Last week, we posted about how to teach your children about safety and making friends on the park or playground. After pre-teaching your child about playing in the park, you might need some fun activities. Here are five activities you can do at the park or playground with your child:
- Hide the Button
This is a simple activity where one person hides a button or some type of object on the playground and players have to find it. The hider gives clues by telling the players they are getting warmer as they get closer, or they are getting colder as they get farther away.
- Giant Memory
Use large sheets of paper or paper plates to draw matching numbers, pictures, or symbols. Place them face down on a field or outside surface and take turns making matches. This is great way for your child to get moving while exercising their brain.
- Scavenger Hunts
Scavenger hunts can be a fun activity for children of all ages. There are many scavenger hunt printables online with items to find. You could also come up with your own items for children to find. You could adapt the difficulty level of the items to the child’s development and base the scavenger hunt on a theme such as nature, animals, colors, or shapes.
- Obstacle Courses
Playground structures provide excellent opportunities for obstacle courses. Keep your child entertained by giving them a series of tasks to complete. An example could be “Climb a ladder, then go down the slide, then swing for 30 seconds, and finally run to the picnic table.” Giving your child a time limit to complete the obstacle course can make it even more challenging and entertaining.
Yoga can be a great way to end the trip on a calm note after all the high-energy activities playgrounds have to offer. Here are a few nature themed yoga poses to try with children at the playground.
- Sun: Stand tall looking up and reach your arms to the sky, with your palms together.
- Bird: Stand on one leg and extend the other leg behind you, pretend your arms are wings and flap them like a bird.
- Tree: Stand on one leg, with the opposite knee bent and put the bottom of your foot on your inner thigh.
- Rain: Stand tall, and bend reaching for your toes, hanging your arms like rain that is falling.
- Planting a Garden: Start off standing tall, then get down to a squat, and pretend to plant seeds in a garden.
- Relaxing in the Park: Lie on your back with arms and legs stretched out, close your eyes and breathe.
Whatever activities you choose to do on the playground or at the park, have fun and stay safe!
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