#273: Hopscotch

Play hopscotch.




Using chalk, draw 8 or 10 boxes like shown above. (Using one colour is fine.) Next, you have to hop on one foot from box to box, starting at #1. Boxes that are beside each other (like #3 and #4) are jumped on with two feet. (So, hop off #2 and land on #3 and #4 at the same time with your left foot on #3 and you right foot on #4.) When you reach the end, turn around (still hopping) and hop back to the beginning, landing once in each box like you did before.

To make it trickier, toss a rock onto one of the boxes. The box that the rock lands on, you have to skip over (hop over) and you cannot land on it at all.


Make this a family activity: draw hopscotch on the sidewalk in front of your house/apartment and get the whole family playing.

This activity promotes strength and coordination.

#271: Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown is a playground game and is played on a teeter totter (if you find one!).


You will need two players. One person sits on their end of the teeter totter and the other person sits on the other end. One player is Charlie Brown and they pick a colour. They keep the other player in the air until they correctly guess the colour.

While in the air, the non-Charlie Brown player says: “Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown, please let me down”.
Charlie Brown replies: “Not until you guess my favorite colour”.

Once the colour has been guessed, Charlie Brown lets the other person down so they can become Charlie Brown.


Make this a family activity: Play with the whole family.

This activity promotes memory skills, balance and colour awareness.

#253: Watch the Sunset/Sunrise

Watch the sun rise or the sun set in the sky today. Do the clouds and sky change colour?




Make this a family activity: Get everyone together and sit with something warm to drink and watch the sky change colours.

This activity promotes appreciation for our Earth's beauty.

#237: Play Catch

Grab a ball, glove and a friend or family member and play catch. How many times can you pass it back and forth without dropping it?


Make this a family activity: Get the whole family out there catching the ball.

This activity promotes eye-hand coordination.

#232: Bird Watching

Watch birds. How many do you see? How many different kinds do you see? What kind are they? If you aren't sure, check a bird identification guide.




Make this a family activity: Take the whole family out to watch birds. Hint: Bird sanctuary's are good places for bird viewing.

This activity promotes visual identification skills as well as environment and creature appreciation.

#230: Tetherball

Let's play tetherball. Tetherball is a game where a ball is 'tethered' or tied to a pole. One person hits the ball around the pole in one direction and the other player hits the ball in the other direction. The first person to get the rope wrapped all the way around the pole going their direction, wins.




Make this a family activity: Have a family tournament.

This activity promotes timing and coordination.

#216: Fly a Kite

Hey, is it windy outside?

Go fly a kite!


Safety First: Make sure you fly your kite a long way away from telephone poles (overhead wires) and big trees. Also, never fly a kite during a thunder storm.


Make this a family activity: Take the whole family to the park to fly a kite.

This activity promotes timing skills.

#206: Have a Campfire/Bonfire

A bonfire is a large fire. You can make a small ‘bonfire’ or a 'campfire' in a fire pit.



Anybody know any scary stories? Roast marshmallows? Roast wieners?


Safety First: Never play with or around a fire. Make sure an adult sets up and lights the fire. Also make sure you have water ready to put out the fire.


Make this a family activity: Hey! It already is because you need an adult to build and tend to the fire.

This activity promotes camaraderie and an appreciation for the force of fire.

#177: Go To The Playground

Go to the playground. Is there a kid or two you don't know? Introduce yourself and play!




Make it a family activity: Take the whole family for a walk to the playground.

This activity promotes physical activity.

#173: Water Balloon Fights

Fill up water balloons with water and have a water balloon fight outside!



(Water balloons are a special balloon that are perfect for water balloon fights.)


Make this a family activity: Get the whole family in the water fight!

This activity promotes aim.

#167: Catch Butterflies

Let's go outside and catch butterflies!




When catching butterflies and moths, you must be gentle. They have a layer of special dust that coats their wings that is needed for their health and ability to fly.


This activity promotes curiosity and learning about flying insects.

#146: Scooter

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Go for a spin on a scooter. Don't have one? Try out a friend's.

Safety First: Remember your helmet!


This activity promotes balance and coordination.

#138: Find a Fossil

What is a fossil? A fossil is a plant or animal that's shape has been preserved in rock. Generally, fossils are over 10,000 years old.



If you live in an area with a lot of fossils, you might be able to find fossils right in your playground! Or, maybe the local museum has fossil digging camps, tours and day expeditions. If you don't have fossil beds (places with a lot of fossils) in your area, check out science museums. Sometimes interactive museums will have 'false' fossil beds where children can 'dig' for fossils.


Make it a family activity: Everyone goes on a fossil hunt together!

This activity promotes Earth and geological awareness.

#134: Horseshoes

The game of horseshoes is also called horseshoe pitching.

You will need a stake and two horseshoes for each player. Players stand back and throw their horseshoe at the stake. They are trying to get a "ringer". This means, their horseshoe is hooked around the stake.




Players get 3 points for a ringer. If both players score a ringer, they cancel each other out. 1 point is awarded for the horseshoe closest to the stake. The most points a player can get in a turn is 6. That would be two ringers with the other player getting none. The first to reach 21 points, wins.

Example of scoring:
Player 1: Two ringers. Player 2: Two ringers. = Nobody gets any points.
Player 1: Two ringers. Player 2: One ringer. = Player 1 gets 3 points.
Player 1: One ringer and second horseshoe is closet to the stake. Player 2: One ringer and second horseshoe is farthest from the stake. = Player 1 gets 1 point. (Ringers cancel each other out.)
Player 1: No ringer and one of their horseshoes is closest to the stake. Player 2: No ringer and horseshoes are farthest from the stake. = Player 1 gets 1 point.
*Note: Only 1 point is awarded per turn for a horseshoe closest to the stake. For example, neither player got a ringer and say player 1 had both horseshoes closer to the stake than the other player, they still only get 1 point that turn.


Make it a family activity: Break into teams and have fun!

This activity promotes physical activity.

#130: Jump on a Trampoline

Safety First: Make sure you have a spotter (someone to catch you if you fall) and jump in the middle of the trampoline.




This activity promotes coordination and physical activity.

#109: Find Cloud Animals

Find a nice comfy piece of grass, lay down and check out the clouds. Are there any that look like animals? As the clouds keep moving and changing, see what animals you can see.

Is that a dinosaur?

Make this a family activity: See what different animals each member of your family sees in a cloud.

This activity promotes imagination and shape recognition.

#88: Go For a Walk

It's spring!



Head outside for a walk. Bring the whole family and search for signs of the changing season or simply something new in your neighbourhood or area.


This activity promotes engaging in physical activity.

#84: Geocaching

Let's go outside and search for geocaches!



What is geocaching (gee-o-cashing)? Geocaching is like a treasure hunt using a GPS (global positioning satellite). (You will need a GPS unit and an Internet connection as well as a sense of adventure!)

By going on the geocaching website and entering your home coordinates (longitude and lattitude) or your postal/zip code, you can see where caches are hidden near you. Read about the cache you are interested in searching for and download the coordinates into your GPS. The next thing to do is follow your GPS to the 'treasure' (cache).

There are rules about geocaching such as, don't remove the cache (that means don't take it home) and rehide it well once you have signed its logbook. As well, some caches have trinkets that are for trading. If you would like to take something, make a trade with a trinket you've brought from home.

Be careful and watch for muggles (non-geocachers who may wonder what you are up to or remove the cache).

Learn more about geocaching on the official geocaching website.

Have fun!


This activity promotes navigation and orienteering skills as well as physical activity in the great outdoors.

#77: Play Fetch

Do you have a dog? Do you know a dog you could play with?



Most dogs love to play fetch. Toss a stick, ball or toy for them to chase and catch. Ask them to bring it back to you so you can throw it again. It might take a bit of patience and training at first, but soon you'll both be having a slobbery good time!


This activity promotes animal care and physical activity.

#65: Look for the First Robin of Spring

The 20th was the first day of Spring. Have you seen the first Robin of Spring yet? Take a look around outside--do you see one?

If you don't have Robins where you live, what are some of the first signs of Spring where you live?

This activity promotes season identification and visual identification skills.