-year-old and even my curious 10-month-old.
After lots of painting, crafting, and a few gloriously messy afternoons, we’ve found some absolute favorites. Here’s a roundup of the creative activities that have been the biggest hits in our house so far!
1. Frozen Dinosaur Eggs
Take your kids on an archeological journey with Frozen Dinosaur Eggs! This Sensory Play activity combines science and imagination. Freeze small dinosaur toys in water balloons and let your children excavate them using various tools. Watch their eyes light up as they discover hidden treasures in the melting ice. It’s a cold and engaging experience that will make learning exciting!
2. Water Table Hack
Get ready to make a splash! This incredible water table hack will take your toddler’s fun to the next level. By using a cheap electric water pump, enjoy unlimited outdoor water table fun with this fantastic summertime hack. It creates a never-ending fountain oasis with just a quick purchase and a few minutes of setup.
3. Painting with Cars
Rev up the creativity with Painting with Cars! Transform ordinary toy cars into art tools as your kids dip the wheels in paint and race them across paper or canvas. This activity sparks their imagination and introduces them to the concept of creating abstract art through movement. Let their inner speedster shine as they experiment with different colors, patterns, and speeds. It’s an exciting and hands-on adventure that combines play and art. My son absolutely loved this one!
4. DIY Sidewalk Chalk
Let your Children’s creativity spill onto your driveways with the DIY Sidewalk Chalk. This easy and budget-friendly project allows kids to make their own colorful chalk using simple ingredients. Sit back and watch as their imagination comes to life on the sidewalk canvas. It’s a fantastic way to encourage outdoor play, as well as channel their inner artist.
5. Cardboard Nature Trees
Turn an old Amazon box into an adorable nature craft! Cut a frame shape out of a square piece of cardboard with an X-Acto knife, leaving a trunk in the center. Then add strips of masking tape across the back with the sticky side facing out so kids can decorate their tree with flowers and leaves they find outside.
6. Toilet Paper Roll Crafts
Unleash your children’s imagination with these Toilet Paper Roll Binoculars. Gather those empty rolls and transform them into colorful paper binoculars. Guide them through cutting, painting, and decorating the rolls, and watch as their creativity takes shape. This recycled craft will spark their artistic abilities and be great for outdoor exploring.
7. Tape Mural
A colorful outdoor activity that lets your kids showcase their artistic talents. Encourage your little artists to let their imaginations run wild as they create their masterpieces on this tape mural canvas. They can use the tape as boundaries or shapes to create unique designs and patterns. Using washable paint, masking tape, and one of the many Amazon boxes you have lying around. This fun and interactive craft allows your little ones to become the next Picasso.
8. Water Gun Painting
Grab your water guns, fill them with paint, and let your children embark on a colorful adventure that will bring laughter and imagination to your outdoor space blasting their creativity and creating unique works of art. Water gun painting will be your kids new favorite art activity!
9. Nature Bracelets
With a little packing tape and imagination, your kids can make the prettiest nature bracelets ever! Take a walk around the neighborhood or head to the park to gather your “supplies”. Think flowers, small sticks, leaves, you can even throw in some dirt for texture. This is the perfect way to get your kids outside and into nature.
10. Cloud Spotting
It’s a bird, it’s a plane… no it’s a cumulus cloud! This easy, budget friendly, learning activity for kids is a great way to learn and play at the same time. Head outside and look to the skies to learn about the different types of clouds. Just grab some cardboard and check out the instructions for this easy project here.
11. Bubble Painting
Whether you use a bubble gun, bubble wands, or even straws, this colorful outdoor art activity is always a hit! For each color, mix 2 ounces of bubble solution with 1 tablespoon of liquid watercolor in a shallow bowl. Dip your bubble blower into the mixture and blow bubbles onto a canvas or thick paper to create fun bubble prints. Set up on grass or use a drop cloth to keep cleanup easy!
12. Water Gun Tie Dye
Ready to give tie dye a seriously fun upgrade? Skip the squeeze bottles and grab the water guns instead! Fill them with fabric dye, head outside, and let the colorful chaos begin. Kids will have a blast squirting bright colors onto T-shirts, hats, tote bags, and just about any fabric they can get their hands on. It’s part craft, part backyard water fight, and 100% the kind of messy memory they’ll be talking about for a long time. Check out all of the details here!
13. Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeders
Here’s a fun little craft that’s a win for both your kids and the backyard birds! Grab an empty toilet paper roll, slather it with peanut butter, roll it in birdseed, and hang it outside. Your kids will love watching feathered visitors stop by for a snack… and your neighborhood birds will probably start leaving five-star reviews. It’s an easy recycled craft that’s messy in the best possible way!
14. Nature Boards
If you’re looking for a creative way to get your kids outside and away from the TV and video games, this recycled cardboard project will give your little ones a new love for the great outdoors. Nature Boards are an inexpensive activity for kids that provides a lot of giggles, sunshine, and flowers!
15. Shower Curtain Painting
Shower curtain painting is a mess-friendly outdoor activity that your kids are sure to love. Cheap and easy to set up, shower curtain painting is sure to keep your kids entertained for hours. Plus, easy clean up and reusable supplies means this art project can be used again and again. Try shower curtain painting with your kids this summer!
