Garden games

First published on Monday 1 August 2016 Last modified on Monday 21 December 2020

Letting your children experiment with those messy activities like garden games that you just can't cope with indoors is a great way to get them burning off some energy.

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After all, what could be better than all getting mucky together in the garden? All of these simple ideas for fun and games in the garden need some setting up but will delight and engage your child. And you can get as much or as little involved as you like ... you might even manage a peaceful coffee in while they work hard beside you.

Garden games all year round

Remember these ideas aren't confined solely to spring and summer; as long as it's dry the kids can wrap up warm and go outside any time of year.

Plus, read our Gardening with Children Guide for flowers, fruit, vegetables and ideas for special child-size miniature gardens.

Painter

Let your child be a Painter and Decorator. Use a sand bucket as a paint pot and give them a real 'grown-up' paint brush. Fill the bucket with water and a good splash of food colouring*. You can use red and blue and mix them to make purple. Let them paint the patio, side of the house, fence, slide, trees ...

Put the same water and colouring mixture into a plant sprayer (pick them up for a pound or two in a garden centre or supermarket) and let them spray paint too. Spread out lots of old newspaper all over the grass, patio etc. and let them spray paint the newspaper. Twist the nozzle and show them the different effects of a fine spray and a stronger jet of water.

*Please remember that food colouring may stain so you might want to check a small patch first to see if it washes out completely afterwards. You could always simply let the kids loose with plain water ...they'll have just as much fun!

Cleaner

If it's a wet day, you can do the above activity inside by turning it into a cleaning game. Use the same plant sprayer but without the food colouring, or to be more authentic use an empty kitchen or bathroom spray bottle very well washed out and filled with water (if you do this write your child's name clearly on the bottle so you and they know which one is theirs).

Give them a cloth or duster and let them spray and wipe the kitchen walls, kitchen floor, fridge, door, maybe the bathroom tiles and bathroom floor? Lower window panels? Be enthusiastic about their wonderful help!

Mud pies

Choose a little designated patch of ground and use a trowel or spade to dig it over a bit so the mud is loose. Give your child a little watering can, sprayer or washing up bottle filled with water. Let them dig holes, fill them with water and watch the water disappear. Maybe dig a little hole and pop a little bowl in as a small 'pond' and decorate it with floating flowers and leaves.

Use little plant pots to make mud castles. Make flags from flowers and decorate all around with little stones. Give them an old wooden spoon and a bowl, or pot and let them make delicious mud pies with mud, water, grass, leaves and other delicacies.

Art attack

This is a great activity for the garden or you could do it on the kitchen floor with lots of newspaper underneath if the weather's not so good. This is also a fab activity for several children to do together.

Get a roll of wall paper (lining paper is good and cheap). An alternative (and better in some ways as it doesn't curl at the edges) is a pack of disposable white paper table clothes. Get your child to lie on the paper and draw all the way around them so you have an outline of your child. Then let them decorate it.

You could use hand prints all over in different colours. Or you could let them do it with their feet by standing in the paint and walking on the paper (have a washing up bowl of water for washing hands or feet between colours). Or you could have lots of glue and brushes and let them do it as a giant collage using leaves, sticks and other things they can find in the garden.

Body painting

Provide some finger paints or water based paint blocks and some water (in a bucket or washing up bowl). Let your child take their clothes off and paint their feet, legs, arms and tummies. They will be just fascinated by the idea and it's wonderful to occasionally allow them the freedom to do this.

When they've finished, pop them in the paddling pool, rinse them off with a bowl of warm water or just bundle them into the shower or bath. Remember to take lots of photos first!

Cooking

Fill 5 or 6 plastic bowls with kitchen ingredients: one of flour, one of pasta, one of lentils, one of porridge oats, and any other dry ingredients from the store cupboard. Give them a big saucepan and a selection of cutlery - wooden spoon, table spoon, teaspoon, ladle and some plastic cups and jugs with water.

Keep the water to a small amount at a time and refill as necessary or they'll just tip it all in at a once. Perhaps keep a jug of water close to hand and get the kids to come to you for refills. If they have a toy kitchen, bring that outside and let them use it 'for real'. Do this on the grass if possible as it can leave a bit of a sticky mess on the patio but you can just sweep it up and throw a bucket of water over it. The birds will do the rest!

Teddy Bears picnic

Decide who you are going to invite. It could be a neighbour and their child, or a friend or just your child's Garden gamesfavourite teddy or doll. Make little invitations and deliver them. Make party hats from newspaper, painted and decorated if you wish, and make smaller hats for the teddies. If you have a tea set, bring it into to the garden, or pack it up for the park, or indoors if it's not such a nice day.

Make tiny sandwiches: just use a sharp knife to cut a sandwich into little 1/2 inch pieces. Maybe make miniature buns or cakes using petit four cases. Those little packets of iced gem biscuits always look lovely. Cut up tiny slices of carrot or cucumber, and sliced strawberries for afters. Lay the whole thing out on a picnic rug or tablecloth. Maybe even put real tea in the dolls' tea pot and real milk in the jug!

Take the indoors out

Bring some indoor toys into the garden for immediate renewed play value! A train track can be built around a tree or through a bush. Tunnels can be built using stones and branches. Engine sheds can be made in tree roots or under shrubs.

Your child's favourite characters can have whole new adventures outdoors: climbing trees, perhaps splashing in bowls of water, having picnics, playing hide and seek, or sharing your child's outdoor toys: dolls can be pushed on swings or little cars can zoom down slides. The only limit is your imagination!

Drawing on walls

Something every toddler has at least thought about! Offer your child a stick or two of chalk and let them draw on the outside walls.

Brick walls or fences make a great giant canvas for your child's first mural. Then give them a sponge and some water for just as much fun washing it all off.

Extra tips:

Take a look at the ELC website for supplies - you can get an extensive range of arts and crafts materials, such as child-friendly paints and big packs of paper. You can also buy a great selection of gardening equipment for the kids too, such as mini tool sets and watering cans, as well as picnic sets just made for pretend tea parties!

Provide regular snacks of fruit: strawberries, raspberries, plums, melons, pears...this will keep their energy up between meals. When the experts say avoid chocolate and crisps they have a point! Although it gives the kids a quick sugar high, it also gives them a very fast drop in sugar too which leads to whinging, arguing, tantrums and the sort of behaviour guaranteed to spoil your time outside.

When doing these activities outside, remember to use lots of suncream on your child and a sun hat too, even in the spring if temperatures creep up.