Sep 2

12 Ways to Fill Labor Day With Outdoor Fun for Kids of All Ages

by Meghan Fitzgerald

Summer is winding down, and the smell of Fall is in the air. For many families, summer weekends, especially long ones like Labor Day are a super time to gather and connect outdoors with friends and family. Though kids can find a way to have fun anywhere, if you’re hosting or helping to plan a get together, it can help to have some activities in your back pocket—especially activities that are versatile and open-ended enough to engage and appeal to kids of different ages and stages. Mixed-age play and learning is what we do at Tinkergarten. So here are a few of our favorite games or activities to offer at your Labor Day soiree. 

Try them, and yet let kids take them in whatever direction works for them—even if that means that they move on to other things!

Water and Ice Play 

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Babies: If your soiree includes wee ones, create a space for babies to play together! If it’s hot, water and ice play can keep babies engaged, happy and cool. If babies are on their bellies, set out cookie sheets filled with safe objects that have great colors, textures, and scents. Freeze some small towels or pieces of cloth so they can feel them and teethe on them. If you want to offer water, let baby splash in a bowl or bin of water. Just keep an eye out all the time to make sure play stays safe.

Toddlers: For wee ones who can sit up or move around, fill low bins with water and ice and place them within reach. Add in slices of cucumber or citrus to add color, scent and even taste! Freeze water in cups or muffin tins to make larger chunks that last a bit longer in the heat, or use donut pans to freeze rings of ice for toddlers to pick up. Throw in some scoops for kids to collect and dump water, too!

Preschoolers: Water play never gets old, so don’t be surprised if bigger kids want in, too! Offer a few kitchen tools like muffin tins, bowls and measuring spoons to spark imaginative cooking play. If you are worried about helping kids keep a healthy distance, place conatiners in a circle so kids can each play at a safe distance while they are still able to see see, hear and inspire one another.

Ribbons

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Babies and toddlers: Put out a basket of colorful ribbons for babies and toddlers to pick up and explore. Pure joy. (Avoid ribbons with wires or sharp edges.)

Preschoolers and School-Aged Kids: Got ribbon? Got string? That's all you need for Squiggle play! Cut big pieces of it and sprinkle it all over the yard. Who knows what they will become? Add in sticks, too, and the possibilities grow. You may see kites, snakes, dragons, tails, fishing lines, magic wands...or just some fun movement play. Only the kids know for sure what their imaginations will invent! Check out our DIY Squiggle Activity for even more ideas.

Have a Ball (or many balls!)

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You can never go wrong with round things! Gather up all of the balls you’ve got—include balls of different sizes and colors (Shop for even more here). Round things spark joy and naturally invite exploration, and just having a bunch in one bin can welcome all kinds of play. Want to suggest some ways to play with the balls? Here’s a few favorites:

  • Babies: Play peek-a-boo! Offer containers with varying sized holes and invite babies to try to put balls of different sizes inside and out again. Have a cardboard box? Cut out round holes to make ball-shaped places to put balls in and take balls out.
  • Toddlers: Set up a ramp by propping an object with a flat surface (e.g. a cookie sheet, cutting board or piece of cardboard) against a sturdy object in your play space (i.e couch cushion, tree stump). You can also make blocks or books available for stacking. Place balls at the top and let go, showing delight as the ball rolls down. Invite toddlers to try, too!

Preschoolers and School-Aged Kids: 

  • Try the parachute pop: Get an old blanket or bed sheet out, fill it with the balls, then get everyone to grab hold of the sheet and send the balls flying! Repeat. It is wildly joyful! For target practice, set out a large basket, bin or box and welcome kids to toss the balls into it. Older kids can challenge themselves to see how far they can stand and still get it in or add moves like spinning to their throw.
  • Messy Backyard: Split up in teams and put half of the players and half the balls on one side of the yard. Then put the other halves on the other side. As soon as someone yells, “go!”, friends can toss the balls back and forth, trying to get all of the “mess” (i.e. the balls) onto the opposite team’s side.  

Games

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Get Silly! (ages 0-100)

Host your own twist on the Olympic games by getting silly! Try some of our favorite ways in our Silly Olympics DIY activity. You can even turn them into events around the yard or park where you’re gathering. Welcome kids and adults to try them together, guide just the kids through the events or just let families or kids wander around and try the ones that appeal to them. 

Hide and Seek (ages 2+)

There are so many reasons that hide and seek has been around for thousands of years—and it scales so beautifully with age. Here are our favorite variations on the game by age: 0-2 years; 3-5 years; and 6 years +.

Never-Ending Tag (ages 4+)

As long as kids can run and can understand what it means to be tagged and to sit down, this game can work for a really large group! Basically everyone is it—all the time. As you all run around, everyone tries to tag other people. Once someone tags someone else, the tagged person sits down. That tagged person stays sitting down until the person who tagged them gets tagged. Then, they are back in the game trying to tag people again, and on and on. There’s also a great way to manage disputes. If two people think they tagged each other at the same time, a quick round of rock-paper-scissors breaks the tie. 

No matter who comes and what you set out, we wish you a Labor Day and tail end of summer that is full of joyful, purposeful play!

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Meghan Fitzgerald

Founder

After 20+ years as an educator, curriculum developer and school leader, I have my dream gig—an entrepreneur/educator/mom who helps families everywhere, including my own, learn outside. Prior to Tinkergarten®, I worked as an Elementary School Principal, a Math/Science Specialist & and a teacher in public and private schools in NY, MA and CA. I earned a BA with majors in English and Developmental Psychology at Amherst College, an MS in Educational Leadership at Bank Street College, and was trained to become a Forest School leader at Bridgwater College, UK. My worldview is formed in response to my environment, culture, family, identity and experiences. What I write in this blog will inevitably betray the blind spots I have as a result—we all have them! Please reach out if there are other perspectives or world views I could consider in anything I write about. I welcome the chance to learn and update any pieces to broaden our shared perspective!

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