40 local activities to do with your children, anytime a year! It’s summertime! It’s hot and as much as you would like to stay indoors and watch Netflix, it’s important to find activities to do with kids.

When the leaves are falling there is great fun to be in nature, and for the most part, local activities are free or inexpensive. It’s a great way to get out of the house, meet new people and make new friends – and it benefits both adults and little ones.

Sometimes you need to leave your home to get “social”. This ensures that you and your children:

Explore different places and see different people. To really get out and see the world you do not need to go far. Local activities are quite often interesting and chances are that you will meet bunches of people that you do not know.

Realize that the experience is the thing – you don’t need to buy more stuff! Rather than a new toy that gets dropped after a day or two, create a memory instead, even if it is carving pumpkins, roasting the seeds and making some brownies afterward.

Have plenty of time to play outdoors. For parents, this is a big one. Adults don’t spend enough time outdoors, though it benefits just about every part of your body. Stretch, run, play ball – your kids will love that you are involved!

Our List of 10 Activities to do with Kids for Each Season:

Autumn/ Fall

When Autumn is upon us, there is so much fun to be had outside before the temperatures drop to cold.  Other activities you could try include:

1. Bike riding – the best time for a bike ride is when you don’t worry about it being too hot. Autumn is perfect bike riding season.
2. Spend an afternoon at a pumpkin patch
3. Go for a hike in the woods or local park
4. Watch birds or make a bird feeder for winter
5. Bake a gluten-free pumpkin dessert (okay, that happens indoors, but we all deserve a treat!)
6. Attend a fall festival near you and support them with your presence
7. Volunteer on a farm or help to harvest the last crops from a local garden or CSA
8. Enjoy a picnic
9. Collect the fallen leaves and create a fun craft with them
10. Prepare your garden for the winter

Winter

Winter weather varies all over the world. Some places see a lot of snow and others do not get very many cold days. This does not mean that there are fewer activities to do in one place or the other.

1. Go to the Library – Check out the storytimes and activities
2. Check out your local museum and learn more about your community
3. Throw some snowballs/ play catch
4. Build a snowman/ Build a fort outside
5. Build a fire and make s’mores
6. Go Ice skating/Rollerblading/Bike Ride
7. Leave out trails of food for winter animals
8. Go to the park (if it snowed it will be like a winter wonderland)
9. Create crafts inspired by the snow and cold weather
10. Bake cookies together to enjoy warm after playing in the cold

Spring

Spring has been a bit unpredictable in the last few years, temperature-wise. Once spring is here there are so many activities to do with kids. It is the perfect opportunity to get out any of that winter gloom by soaking up the sun.

1. Play at the park
2. Watch the T-ball games
3. Go fishing
4. Go out for a bike ride
5. Bring out the binoculars and find baby animals
6. Check out community festivals
7. Go to your local farms and pick the fruits/vegetables
8. Check out your state parks and walk the paths
9. Have a Barbecue with friends and family

Summer

Schools out summers in and it is time to have some fun. Whether you stay home or go on a family vacation there is fun to have in those long hot summer days.

1. Have a playdate in the sprinklers
2. Go to the beach or lake
3. Cool down in the pool or splash pad
4. Paint rocks and hide in the outdoor community for others to find
5. Play a water balloon/water squirter game
6. Change the garden out for the summer heat
7. Go puddle jumping
8. Create a nature scavenger hunt
9. Play with chalk outside
10. Make some homemade ice cream

If you really think about it, there is no good reason to stay inside snuggled up on the couch watching Netflix, the time to be active is now! Get out there and soak up as much fun and entertaining activities as you can.

What are your favorite activities to do with kids?