When the weather is good, getting out in the garden is one of summers pleasures. I am sure that most of you, like me, have a garden littered with an array of brightly coloured plastic toys, balls, bats, bikes, scooters, slides etc. However children often tire of their toys and are quick to announce “I’m bored……..”.  So to make the most of the good days we have in the garden here are some other ideas to amuse those bored with their toys!

1.  Water painting – an absolute favourite as it’s cheap and quick to get ready and has no lasting effects! Simply get an empty container of water and an old paint brush and set them off painting patterns, writing names or even a whole picture.

2.  Open Air Art gallery – works in a very similar way but using chalks. Allocate the children some paving slabs each do draw their works of art on then they can give you a guided tour. Washes away easily with water or the next rainy day.

3.  Be pirates – hide ‘treasure’ in a sand pit or patch of soil that is free for digging. The treasure can be anything from pegs to silver foil or sweets to real 1p coins. Award prizes for the pirate with most treasure.

4.  Go on a bug hunt – this activity is great for walking slowly and quietly round the garden. See how many creepy crawlies you can find hiding under leaves and stones. A variation on this is to go into the garden straight after some rain and see how many worms you can find!

5.  Fill it up – this is a game I remember playing at Brownies many years ago! Give each child a small container (a washed out yoghurt pot or similar) and see who can collect the most different things that fit in it within 5/10/20 minutes. A good game for older children to play in teams with younger children.

6.  Play camping – set up a ‘tent’ using an old blanket or sheet draped over a clothes airier, chairs or some canes.  A great place to have a picnic as well. Collect sticks for a pretend campfire.

7.  A big box – most children have fantastic imaginations and just need some help to get it started. Have a look in the garage or loft to see if you have a spare box, otherwise you may manage to find one at your local shop (supermarkets tend to flatten everything these days), and the bigger the better. It can become anything – a boat, a car, a space rocket, a shop, a castle – the variations are endless!

8.  Sports day – this can be as simple or as complicated as you want. Start with some simple running races, and then you can try a sack race (a decent bin bag will suffice), an obstacle course, skipping or even an egg (hard boiled) and spoon race.

9.  Target – again a nice simple one. Simply draw a series of targets or shapes on a wall away from windows and get children to aim at them with a ball. If you are feeling adventurous you could let them use a wet sponge or water balloon.

10.  Natural art – allow the children to collect leaves, grass, twigs, pebbles, feathers  and anything else they can find and then use to create a collage picture, pattern or sculpture – can be done individually or all together. Take a photo as a reminder of their hard work.

Once they have been introduced to something, children will often play it over and over again, so these ideas should ensure a busy and happy summer in the garden! And if you have ideas of your own please leave a comment and share the fun!

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