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The Great Backyard Bucket List

The Great Backyard Bucket List

Looking for fun and easy ways to get outside with your kids this summer? We’ve gathered dozens of low-cost, high-smiles ideas. Perfect for porches, parks, and backyards, no special equipment required!

Creative Fun

  • Camp out in the backyard.
  • Put on a backyard play or puppet show.
  • Build a maze with ropes or lawn objects.
  • Create a chalk race track for bikes or scooters.
  • Make a time capsule and bury it.
  • Set up a “restaurant” and serve nature meals.
  • Write kind messages on rocks and hide them.
  • Do a backyard “photo safari” with a camera or phone.
  • Build a treasure map and go on an adventure.
  • Make backyard bingo boards and play with friends.

Animal Fun

Explore Nature

  • Go on a backyard scavenger hunt.
  • Go on a bug safari. Observe, don’t squish!
  • Build a stick fort or hideout.
  • Collect leaves and make rubbings with crayons.
  • Create a fairy or gnome garden from natural items.
  • Find five different bird calls and mimic them.
  • Look for animal tracks in mud or dirt.
  • Watch clouds and guess their shapes.
  • Hunt for “rainbow nature”. Find something of each color.
  • Start a nature journal.

Garden & Grow

  • Plant sunflowers or herbs and track their growth.
  • Start a compost pile and learn what goes in it.
  • Grow something from a kitchen scrap (lettuce, carrot tops).
  • Make a bird feeder with peanut butter and seeds.
  • Build a bug hotel from sticks and pinecones.
  • Try worm watching after it rains.

Mindfulness & Reflection

  • Do a “5 Senses” walk: what do you see, hear, smell, feel, taste?
  • Write a poem or story inspired by your backyard.
  • Try “cloud meditation” by lying out on a big blanket or towel outside and watching clouds for 10 minutes.
  • Make a backyard gratitude tree and add to it each day.
  • Take a “solo sit” and write or draw your thoughts afterward.
  • Journal about your favorite outdoor moments each week.
  • Share three things you’re proud of each week with your family.
  • Create a “backyard joy jar”. Add a memory each day.
  • Celebrate the end of summer with a backyard parade or party!

Water Play

  • Make a homemade sprinkler with a hose and a water bottle.
  • Have a sponge toss (instead of water balloons).
  • Create a DIY slip ‘n slide on the lawn.
  • Play drip-drip-splash (a twist on duck-duck-goose).
  • Build a mini “creek” with tin foil and water.
  • Water the garden or trees— barefoot!
  • Play water limbo with a hose.
  • Freeze toys in a bowl of water and “excavate” them.
  • Fill containers of different sizes and pour, measure, splash!
  • Race boats made from leaves and twigs in a puddle.

Movement & Games

  • Set up a backyard obstacle course.
  • Play tag, but with silly rules (hop only, crawl, etc.).
  • Try classic games like Red Light, Green Light, or Mother May I.
  • Do a backyard yoga or stretching session.
  • Run relay races with silly challenges.
  • Try balance beam walking on a log or a line of tape.
  • Hopscotch: Use chalk or draw in the dirt!
  • Play shadow tag.
  • Freeze dance outside with a speaker or just clapping.
  • Make up your own game and teach it to a friend or sibling.

Backyard Science & STEM

  • Make a volcano with baking soda and vinegar.
  • Chart the sun’s path with a stick and shadows.
  • Make a sundial.
  • Build a catapult or a simple pulley.
  • Set up a nature lab with dirt, seeds, and water.
  • Observe how ice melts in the sun vs. the shade.
  • Build a ramp and race toy cars or balls.
  • Explore the physics of swinging or seesaws.
  • Look for constellations at night.

Backyard Art

  • Paint with water on a fence or driveway.
  • Try nature painting with leaves or pine needles.
  • Make sidewalk chalk murals.
  • Build rock towers and decorate them.
  • Create nature mandalas with petals, sticks, and stones.
  • Tie-dye shirts or cloth with natural dyes (like berries or turmeric).
  • Use sticks to “draw” in the sand or dirt.
  • Make a sun print with construction paper and objects.
  • Decorate a tree with handmade ornaments or messages.

Teamwork & Family Fun

  • Play flashlight tag at dusk.
  • Have a backyard picnic.
  • Read a book together under a tree.
  • Do a family talent show outside.
  • Have a game night with giant lawn games.
  • Stargaze and share wishes or stories.
  • Make a backyard time-lapse video.
  • Plant a tree or dedicate a spot in the yard to something special.
  • Interview a grandparent or neighbor about their favorite outdoor memory.
  • Write and send thank-you notes to local park rangers or outdoor workers.

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