Spending time with an entire family is very important if you want to build a healthy and strong bond between you, your children and your spouse. Therefore, using every free minute of your time to be together is the best thing you can do. What’s more, looking for family activities that you can all engage in together while spending time outdoors breathing in the fresh air will offer everyone a great time and be beneficial for your well-being too. Therefore, pick the next free weekend to spend some quality family time outdoors and consider incorporating some of the following activities into your schedule.

Camping

 

A campfire, marshmallows, and a night under the starry skies – it doesn’t get much better than that, does it? The night will be an even bigger delight if the entire family is together, so for the next outdoor activity, be sure to choose camping. You can go for one night, or an entire weekend in nature, and learn your little ones’ various survival skills, such as how to safely build and maintain fire, pitch a tent, or climb a tree in case of a predator attack. You can go kayaking, fishing, and swimming if you decide to camp near a lake.

If you don’t feel like going too far away from home, camping in your backyard is another great option. This will be especially convenient if your children might start feeling scared, uncomfortable or even cold outdoors, and you can easily cut the camping party short and have them sleep in their comfy warm beds.

Hiking

If you like to walk, and you need to start moving some more, taking an entire family hiking will be a great time to mix physical activity with family bonding. This can also be one of the activities to add to your camping weekend in nature and use sunny afternoons for exploring the woods or the mountains if you happen to find yourself near ones. Check out the map of your current location and see if you can reach some gorgeous viewpoints in a reasonable amount of time without making yourself or your children exhausted.

Also, if you decide to go hiking, remember to calculate the time of return before nightfall for everyone’s safety. Water is one of the essentials for hiking, so make sure you bring at least 1 litre per person. Wear hiking-appropriate clothes such as comfortable shoes with thick supportive soles or better yet hiking boots.

Put on layers of clothes, in case you get colder or warmer at some point, and you can easily relieve yourself. Pack rain gear if you think you might be surprised by rain, and don’t forget non-perishable food. Apples, fruit leather, bite-sized veggies, and sandwiches are perfect to eat on the go.

Bicycle Riding

 

What better way to spend time with your family than to start having regular bicycle rides around the town or even farther. Therefore, be sure to equip every family member with a bicycle and check out available bikes and bicycles for sale before you decide to spend a huge amount of money on a new vehicle that has no discount. Once you’re all set with your own bicycles, it’s time to start putting them to good use.

Go together to a park, cycle near the river or the beach, and maybe you can even go mountain biking once everyone has mastered their cycling skills. If you want to go on a picnic, forget about loading up the car, but grab your bikes and hit the road on two wheels.

Have you thought about spending a day at the beach maybe? Pack all your essentials in a bag and a backpack and you won’t need a car to transport you there. Just pack a few things in a bicycle basket, the rest can stay in your backpack, and you’ll be ready for some fun in the sun.

Go on a Picnic

 

Picnics are one of the best ways to spend time with family, catch up and enjoy delicious food. Pack a basket with some toast, jam, peanut butter, some fruit a full bottle of lemonade and you’re all set. Pack some toys as well, such as Frisbee, a kite, badminton set, and a volleyball. Once you’re done with your meal you can enjoy fresh air and throw a Frisbee or start playing volleyball.

If some family members don’t enjoy being active so much, a deck of cards or Yahtzee will offer them all the amusement they need. This way everyone will have fun and nobody will feel left out. Just as you can camp in your backyard, you can think about throwing a picnic at your home every once in a while, and avoid the routine of weekends, but introduce a bit of change that will make an entire family enjoy spending time together.

Playing a game of freeze tag or hide and seek will make this picnic the best one yet, having in mind that children love to run and play with their parents. Mix the best of the two, and let your little ones hide all over the backyard. If you play hide and seek in the park, make sure you set a boundary, so they wouldn’t go too far away or even get lost if the park is too big.

Skating

 

Skating is a wonderful full-body activity, that will not only be incredibly exciting, but it will also tone your body if you start doing it regularly. Therefore, the next time you don’t know what to do on a cold winter day, pack an entire family and go to the skating rink. Enjoy some hot chocolate while you’re there and warm up after a long skating session.

However, you can go roller skating when the weather is warmer, and still have a lot of fun with everyone. Skating will make your heart stronger, improve endurance, coordination, agility, and balance. It will also help you build muscle definition. So, if you want to work on improving your physical appearance and stamina, while also spending time with your loved ones, go roller skating.

Just make sure the little ones are well secured with all the protective gear and consider about wearing a helmet yourself too. This will be great for the kids as well because once they see you’re all about making yourself safe, they’ll want to follow the lead. Setting an example is of great importance for children’s development, so do your best to be a good role model.

Try Geocaching

Are you a fan of scavenger hunt? Does your little one love to play detective? If so, then a game of a gigantic outdoor treasure hunt that can award you with millions of prizes you’re likely to find in containers all around the world is the perfect activity that an entire family can enjoy. The game is called geocaching and it will take the entire family outside in a matter of minutes.

Even if some of the family members are not outdoorsy types, this game will appeal to them as well. You can discover new sites in your town, and let your kids learn all about navigation. All you need to do is create an account at geocaching.com, and you’ll get a map that you should later scan for geocaches near you.

You can use any GPS on the nearest gadget and start your quest. After finding the cache, make sure you sign and date the logbook, and record the score online. In order to take the prize in the cache, you’ll have to make sure you leave behind another type of treasure that some other geocachers can win.

Water Activities

 

Every kid loves to splash in the water, so why not mix a healthy activity with pure enjoyment. Take the family to the beach and enjoy soaking up the sun and swimming with your bundles of joy. Swimming is a full-body activity that will help you burn calories, define your body and offer you some quality time with your family.

If you don’t have a beach in your hometown, pack your bags and go to the local swimming pool, or better yet, a water park. With an array of slides and a bunch of thrilling kid-friendly activities, your children will have a blast. Whether you decide to go on a ride with them or maybe relax by the bar while you watch over them, the entire family will still be together and you’ll create memories for a lifetime.

Final Thoughts

Spending time in nature with your family is one of the best ways to mix healthy activity and pleasure. Whether you go camping, hiking, swimming, skating, geocaching, bicycle riding, on a picnic or even to a water park, as long as an entire family is gathered, you’ll have the time of your life. Making new memories with your loved ones is always a time well spent so do your best to always find at least a few hours, if not an entire weekend to take your family to some new place, explore all the wonders of this lovely planet and make memories that you’ll all be able to cherish forever.