7 Fun Summer Backyard Ideas to Try With Your Kids
If you’re looking for creative backyard ideas to try with kids, you’ll love these!
This summer, make the backyard a place where your kids want to play. Here are seven fun summer backyard ideas to help you keep the kids active and entertained right at home.
1. Find and Paint Rocks
We all know that drawing and painting can be some of the most relaxing activities you can do and you may be surprised by how much you enjoy painting rocks in your backyard. You can paint almost anything when you’re using rocks as your canvas. You can even draw inspirational messages on your rocks and hide them around your backyard, or neighborhood, for others to find. Making your own painted rocks is not complicated at all. A quick search around your backyard will probably produce a few large stones or rocks that you can decorate with the kids. Grab some small paint brushes, a few permanent markers, and some acrylic paint in a variety of colors. Then have fun creating cool painted rocks to decorate your backyard or flower garden. Painted rocks can make a great addition to any of your backyard landscaping ideas. You can find paint and other art supplies needed for this type of backyard project over on Zulily’s Craft & DIY Shop.
2. Have a kid’s car wash
Summers are hot! Let the kids cool off with some fun and soapy water play. Now if you ever search the interwebs for kiddie car wash backyard ideas, you’ll find some parents getting pretty fancy with these, using PVC pipes to create drive-thru type structures that sprinkle water from every which way. I’m not asking you to get fancy like that! For maximum fun, with minimal work, just turn on the good ol‘ hose or blast your kid’s favorite sprinkler set. Set up some big sponges in a bucket full of soapy water. Then let the kids have a blast washing everything in sight. They’ll love washing themselves, their toys, and might even volunteer to wash your car. For added fun for little kids, bring out their favorite toddler toys and give them a trip through the kiddie car wash too. Visit my blog for even more fun ways to beat the summer heat!
3. Set up a backyard campsite
If you’re dreaming of an epic summer vacation but find it impossible to get away, here’s a backyard idea you might enjoy. Just grab some sleeping bags, pitch a small tent, and set up the camping chairs around a fire. Then spend time cooking together, roasting s’mores, and star gazing once the sun goes down. You’ll make some fun summer memories without even setting foot past your lawn. Turning your backyard into your own personal campsite is fun and a pretty easy way to experience the great outdoors. Also, no car to pack and no one asking you, “Are we there yet?”
The Camping and Hiking Shop has everything you need to easily set up camp.
4. Create nature discovery bottles
While you’re enjoying the great outdoors, try this backyard idea! Have the kids collect interesting nature objects found right in your backyard. Ask them to find small rocks, leaves, plants, berries, even insects. Then use recycled soda or water bottles to display their specimens. Examine their nature discovery bottles and talk about the interesting things they found.
5. Find the best soap bubble solution
There are many easy science experiments you can try with kids this summer but here’s one you’ll want to do in your backyard. It’s easy to mix your own soap bubble solution with just a few ingredients you have at home. Grab some liquid soap, try different kinds. Pour some of the liquid soap into a recycled water bottle and add some water. Add food coloring for added fun! Let the kids experiment to find the best proportion of ingredients to blow the longest-lasting bubbles. This backyard idea will easily turn into your kids’ favorite outside science experiment. Do you know a kid that doesn’t love playing with bubbles?
6. Try Backyard bowling
Bowling is a crowd pleaser, but no one wants to spend their summer days inside a bowling alley. You likely already have the necessary supplies to make your own DIY backyard bowling game – a few recycled two liter soda bottles and a beach ball. Or you could purchase an inexpensive kid’s bowling set, like I did, and go for a strike! I purchased an adorable giant inflatable unicorn bowling set while shopping for toys and games right here on Zulily. My kids love it!
7. Turn any bottle into a rain gauge
This is an easy small backyard idea that can help you add a little more science to your summer days! Grab any large plastic container and a ruler. Set the container out on a rainy day and watch it fill up. Then use the ruler to monitor your water collection and see how it stacks up against meteorology reports in your area.
For even more inspiration, Zulily offers a ton of great Outdoor Play backyard ideas you should try this summer!
