First Grade Outdoor Activities
First grade is a year of firsts: your child's first full day of school, the first time she'll write a small story herself, and the first time she'll read a complete book cover to cover. We've got dozens of wacky reading and math activities, cool science experiments, and indoor and outdoor games to keep the learning fun.
Take a Bug Expedition!
When it comes to kids and bugs, there's some kind of magnetic attraction. Want to take advantage of that fact while boosting math and science knowledge at the same time? Take the learning outdoors!
Group It!: A Skip Counting Activity
Counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s may not sound like much fun. But using "skip counting" with real objects you find or make at home is a different story...it can be hours of entertainment. Here's a hands-on activity to touch and move real stuff while building abstract reasoning...paint, shoes, and coins ...
Bounce that Ball: Learn Math While Doing Sports
With warm weather finally here, who wants to sit inside to practice graphing? Head out to the driveway, ball in hand, for a bouncing challenge. Then use those results to make a colorful graph that lets your child compare her results to those of the challenger (you!)
Swimmy Science: Raising Tadpoles!
First graders are learning to think like scientists. And what better place to start, then with tadpoles? Here's a hands-on activity that helps your child explore life science in action!
Create a Fish Art Print!
The fish most first grade kids see is usually filleted or canned, and it's hard to see how it came from a lake or sea. Here's a delightful way to bridge the gap, with an activity that blends art with life science discovery.
Take a Shape Safari!
Forget a jeep in Africa. You can head out for a safari right in your own neighborhood. Instead of hunting lions and tigers, you'll troll for circles and triangles. Why? Because shapes are at the heart of the first grade math and writing curriculum. Plus, a hunt through the backyard is just plain ...
Host a Backyard Olympics!
Who needs Beijing? Gather the neighborhood kids together and host your own Olympics, right in the backyard! Not only will everyone get some exercise, but as Junior statistician, your kid will practice some key graphing skills.
Play Sardine Hide and Seek!
Does the idea of an exciting, engaging, and completely silent game that requires no props sound like a fantasy? Not so! It's just a fine kettle of fish called “Sardines.”
Play Builders and Bulldozers!
Help your child stay healthy, fit, and active with this high-energy aerobic activity that strengthens the heart and lungs. Since each child must keep track of her own score, this game also offers some good mental math practice.
Build an Igloo!
You don't need to head to the Arctic to explore life in an igloo. Your child can build her own at home. All you need is water, empty milk containers, and some super cold weather!
