by Teri Tolliver

Created on: March 09, 2009

A sunny day is such a welcome friend to any kid after a long winter indoors. As long as an activity involves the outdoors they couldn't be happier. Here's some sunny day activities that are sure to be a hit.

A simple picnic, on a blanket or at a table, in the park or right in your own back yard is a fun way to encourage family meal time. It doesn't even have to a be meal. Try planning your picnic during snack time, or right after school.

With Easter comes the traditional egg hunt, but the hunt doesn't have to end there. Since kids love hide and seek, why not have a scavenger hunt. Just make up a list before hand of hidden objects. Don't forget to add clues to help them find the items. Once you've hidden everything, give everyone participating a bag to stash their finds in. Then let the hunt begin! The winner is the person or team that finds the most hidden objects on the list.

Set up an obstacle course to encourage their gross motor skills. Map out a course with specific activities. You could begin with them crawling under the picnic table then running to swing and going down the slide. Next they would have to ride the big wheel or tricycle in a big circle two times. After that they could choose to either try to make a basket or do the hula hoop five times. Once they finish the last activity, then it starts all over again in the same order. You can always adjust the activities to meet their different ages and stages of development.

Bring out their creativity and let them color with side walk chalk or paint. If you have older kids let them decorate your vehicle with the washable window paint. This is also a cool way to show your team spirit before a big game. Face painting is popular too.

Go green and plant a garden, some flowers or a tree. Let them be a part of the care and maintenance by watering, weeding and such. They'll take more pride in the end result when they know they had a hand in helping it grow.

Running a lemonade or cookie stand is a fun way to let them practice their math skills and spark their interest for business. Make sure to keep them closely supervised to avoid any stranger danger.

You don't have to spend a lot of money or effort to entertain children. Just remember all they really want is to spend time with you in the first place. So let them see you live, laugh, and love all the sunny day activities you share together, whatever they may be.

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