Outdoor Activities For 3-5 Year Olds For Physical And Mental Benefits

The outdoor activities for 3-5 year olds should not be limited to the local parks or the gardens outside. As a parent, you have to come up with new ideas to make it more engaging and exciting. No kids like to stay home all the time.

There are plenty of outdoor games and physical outdoor activities for your kid. From camping to hiking to the beach – there are lots of ideas. And they are important for his/her mental and physical development.

20 Outdoor Activities For 3-5 Year Olds

I have a 3 years old daughter and I have to come up with new ideas to make things interesting for her. They won’t be in the toddlers bed all the time! I read a lot and watched many YouTube videos to have ideas of such outdoor activities for 3-5 year olds near me.

I have short-listed such activities that you can apply right now.

Play Soccer

Energetic tots love to kick balls. Get a soccer ball and a goal post. Head towards outdoors. Now, it’s your job to teach your kid how to aim the ball towards the net. Do some practice on how to block the ball and kick it to the post.

Ride A Tricycle or Scooter

Every kid loves it. The age is just perfect to teach your kid how to ride a scooter or a tricycle. Whether you may find the tricycle as a safe option, I encourage the scooter too. Some scooters come with 3 wheels too for extra support. Visit Scooter Inside, for more information.

The good thing about such scooters is that your kids can play with it indoor too.

Go To A Botanical Garden

If you search it right, you can find a cool botanical garden for you. Nature has a unique way to develop the mental well-being of everybody including kids. If allowed, you kid can get hands-on experience on so many trees and other cool stuff.

Some botanical gardens have children areas, ponds, hikes to climb and so many other stuff for kids to explore.

Swimming

It’s fun and surely one of the greatest outdoor activities for 5 year olds in the summer season. It’s very important that your kids learn how to swim. If you already have a pool that’s great, if not go to your local YMCA. Get all swimming safety gears including swim clothes. Stay alert when your kid is in the pool.

Outdoor Picnic

Even if it’s in your local park, that would be great! You can welcome the summer day with a family picnic in your local park. You can bring food whatever you normally have for lunch or make it exciting with a full meal. It’s good for the mental development of your kids to have a picnic every now and then.

Walk Or Run On Local Track

Every neighborhood has a school or college campus, right? If they have a publicly available running track, you can take your kid there. Run or walk around the track along with your 3 years old. Encourage her to count the lapses. It’s one of the best physical development activities for 3-5 year olds and a great way to keep your body fit too.

Build Your Own Race Track

If they don’t allow to use their tracks, you can build your very own yourself. This is what you should do. Create a pattern in your garden unraveling a ball of string. You know how a track should be, apply your imagination. Once you have made the race track, send your kid to race there with her trike or a ride-on car.

Water Painting

It needs a little more explanation. You can let your kid building a temporary fence around the garden. For that, just give her a bucket full of water and a big paintbrush. Again just ‘water’ not any actual paint. The sun will eventually dry the fence but your kid will have huge fun.

Visit Any Fruit Firm

If you don’t, maybe your family-friends have some fruit firms. Drive a few hours if you have to, but take your kids to the firms to give them a whole new level of experience picking fresh fruits. From feeding farm animals to picking strawberries, your 3 to 4 years old can do them all while enjoying it a lot.

Treasure Hunting

How about treasure hunting as your outdoor games for 3-4 year olds? It’ really exciting for the toddlers. To make it more fun and exciting, leave clues for your kid to unravel. You can hide the clues here and there like under a flower or under a plant pot. Leave a little bit exciting prize for the last hurdle.

Tennis, But Balloon Tennis!

Your kids and you will get huge fun playing tennis. There will be lots of running and body movements, so it’s a prime one among all great physical development activities for 3-5 year olds too. There are lots of kids tennis balls and bats available. Or you can play balloon tennis too.

Play With Water Table Or Sandbox

Your kids can play this with sand, dried rice, water, etc. Kids love exploring them with their senses. These outdoor games for 3-4 year olds can keep them engaged and entertained. Add some few props to make it more fun. If you go for water, floating balls and boats will be a good idea. For sands and fried rice, you can add kids toy trucks and shovels!

Participate In Outdoor Chores

While it’s true that engaging kids to complete any outdoor chores will prolong the task but you can take it as an activity and teach your kids a very important lesson. Start by simply showing how to complete a certain task and encourage them to engage. Let them water the bushes, rake the leaves,  and so on.

Enjoy Local Festivals

Apart from the annual fiesta, take your kids to the local festivals to celebrate various cultures. Depending on your community, take your kids to celebrate Italian, Mexican, French, etc. cultures. They will meet new people which is crucial to develop social skills for kids.

Summing Up

Apart from the above-mentioned points, there are lots of outdoor activities for 3-5 year olds near you. As a parent, you just have to have the willingness, and I can’t stress it enough how crucial it is to take your kids outside. No one said growing kids is easy, but you should always try to do your best.