Let’s Move… Warm Weather Fun!

Get Moving OUTDOORS

• Create sidewalk art. Use colored chalk, or “paint” with water and brushes.
• Chase shadows in the summer sun or the light of a full moon.
• Play hopscotch. Draw a hopscotch game on the sidewalk. Young children can jump from square to square. Older kids – and you – can hop, stoop, and bend!
• Create a parade! Dress up kids, adults, and pets. Decorate wagons, tricycles, bikes, and strollers.
• Visit a farmer’s market. Walk and talk about the foods. Buy something to prepare and eat at home.
• Run through the garden sprinkler!
• Go fruit picking: berries, peaches, apples, whatever grows where you live.
• Splash: in a pool, lake, or slow, clean stream.
• Fly a kite. Blow bubbles. Safely follow, wherever they go!
• Walk to the store or library – even if it takes longer. Talk about what you see along the way.
• Visit a petting farm.
• Celebrate an outdoor festival. Look for activities planned for young children.
• Enjoy a playground – if it’s equipped for young children.
• Play games that move: “Ring-Around-the- Rosie,” “London Bridge,” others.
• Plan a “wash day”: wagons, tricycles, outdoor toys – and the family pup.
• Go on a nature hike. Look for wild flowers, insects, bird’s nest, rocks, leaves, shells, butterflies, and other natural things.
• Work in a garden, maybe your own.

Play Safe Outdoors!

•  Protect your child’s skin with sunscreen and perhaps a hat – even on a cloudy day.
• Bring water. Even when your family swims and plays in the water, you sweat.
• Check the safety and condition of tricycles and other play equipment. Teach your child to
• Play with balls in a safe place, away from the street.
• Stay safely away from swings and other moving play equipment!
• Wear a helmet when skating or biking, even on a tricycle. You, too!
• Use tricycles and toys with wheels on the sidewalk, not in the street.

Nibbles for Health, Nutrition Newsletters for Parents of Young Children, USDA, Food and Nutrition Service