29 Outdoor Activities for Teens and Tweens
Wishing your kids were more active? Ge them moving with these outdoor activities for teens and tweens!
For many people, it’s difficult to spend so much time indoors, and to be honest it isn’t healthy. It’s important to spend time outside for many reasons. Being outside reduces stress and anxiety while increasing Vitamin D at the same time. Spending time outside improves sleep and boosts immunity. It can even lower your blood pressure and help improve your physical and mental health!
Table of Contents
1. Paddleboarding
Spending a couple of hours paddleboarding is the perfect social distancing activity. It’s easy enough that anyone can do and even if you paddleboard with friends you will be well spaced out. You can get exercise and have fun at the same time.
You can rent a paddleboard in many locations where there is water. Otherwise, you can buy one, but they can be a little pricey. When picking out a paddleboard keep in mind the wider it is, the easier it is to use. Inflatable paddleboards are a little cheaper and easier to store and transfer.
2. Hiking
Find a lesser-known trail and head out for a family hike. Even popular trails likely have plenty of room for people to spread out easily. If you happen to be in Oregon near the Scenic Columbia Gorge area, I have a ton of hikes I recommend. We lived in that area for many years and the hiking was outstanding. 14 Best Hikes for Kids in the Columbia River Gorge
3. Kayaking
Another great water activity that makes is super easy to social distance. If you are in an area with lots of water there’s probably going to be, places to rent kayaks. Oddly, enough I’ve seen kayaks for sale at Marshall’s before, for fairly decent prices.
If you are kayaking with kids, I recommend not using the ones you sit down into or an inflatable one. You want the kind with an open top that can seat two people. These are fairly large, but in the long run, it’s the better option.
4. Canoe
Depending on how many people are participating in your water activities and what the water is like, canoeing might be a better option. Especially, if you are renting gear. Instead of having to rent two kayaks, you might be able to save a few bucks by renting just one canoe. Canoes are great for lakes and wide slow rivers.
5. Golf
Golf was probably the one sport most set up for social distancing. I live on a golf course and we watch people come by off and on all day. We do not golf but from what I have observed it’s an ideal way to spend a day or evening.
If you do not know how to golf, head to the driving range or Top Golf instead. This is what we do since we are not golfers. At the driving range, you can hit golf a bucket of balls for super cheap and there’s no pressure. Over at Top Golf, you play fun games and they’ve got food.
6. Camping
Taking the family on a family camping trip is a great way to take a vacation and social distance at the same time. If you’ve never camped before do not let it intimidate you. Start with just one of two nights and if you like it, you can do 3 or 4 nights the next time. Packing List for Camping
6. Bike Ride
Head out on a bike ride. Find a trail near you and spend part of your day soaking up some sunshine while biking through somewhere fabulous. I just found an amazing mountain biking trail near where I live, Knob Hill in Roanoake, TX.
8. Fishing
Going fishing is always a great way to spend a day or half a day. Plus, it’s incredibly peaceful. If you are fishing with children it’s a great time to have an in-depth chat. I find all forms of fishing to be beneficial including salmon fishing and fly fishing.
9. Float the River
I love floating the river. I mean you’re floating around in the water soaking up the sunshine. What’s not to love? Granted, I’ve found that this can also be an intimidating activity for many which is why I put together a little how-to: How to Float the River. We live in Texas and there’s tons of rivers to float here! Best Places to go Tubing in Texas.
10. Fly a Kite
Another activity that can be peaceful, but can also be extremely stressful depending on the wind if flying a kite. The nice thing is, it often takes teamwork to get a kite up in the air.
Flying a kite can be a great way to play with your child and get some fresh air at the same time. Oddly enough, I used to always keep a kite and a frisbee in the car. You just never know when you will have some free time.
11. Cornhole
It’s amazing how much fun something as simple as playing corn hole can be. It takes little to no skill which means everyone can play. If you need to know the rules, just look it up on YouTube.
12. Geocaching
If you are unfamiliar with geocaching you are in for a real treat. It’s a super fun activity for families and the experience is never the same. You can go to their website and find some coordinates near you. Then you head out on what is basically a treasure hunt. The geocache is typically something small, possibly a tiny toy. Sometimes whatever container it is in, is large enough for you to add something to the geocache.
13. Beach Day
Have a beach day. Once you are at the beach, you can enjoy even more activities like skimboarding or boogie boarding. Or you can comb the beach for shells or build sandcastles. How To Go To The Beach On A Budget
14. Archery
You would be surprised to find out that there are archery ranges in some parks. Typically, no one is using them, which means no one is around!
15. Tennis
Tennis is a great way to burn off excess energy built up while sitting in front of a computer for too many hours. If tennis seems too challenging, try pickleball instead.
16. Kite Boarding and Kitesurfing
I had a friend just take a lesson and she says it’s way easier than it looks. Then I took a kiteboarding lesson and I found it to be borderline impossible to do. This is definitely for more athletic teens.
17. Rollerblading
Going old school with an activity like roller skating can be a blast. I’ve been rollerblading since 1993 and I highly recommend it. It’s great exercise.
18. Drive-in Movies
If you cannot go see a movie in a regular theater head to the drive-in theater instead. It’s a totally different experience and typically much cheaper. Some drive in’s have playgrounds! Here are 5 Tips for the Best Drive-in Movie Experience.
19. Rock Climbing
Not everyone knows how to rock climb, but there are many gyms that will teach you. Once you know what you are doing head outside and give it a try.
20. Skateboarding or Longboarding
Over recent years more and more people are participating in longboarding or skateboarding. Both of my boys decided to do this and picked it up quite easily.
21. Scavenger Hunt
A scavenger hunt can be educational and a great way to get kids outside for a longer stretch of time. Here is a fun Fall time scavenger hunt with a free printable.
22. Drive-Thru Safari
Kids will get a kick out of seeing the animals and so will you. Here are the 12 Best Drive-thru Zoos in Texas.
23. Berry Picking
This is a seasonal activity, but if it is available is a great way to have some tasty fun. The last time we went berry picking was in Laval, Quebec. Because it gets so cold there they got their berries above ground in containers. In Oregon, all the berries grew from the ground and they have u-pick places all around. Just google u-pick berries to find a place near you.
24. Play Frisbee or Frisbee Golf
Playing frisbee is one of those things everyone can do. You could also toss a football back and forth. Just use what you have and head outside.
25. Off-roading
Find a fun off-roading area and head that way if you’ve got a vehicle that you can off-road like a Toyota Tundra or rent a fun Polaris RZR. You might be surprised to find out how many off-road trails there are right where you live.
26. Horseback Riding
Head out for an afternoon of horseback riding, and I guarantee you will come back refreshed.
27. Skiing
Skiing and snowboarding are both super fun and a great way to spend a day.
28. Sledding
Heading up the mountain for sledding makes for lots of outdoor free fun. Grab your sleds and find a snow hill and have a blast.
29. Snowshoeing
If you love the snow and you enjoy hiking, this is going to be your new favorite activity.
What has your family done in order to stay active while still social distancing? We would love to hear about your activities in the comments below so we can go do them too! I’ll be sure and come back and update this is I manage to come up with any other activities!
Great post! I recently put together an article of specific things to do in and around our area of Mississippi, but I love this list of activities that people can find to do no matter where they are. We’ve been trying to explore our local area safely, and we’re actually really enjoying adventuring close to home! But, we also can’t wait to SAFELY explore the world again!