Today, in this blog post, I’m sharing some of my favorite outdoor play ideas for kids that we love. Recently on Instagram, here on my blog and on the podcast I’ve been sharing ideas of how to manage behaviors during recess and outdoor play. And this has resulted in having more and more questions from my audience regarding ideas for outdoor play.
Advance note; Some of the items included in this blog post contain affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase through the link, I may earn a small % of commission, at no extra cost to you.
1. Chalk
We love using chalk, it’s one of those items that can be used in so many different ways and they’re always affordable to pick up. Let’s face it, most things end up costing us so much. But chalk is like that shining star, its always an affordable price.
Some ways that you can use chalk are;
- Writing.
- Drawing.
- Games; tic tac toe.
- Hopscotch.
We use this chalk and this outdoor chalkboard. (Amazon aff. links)
2. Parachute
The parachute is always a popular option with my students. Whether it’s outside for play, or even indoors for wet play, even in our gym sessions.
Some of the games that we play are;
- Popping Fun
Place beanbags or balls onto the parachute, and have everyone shake to make them pop. - Rolling
Place a ball on the parachute and have students work together to move the ball and get it to drop through the hole in the middle. - Weather
Shout out a type of weather and have students use the parachute to replicate it. I.E. When it’s raining – have students pull the parachute tight and tap their fingers on it to make a rain sensation. When it’s windy, everyone hold the parachute and run around in a circle. - Swap Places
Shout out something like ‘Everyone who’s wearing blue shoes, swap places.’ Students who are wearing blue shoes have to run under the parachute and swap places with someone else who has moved. - The Wave
Students in order lift the parachute up like a Mexican wave.
And those are just some of the activities that you can do with a parachute. If you’re looking for a parachute, this is the one that we use. We love that it has handles. (Aff. link)
3. Bubbles
Let’s face it, the person who invented bubbles is probably my favourite person in the whole world. My kids love bubbles – they’re calming, relaxing, and heaps of fun at the same time. But, I love to mix up the bubbles with my students and rotate through the different bubble products that we use.
Some ideas for outdoor bubble play are;
- Handheld Bubble Machine. (Aff. link)
- Giant Bubble Making Kit. (Aff. link)
- Frog Bubble Machine. (Aff. link)
- Bubble Sword. (Aff. link)
- Giant Bubble Recipe.
- Make a Bubble Snake.
4. Water Play
My kids LOVE anything to do with water, and it’s perfect to use to cool down during the summer months when it’s too warm to be indoors. There are lots of ways that you can incorporate learning into water play as well. We usually set the routine up from the start of the warm weather where students work as normal, and then in the afternoon, after lunch, they get to play with the water.
We ask parents to send in a spare change of clothes, even a bathing suit if they want, sunscreen, hat, towels, water shoes. Anything we think they may need. And we all have SO much fun together!
Some examples of how you can provide water play opportunities outdoors are;
- Water balloons. (Aff. link)
- Bunch o Balloons – We LOVE these! (Aff. link)
- Sprinkler hopscotch. (Aff. link)
- Water guns. (Aff. link)
- Paddling pool. (Aff. link)
- Octopus sprinkler. (Aff. link)
- Water table. (Aff. link)
- Pirate water table. (Aff. link)
- Water slide – this is always the biggest hit with our kids. (Aff. link)
5. Giant Games
We started our giant game collection with this large connect four. And when we saw how much our students LOVED the giant game – we decided to start investing in more. It’s also a great way for us to continue working on those important social skills and being able to take turns – and cope with not winning too!
Here are some of the giant games that we use and love;
- Jenga. (Aff. link)
- Noughts and Crosses. (Aff. link)
- Bean bag toss. (Aff. link)
- Snakes and ladders. (Aff. link)
- Dominoes. (Aff. link)
- Four in a row. (Aff. link)
- Inflatable limbo. (Aff. link)
6. Fun Games
Here are some of the fun games that we like to play with our students, as well as brief descriptions, and everything you’ll need to play them.
Human Ring Toss
This is a firm favourite, and we get some amazing action photos of our kids having the best time. We set it up in teams, and one child standing opposite their team – the ring holder – with 2 teams playing against each other at a time. You can of course have however many teams as you want.
Each member of the team takes it in turns to step forward and throw a giant rubber ring to land on their person who is being the ring holder. The ring holder can’t move, they have to stay perfectly still – and the rings have to fall on them. They can’t help the rings get onto them.
For this, all you really need are rubber rings! We use these ones. (Aff. link) But, you could also send an email around your school and a note home to parents to see if anyone has any old rubber rings that they don’t need anymore!
Pool Noodle Ring Toss
Another ring toss idea is to use pool noodles. Stick some pool noodle together as rings and then cut your other pool noodles into 3 or 4 pieces and stick them into the ground. (We secure by putting a stick into the ground first and threading the pool noodle over this.
Students have to throw the pool noodle rings and land them onto the noodle pieces that are sticking up out of the ground. You can use any pool noodles. Amazon are a little pricey for them, so I recommend having a look in your local supermarket or saver stores, they’re usually a lot cheaper there.
Outdoor Bowling
For our outdoor bowling, we love to use inflatable skittles (Aff. link) or we decorate used milk cartons and use these as our skittles and a beach ball (Aff. link) to knock them down. The milk carton idea is always a lot of fun, and it’s a great way for us to work on our recycling unit too.
Keep Up the Balloon
Another fun way to use pool noodles is by using them to keep the balloons up in the air – don’t let them hit the floor. Blow up some balloons and arm your students with a pool noodle each. Everyone has to work together to stop the balloons hitting the floor. It’s quick, easy and affordable to put together, yet brings so much fun!
Obstacle Course
Finally, obstacle courses. If you’re in a school, you probably have everything you need to make an obstacle course in your PE cupboard. But if not, here are some of the things that we like to use to make obstacle courses for our kids outside;
- Pool noodles.
- Cones. (Aff. link)
- Skipping ropes. (Aff. link)
- Hula hoops. (Aff. link)
- Exercise ball. (Aff. link)
- Ladder. (Aff. link)
- Bean bags. (Aff. link)
- Marking spots. (Aff. link)
- Stilts. (Aff. link)
- Mini trampoline. (Aff. link)
What are some fun outdoor play ideas you have? Let us know in the comments down below and share it with the rest of our readers. If you found this blog post helpful, please consider sharing it with your friends and colleagues on social media.
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