7 Outdoor Hobbies for Families

7 Outdoor Hobbies for Families – There is nothing more refreshing than spending time together with your family. These moments provide you with peace, comfort, and support that you need to achieve new goals. Yet, many people underestimate outdoor activities, giving preference to large malls, cafes, and restaurants.

However, playing outdoors, fishing, or having a picnic is always a good idea, especially these days. After months of lockdown and social distancing, we finally can get together with family and friends and enjoy nature around us. Of course, provided everyone is taking anti-epidemic measures.

Being among those specialists who spend most of their time in front of the screen, EssayPro writers actively advocate for spending time outdoors. They even helped us come up with the list of the most rewarding activities that you can engage in with all family members. Here they are:

Family Picnic

Eating out is always a good idea. Eating outdoors with your family is even a better one. After all, this activity is not 100 % about food, after all.

A traditional picnic is about enjoying nature, communication, and rest. All you need to do is get enough food and water for a day. Also, make up your mind whether you’ll need a few blankets or not. As for the rest – leave all your concerns at home and let your mind seize the moment.

Family Contests and Tournaments

You can make your family time interesting, exciting, and competitive. It is pretty easy to host a major competition for your kids or family members right in front of your house or somewhere else outdoors.

A simple way can be to search for some active games that can be played outdoors. All of them are fun. After all, it is not about the contest itself but about the time you are spending with your loved ones.

Kayaking

If you live close to water or are willing to travel to some nearby river or lake, consider kayaking. It is good for both beginners and pros, and always fun. Moreover, kayaking helps you feel real support from your significant other or a friend who is literally in one boat with you.

This activity is probably not for every family, especially if there are little kids or people who can’t swim. Yet, for many, this will definitely be a perfect time together, enjoying nature and spending time outdoors.

Treasure Hunt

Even though this activity is mostly for kids, the treasure hunt can also be exciting for adults. Hide something in the garden (or any other location you have access to) and draw a map for your family to find the item. The more tricks you put in it, the more fun it will be.

Some adventure companies offer quizzes for entire families. You won’t spend your time preparing the task. On the contrary, you’ll be able to hunt treasures together with your loved ones.

Camping

Many people love camping; very few don’t. Still, there hardly is some more uniting activity. Gather somewhere in a beautiful place far from civilization and stay there for several days.

Some people may even like to retreat in their RVs. It is very comfortable to travel somewhere in your own camping vehicle with all conveniences available. Believe it or not, high chances are that you will be willing to repeat this experience once again.

Playing Games Outdoors

There are lots of games you can play with your kids in the yard or in the park nearby. Do not waste another minute and do it. These moments will be the best memories you can create for your children. For you, it will definitely be a refreshment that you’ll crave to repeat.

You can play Hide & Seek, Kick the Can, and plenty of other games outdoors. It requires zero preparation on your side but will definitely bring lots of joy to you and your family. Even though it sounds so simple, you should give it a try.

Learning a New Skill

It is important not to waste even a second of your precious time with family. We all learn this simple truth in a hard way. However, many people have an urgent need to gain new skills. Otherwise, they believe they are wasting time.

However, if you can do something together, do not hesitate to begin. You can try lots of things together with your family outdoors. Consider photo hunting, fishing, horse riding, sailing, swimming, surfing, or even sewing in the yard. Weigh your options and go ahead.

Final Words

Work and gadgets are consuming our time and tire everyone. As a result, many families do not get a chance to communicate with one another even when at home.

It is important to break this tendency, at least while the weather permits and so many outdoor activities are available. Just pick up one that fits your family best, and do not hesitate to try something completely new. Undoubtedly, it will prove worth it.

Indoor Summer Activities for Kids

Indoor Summer Activities for Kids

Indoor Summer Activities for kids – Summer usually coincides with outdoor fun like pool time and sports, or even camping and hikes. But sometimes, going outside just isn’t an option. Not to worry! There are plenty of fun activities kids can take part in from the comfort of home, no matter the weather or circumstances!

Tie Dye

Tie dye shirts, shorts, scrunchies and other items are often associated with summer camps and other outdoor activities. Even if your kids are stuck indoors or are limited to just the backyard, tie dye can still happen! Whether you buy a kit or make your own, tie dying old t-shirts and having fun with the designs is a great lesson in color theory and pattern making. Plus, seeing the end result is always fun!

Fresh Fruit Popsicles

With no ice cream truck to run to, you can always make your own popsicles, ice cream and other frozen treats! Using ingredients like fruit juice, yogurt, fresh fruit and other items like cream and food coloring, kids can create their own popsicle sticks or even create their own colorful ice cream. There are plenty of easy to make recipes available online, many of which are much healthier alternatives to the things your kids might choose at the ice cream shop – it’s a win win for everyone!

Indoor Camping

Just because you can’t go outside doesn’t mean you can’t go camping. Clear a space in your living room and set up a tent with flashlights and sleeping bags. Hanging out in the house has never been more fun! You can make the night even more camp-themed with s’mores and hotdogs, but you’re not limited to outdoor related activities only. Even playing board games or having a movie night from inside the camping tent can make a night at home feel more fun.

Sandy Crafts

Can’t visit the ocean? Bring the ocean to you! Plenty of craft stores carry sand, seashells or even special sands like magnetic sand, colored sand, or other sculpting sands you can play around with from the comforts of home. You can go beyond simply playing and create ocean-themed crafts as well. Create cool patterns with different colored sand in unique-shaped bottles, paint sea shells or arrange them in mosaics, the possibilities are endless!

Scavenger Hunt

This adaptable activity can be enjoyed all year round and can easily be changed to suit different themes, items and more. Whether you create your own rules or find a guide online, a scavenger hunt is a great way to engage kids’ imaginations and sense of exploration – all without leaving the house!

These indoor summer activities for kids will get your kids intrigued with what they can do indoors. It can truly create a bond and memories that will last a lifetime.

Great Brain Games for Children

Brain-training games have grown in popularity, especially with the rise of smartphones where thousands of apps and other games are made available on the go. Many games, especially those featured on sites like Facebook, are aimed towards Baby Boomers, claiming to reverse aging and prevent things like Alzheimer’s. While these sorts of claims are more difficult to prove, brain-training games have worked wonders for kids who are still actively learning, growing and developing, especially kids with learning and language disorders. Brain games can help kids build essential skills that help them process things like problem solving or help boost their memory.

Language Games

Language games may involve building essential skills for English but there are also fun, free apps out there that can help children learn to speak other languages, too.

For parents looking for native language boosting games in English, PBS.org has plenty of vocabulary games that can help children master the alphabet, learn new words, and practice their spelling. PBS also has plenty of reading games that focus more on word association, reading comprehension and writing aspects of language.

Language games can help kids develop key communication skills, reading comprehension skills, and it can boost their vocabulary (reading and speaking) significantly, too.

Math Games

Sites like mathplayground.com and coolmath-games.com feature traditional puzzle-solving games like Sudoku, chess, and more but they also have plenty of games that focus on specific areas of math like addition and subtraction, geometry, ratios and percent’s, and much more. Mathplayground.com has a grade-level feature so kids can play games that are appropriate to their age, grade, and skill-level and divide games into categories to make finding specific types of activities much easier. This is a great way to help kids struggling with a particular topic at school and can make studying much more

Memory Games

Parents may be familiar with apps like Lumosity, but this app actually gets a significant amount of revenue from kids as well as adults. Memory boosting games can be both challenging and fun, encouraging kids to develop skills that are useful in everyday situations as well as a myriad of different school subjects, too.

Puzzle Games

Parents may be more familiar with games like Tetris and Bejeweled Blitz (as well as other games like it) but these are great games to introduce to kids, too. Spatial reasoning is an often-overlooked skill and it can be applied to many situations and circumstances. These games encourage problem solving within a timeframe, which can be anxiety-inducing for some kids, but can also help children make better, more informed decisions on the fly, making moves based on educated guesses without overthinking.

There are many sites with plenty of resources, links and information on games for kids. Brain boosting games can be an essential tool for kids with learning disorders or children who may not benefit as much from a traditional school setting. Trying a different format for learning can be incredibly life changing, and fun, too.