8 Free Family-Friendly Outdoor Activities
Are you looking for family-friendly outdoor activities?
Our family has made getting our kids outdoors a high priority, and the results are powerful. I’m revisiting this post today now that our oldest is a teenager, and I’m grateful that she still loves spending time outdoors.
8 Free Family-Friendly Outdoor Activities
If you’re looking for free outdoor activities for your family during this time, you’re in the right place.
Here’s our family’s list of fun ways to enjoy the outdoors together.
Family-Friendly Outdoor Activities:
1. Wildlife Scavenger Hunts
For this activity, I create a list of items we are likely to see in the forest near our home: pinecones, different colored rocks, ferns, various leaves, and other plants. We hike through the woods together and check each object off our list when we find it.
2. Obstacle Courses
Obstacle courses work in backyards, play parks, and wooded areas. Plan a short course, add a few obstacles to jump over, climb up, or shimmy under, and you’re all set. Our kids love to compete against themselves by being timed on these courses.
3. Treasure Hunts With Buried Treasures
Bury your treasure in advance, make your map, and you’re all set!
4. The Amazing Race
For this activity, you’ll need to plan the course in advance. Hide notes at various locations with each note leading to the next location. Put a prize at the final destination.
5. Photo Scavenger Hunts
Similar to a regular scavenger hunt, create a list and keep track of items spotted by taking photos. This is especially fun in the springtime when wildflowers emerge. It’s also a great way to learn to identify flowers.
6. Frog Egg Collections
Collecting frog eggs and raising them to full-grown frogs is a great family project. Read here for more details.
7. Tally Charts for Miles Traveled
One way to motivate children to hike is to create a tally chart and keep track of miles hiked. When you reach your goal (which will vary on the age of your children), celebrate in a simple way: ice cream, a campfire in the woods, or a prize that will motivate your children.
8. Go Geocaching
Geocaches are small containers containing toys and other trinkets. They are located in most parts of the world. Check out Geocaching.com for details. Our family loves Geocaching!
Find More Family-Friendly Outdoor Activities Right Here:
Additionally, I put together a new resource to share these ideas with you. Hours of Outdoor Fun includes 20 practical ways to get your family outside today. These free outdoor activities include printables for the scavenger hunts listed above, step-by-step instructions, and much more! This is a free gift from our family to yours! Click here for your free download.
Calling all moms and daughters—and parents of boys!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 14, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or grandparents to read with the children they care about.
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength is for boys ages 5-13. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to courageously carry God’s love into the world. Written with input from our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven, this book will help the boys you care about find courage and strength in God. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Devotionals for Girls
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
All three books are available in print and eBook form here on Amazon. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
