Different Ways to Play on a Fun, Sunny Day

By: Shannon O’Leary OTR/L

There’s something magical about a sunny day that calls kids out of the house and into the wilds of the backyard, the park, or that one patch of grass that somehow feels like an entire jungle. In a world buzzing with screens and schedules, outdoor play isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s essential to a child’s development. Check out the following ideas for guaranteed fun on a sunny day.

I Spy with My Little Eye: Scavenger Hunt Edition

• Scavenger hunts can facilitate your child’s observation, problem-solving, attention, language, and motor skills in a natural, adaptable, and fun way! You can create mini scavenger hunts in essentially any environment, including your backyard, the grocery store, inside your home, at the park, at the beach, and beyond!
• Regardless of the location, scavenger hunts can be based on a variety of categories or targeted towards different learning opportunities, such as color identification or counting.
• Some fun examples include:
  • Asking your child “WH” questions, such as “where” and “what”, or to identify a certain number of items (e.g., 3 things that are red).
  • Using location terms such as “under”, “on top”, “in”, and “beside”.
  • Having your child consider different senses (e.g., something sticky, something green, something bumpy).
  • Giving clues about an object’s function, such as “find something you use to brush your teeth”.
  • Doing a simple outdoors hunt and incorporating different movements, such as running and jumping.
• You can verbally direct your kiddo to find items, or you can make a pictorial or written list for them to practice scanning, planning, and ensuring that all tasks are completed!

Walk, Jump, Run! Moving through Obstacle Courses is Fun!

• Uneven surfaces grass, sand, or gravel
• Obstacles (sticks, roots, curbs, toys)
• Hopscotch with sidewalk chalk

Heavy Work, but Make it Play!

• Add animal walks to an obstacle course or relay! Some of our favorites at Child & Family Development are crab walks, bear crawls, and frog jumps!
• Incorporate pushing or pulling of toys/objects or carrying different items during the activity to promote “heavy work”.
• You could also include hills or inclines, and for an added challenge, try pushing trucks/cars/push toys up and down for extra input and strengthening!

Splish, Splash! Water Play can be a Blast!

• Use water relays or sensory bins (scooping, pouring, squeezing sponges)
• Use spray bottles to have a mini car or pet wash!
  • Added bonus: Start with foam soap covering the toy and have your child spray it all away!
• Make ice chalk for a cold sensory experience while practicing letter, number, or shape formation!
  • Here is a recipe: https://fabulesslyfrugal.com/diy/summer-fun-with-ice-chalk-recipe/

Plant Some Seeds, and Watch Your Child Grow, too!

• Gardening with your child promotes the development of many underlying skills:
• Using both hands and/or scissors to open bags of soil and seeds.
• Using controlled fine motor skills to select and place small seeds.
• Putting on gardening gloves or other related clothing items.
• Using tools to dig and cover seeds, which combines gross and fine motor movements, as well as visual skills like hand-eye coordination… AND provides tactile sensory input!
• Carrying small pots or watering cans, (heavy work) and watering plants using the watering can or a spray bottle for added hand strength!
• Painting a flower pot while using both hands to express creativity.
• Planning, problem solving, and organizing, such as while scooping and measuring soil and/or water or understanding the order of steps.
• Attending to the activity, as well as the flower’s growth progression over time with opportunity to ask related questions.
• Experiencing the activity through a variety of senses (touch, smell, vision, and even hearing as your child enjoys the great outdoors!

Ready to Learn More?
For more tips, inspiration, and the latest insights in child development, outdoor play, and parenting strategies, schedule your free 15-minute phone consultation with one of our child development experts today! We proudly serve families in the Greater Charlotte, NC area and are here to support your child’s growth, one sunny adventure at a time.