Fun Outings for Kids + Activities to go With Them!

Go on an outing with your kids, and then do an activity to go with it!

Here’s a list of ways to have fun with your kids (or grandkids or nieces and nephews or neighbors)! Go on an outing and then come home and do an activity that fits the theme of your outing. How cool is that?! This is a great way to make memories together, and it’s also a great way to sneak in a little learning. Plus, these activities are screen-free and a productive use of time. It’s a win all around!

Go to the Zoo, then Build Your Own Zoo

We just went to the zoo last month for my birthday! It’s actually still fun to go even though our youngest is 11. My teens still enjoy the zoo.

After your visit to the zoo, come home and build your own zoo! You can do this with LEGO bricks, cardboard tubes, or even pipe cleaners.

We have instructions for Building LEGO Animals – lion, monkey, kangaroo, bear, and more. We have tons actually!

We also have some Zoo Animal Photo Cards that are very useful for drawing inspiration or for building with LEGO bricks or any other building toy. You can print the cards or use them on a phone or tablet.

Then here’s are some adorable Pipe Cleaner Animals to make.

Or, try making animals out of toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls! If you prefer, you can purchase cardboard tubes at the craft store, although I find them to be a little too thick to cut easily.

Another fun zoo idea is to use KEVA planks for fences so that you can build your own zoo for plastic toy animals.

Take a trip the an Aquarium and then make Fish Tessellations

This Fish Tessellation art project is so much fun! We’ll show you how to make your own tessellating fish, or you can print our template. So colorful, and the finished artwork looks amazing.

Visit a Local Farm or Farmer’s Market, then Make Butter in a Jar

If you are able to visit a farm that has fresh milk from their cows, then you can make butter using the cream that rises to the top of the milk. If not, you can easily make butter in a jar using heavy whipping cream from the grocery store.

You can find the instructions for making butter in a jar here.

We did this with our ranch school kids this spring, and it was a big hit! Be sure to have a loaf of bread on hand to eat with your butter.

Another fun project to do after visiting a farm is to plant your own seeds.

Here’s a fun way to plant seeds in a jar so that you can watch them sprout! You can easily transfer them to a garden or flower bed.

Visit a Log Cabin or Historical Site, then Design Your Own Quilt

Here in our area, we have Log Cabin Village in Fort Worth. If you live in the Dallas – Fort Worth area, I highly recommend it! The last time we were there, they had one cabin set up for pretend play with costumes, play food, a cooking stove, etc, and the kids absolutely loved it.

After you visit a log cabin or other historical home, it’s fun to make your own quilt!

If you have the ability to teach your kids to sew, that would be tons of fun. If not, we have a simple way to make a quilt with fabric, cardboard and glue.

See it here: Quilt Craft for Kids

Visit an Art Museum and then Create your Own Works of Art

Can you believe that I had never taken my kids to an art museum until last month?? Yes, it’s shocking. It seems like we always had a toddler or a preschoolers and art museums are not all that fun with one of those!

However, I took my 11 and 13 year olds to two art museums a few weeks ago, and one of the museums actually had a family friendly area with hands-on art activities for kids.

So go to a museum, and then come home and create your own art!

The photo below is a painting that my second son did 6 years ago when he was only 13. He is a very talented artist!

But you don’t have to have a lot of talent to have fun with art. Get out paper, markers, watercolor paints, or whatever you have. There are tons of YouTube channels if you need some inspiration! Art for Kids Hub is a great one to start with.

Go on a Hike to Collect Rocks, and then do Rock Painting

For this outing, you’ll need to make sure that you choose a place to hike that allows visitors to collect rocks. State and national parks do not allow visitors to take anything out of the park.

After you’ve collected your rocks and washed them, it’s time to find some fun inspiration for rock painting. Here are more than 50 Rock Painting Ideas for Kids!

We like to use a combination of acrylic paints and Sharpie oil-based paint pens.

Visit a Park You’ve Never Been to, and then Build a LEGO Playground

We love finding new parks to check out, and the great thing is that this activity is FREE! Try out a new playground, and then build your own playground out of LEGO bricks.

My daughter built this fun playground, and I love the features she added.

Visit a Fire Station

Go to a Big City and then Make a City Skyline Craft

We live in the Dallas – Fort Worth metroplex, so we can easily drive to either city and experience downtown. It’s fun to be close to a city (but not living in it)! If you have a major city that is close enough for a day trip, it’s fun to explore and enjoy the architecture.

Then come home and do a city skyline craft! We’ve got a couple of options.

One of my favorite crafts ever is this Scrap Wood City Skyline. You can make this with whatever scraps of wood you have on hand!

Another fun idea is to use cardboard from cereal boxes or shipping boxes to make a Cardboard City Skyline Collage.

More Ideas for Outings and Activities:

• Go to the library or a bookstore, and then write your own story
• Go to the grocery store and choose a new food or a new recipe to try
• Find a factory in your area that offers tours