Warm Weather Fun!

The warmer weather is finally here! Grandview Recreation Therapy Assistant, Maddy, has created some activity suggestions that you can do outside as a family. These activities will provide an opportunity for your family to get outside and enjoy the warm weather while being active, creative and most importantly having FUN together!

Activity List (See pictures below)

Outdoor Movie Theatre/Drive-In
Backyard Water Park
Backyard or Neighbourhood Picnic
Backyard Fort
Treasure Hunt
Neighbourhood Zoologist
Outdoor Animal Yoga
Summer Sports
 

Outdoor Movie Theatre/Drive-In

Instead of staying inside to watch a movie – design your own outdoor movie theatre! You will need a place to sit, pillows and blankets to keep comfortable, an extension cord, and a T.V. or laptop. If you have a projector and a white sheet you could make a big movie screen.
To make this event more exciting – decorate seats/chairs as cars using cardboard and craft supplies. You can make your very own drive-in movie theatre in your backyard. Pick a Disney movie or a family favourite to watch with popcorn, chips, and candy snacks.

Backyard Water Park

With pools and water parks unavailable – try turning your backyard into a splash park! Some items to add could be a hose, sprinklers, small blow-up pools, buckets of water, water balloons, and sponges. Have the kids jump through the sprinkler, play duck-duck-goose with wet sponges, or dip their toes in the pool. Use slip and slides and water toys if you have those to add some extra fun!

Backyard or Neighbourhood Picnic

To make lunchtime more exciting – take it outside! You will need a basket/cooler to hold food/drinks, plates/utensils/napkins, a garbage bag, and your choice of lunch and snacks. Simple lunch foods and snacks to take outside for your picnic include sandwiches, water bottles/juice boxes, cut up fruits and vegetables, and chips. Get creative and try different foods while going on your backyard picnic!

Backyard Fort

A fun activity that can be played indoors or outdoors is building forts! Use items that can be found around the house/backyard such as chairs, blankets, pillows, cushions, tables and other items to make your fort. Add fairy lights to make your fort even more magical!

Treasure Hunt

Ahoy Mateys! Pretend you are pirates on the hunt for treasure! Before starting, set up clues ahead of time that leads you to the ‘treasure’. To start, give your children a clue that will lead them to the next clue. For example, “Go to the place that keeps your food cold”. The children will then go to the fridge/freezer to find the next clue and so on. The last clue will then lead them to their treasure (toy, snack, fun prize, etc.). You can do these inside of your home or outside. For extra fun have your children dress up as pirates/explorers and make the treasure hunts themed!

Neighbourhood Zoologist

Want to make walks or hikes more engaging for your children? Have them take a notebook and pencil to write down every animal you see in your neighbourhood. Your children can be zoologists and see how many animals they can find. Look for dogs, birds, squirrels, bunnies, etc. To add extra fun – bring binoculars, crayons to draw the animals, magnifying glasses, etc.

Outdoor Animal Yoga

Pretend you are your favourite animals while doing some exercises and stretches outside! This is a great activity for all ages as you can modify the difficulty of the yoga poses based on ability. Some yoga poses to try can be dog, cat, butterfly, flamingo, snake, frog, etc. Get creative and have your children choose what animals to do!

Summer Sports

There are a lot of fun outdoor sports and activities to play while enjoying the summer sun! Games such as Bocce Ball, Frisbee, Corn Hole, Horse Shoes and Ladder Ball are great family games to play outside. Some other activities that can be done outside are obstacle courses, chalk, bike rides, soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball, road hockey, and many other sports! Work on increasing your skills while getting some exercise outdoors!

Use caution while outside. Wear hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen while staying hydrated!