Outdoor Activity Ideas for Homeschool Kids

Most recently updated January 20th, 2022

Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

Home school kids need to get outdoors in the sunshine and play – for their physical and mental health and for ours, too.

If you’ve recently  become a remote worker AND a home-schooler all at once,  courtesy of COVID-19, you’re probably already running short on patience.

Getting outdoors, either in your own yard or in a local park or forest, can help boost the entire family’s mood and immune system.

Sitting still for long periods of time is hard for everyone, but it’s especially difficult for energetic young ones who may have shorter attention spans.

When children have the space and freedom to move around, they can work off their excess energy and be more focused on learning when playtime is over.

Through physical outdoor learning activities children can improve their speed, strength, stamina and motor skills, too.

Here are some ideas for incorporating outdoor time into your new at-home daily schedule, and some tips on places to go for outdoor fun where you can still avoid crowds, for social distancing purposes.

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Where I live in North Carolina, Springtime is the most beautiful time of year, and arguably the best time to be outdoors.  Fall comes in second for me only because I have Fall allergies 🙂

The trees and flowers are blooming in the Spring, and the temperatures have not yet reached the uncomfortably hot and humid heights of the summer season.

In the Fall, temps are cooling down again and the leaves burst into bright reds, yellows and oranges.

There Is No Escape

Have a Plan

When you aren’t leaving home to go to the office or school every day, you get even less physical activity than you’re used to.

There are no conference rooms to get to or stairs to walk, no long hallways that lead to the printer or bathroom, and no long walk to and fro your car in the parking lot.

Kids, similarly, have no scheduled gym classes or active play times – even squirrelly kid interactions with classmates take energy they’re not expending at home.

Stick To A Schedule

People without strong self-discipline or new to working from home and homeschooling can feel overwhelmed by the relative freedom of a flexible schedule.

To ensure that you don’t lose the forest for the trees, create an hourly schedule that sets times for work, learning, meals and leaves plenty of time to take active breaks.

Here’s a sample daily schedule:

• Workout (grownups)  –  6:00am
• BREAKFAST –   7:15am
• WORK/STUDY – 8am to  9:45am
• SNACK – 9:45am-10am
• ACTIVE BREAK (walk or play) 10am-10:30am
• WORK/STUDY – 10:30am to Noon
• LUNCH BREAK – Noon to 1pm
• WORK/STUDY – 1pm to 3pm
• SNACK – 3pm-3:15pm
• ACTIVE BREAK (walk or play) 3:15pm-4pm
• WORK/STUDY – 4pm to 5:30pm
• End of Day

Choose your working hours and break times and adhere to them as best you can.  But, as we know, things change and stuff happens, so don’t be too upset if the schedule slips a bit .

It’s your schedule to bend or break as you need to  🙂

It might also help if you spend your evenings and weekends on chores and other family activities the same as you did when you were leaving home every day for school and work.

You’ll feel better emotionally and mentally with an organized, productive and varied daily routine.

Find a Space

If you have a home gym or a play room, you might find it easier to have shorter play or active sessions in your home, deck or back yard.

For longer breaks, or if the weather is really great, you may want to venture out for a walk or a bike ride in the neighborhood or on some local trails.

Play at Home

Any indoor games that require moving around are good ones.

If you don’t have any of those at hand, a good game of Hide and Seek could get the little goobers moving.   

You might even instigate a pillow fight, or a dance-off!

Playing outdoors in the yard or on the deck with balls, jump ropes, croquet, frisbees, etc are all good active breaks at home, too.

Something a little less active outdoors like sidewalk chalk or blowing bubbles are also good options 🙂

Outdoor Play at a Park

You should make it a point to leave the house at least once a day on an activity break or after the work/school day with your kids.

You and the kids could walk or bike to meet a friend for lunch, take your dog or kids to hang out at the park, or take a simple walk to the nearest drugstore, grocery store or gas station for a small treat.

By getting out of the house, you’ll get some physical activity, social interaction, and also enjoy some new scenery.

Here are some local, kid-friendly places with trails or greenways.  In order to avoid too many people, I recommend visiting during non-peak hours (not during lunch or after work hours).

Click on the park name to see the full article:

Bond Park – This is a great park for kids and adults looking for a running route. This article contains overview of the park, by three detailed walking/running routes, and one mega-route for a longer adventure.  Two of the routes I share are baby jogger and stroller-friendly.

Lake Crabtree County Park –  Lake Crabtree County Park offers visitors a 520-acre lake adjacent to a  215-acre wooded site, with 16-plus miles of hiking and biking trails, picnic areas that are perfect for outdoor games, boating, geocaching and catch-and-release fishing.

Pullen Park –  Established in 1887, Pullen Park is the oldest public park in North Carolina, and is open all year round. The 66-acre park is a fun place for all ages, but with a historic carousel,  kiddie boats and a  miniature train, it’s especially fun for younger kids.

NCMA Park –  The NCMA Park’s trail system of both paved and unpaved paths leads visitors through natural areas and to commissioned works of art.  Designed for hiking, walking, and jogging, the unpaved natural trails allow visitors to experience art and nature combined. Cyclists may use the paved trails.

Lake Pine –  The Lake Pine Trail is a paved loop that circles the lake in Apex Community Park.  It’s a great trail for running or walking, is smooth and wide enough to use your stroller or baby jogger, too – and is good for all skill levels.  There’s also a one-mile natural walking trail, a boat launch and a fishing pier.

JC Raulston Arboretum –  The JC Raulston Arboretum is a great place to get outdoors with smaller children and explore without any admission or parking fees.  Many different small gardens display new types of plants and also hardscape designs. Pathways are either hard-surface or unpaved.

Prairie Ridge EcoStation –  The Prairie Ridge Ecostation ,the west Raleigh branch of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences  offers outdoor experiences and learning for kids and adults year-round, and charges no admission.  Restored grasslands, wetlands, and forested bottomlands are interspersed with a series of short hiking trails.  There’s also an outdoor classroom, a nature neighborhood garden, and a nature playspace.

And, the below are probably better for older kids:

Umstead State Park – With 22 miles of hiking trails, 13 miles of bridle trails, tent/trailer camping, and primitive camping available, Umstead State Park is by the most convenient hiking venue else in the area.  The trails are good for kids and adults, novices and experienced hikers – -and there is no park entrance fee.

Longer Trails for Distance Training –  If you’re looking for a day-long outing on less populated trails,  you can create your own long hikes, with Umstead State Park as a starting point.  This article lists 10 different trail combinations to keep you outdoors on the trail, but close to home, all day long!

NOTE:  Please check individual park websites before you go to see any facility or trail closures.

UPDATE:  MOST PARKS IN NORTH CAROLINA ARE STILL AT LEAST PARTIALLY CLOSED DUE TO COVID-19 GOVERNMENTMANDATES.   

Other parks and greenways remain open – please check individual park websites before heading out.    Also, most public restrooms and water sources remain closed in North Carolina.  Please plan ahead for that.

Drink Plenty of Water

Make sure you stay hydrated, and bring plenty of extra water and snacks on your outdoor adventures.

It’s still Springtime, but it can still get pretty warm, especially in the southern States.

Dehydration can lead to fatigue and headaches, and we already have enough of those!  🙂

Also remember, park facilities are closed right now, so have everyone use the restroom before you leave home.

Bend With the Wind

Having the option to work from home and let kids do distance-learning in times of need is fantastic. 

And even during normal times, in some circumstances, it just makes more sense to log-in remotely.

Whether or not it works for your family in the long-term  depends on the type of work you do, your personality, and the current situation.

If you’re a person who really likes in-office interaction, and would prefer to let teachers do their thing with your kids at a brick and mortar school, you’ll probably have a hard time with remote work and school.

But sometimes we don’t have a choice.

My advice is to take a deep breath, enjoy this bonus time at home with your kids as much as possible,  and remember it’s just temporary.   🙂