The days are getting longer and the temperatures are milder: it’s the perfect time to go to parks and public gardens to have fun in freedom
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The spring season is almost upon us: the lengthening days and milder temperatures make you want to spend time in the open air and perhaps do a bit of sport or a walk to restore your spirits.
As some scientific studies also claim, spending time outdoors (possibly in greenery) is an excellent cure for allergies and ailments such as asthma or depression. Little ones, especially, should enjoy time spent in nature to build up their immune systems and grow into healthier adults.
Furthermore, outdoor activities are an excellent diversion from the time spent at home in front of video games or a smartphone screen. But what to organize when you are at the park or in the garden?
Here are some games that can be organized outdoors with very little (or no) equipment and that can involve adults and children together for fun that involves everyone.
Read also: Our children increasingly enslaved to smartphones and tablets: 4 things you can do immediately to reverse course
Tennis rackets / badminton
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Classic beach game, beach tennis is also a great pastime at the park. All we need to play are a pair of wooden rackets and a rubber ball – which can be purchased in toy stores for a few euros.
Real beach tennis tournaments can be organised, alternating the challenges between the various players and giving away a small prize – for example, a slice of homemade cake or a small soft toy.
Frisbee / Boomerang
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In both cases, these are objects to be thrown high into the sky and to be chased as they fall to the ground, acquiring more and more speed. The frisbee and the boomerang are simple objects, of low cost, but which ensure great fun for the little ones.
You could, for example, organize a contest to see who throws the boomerang the highest or who never drops the Frisbee to the ground. Playing and having fun in company, children will also be encouraged to run and move, doing outdoor sports without even realizing it.
Bocce
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Bowls are also often proposed as a beach game, but they can be used in a lawn or in a public park (any place with a flat walkable open space) and can also involve four players at a time.
A small ball is thrown as a target: each player’s goal is to get as close as possible to the target with their colored balls and win the game.
In toy stores and online you can find many sets of bowls, of various prices and colors. We suggest purchasing a set of wooden bowls – a certainly more ecological and sustainable alternative to plastic.
Spikeball
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It is a game born a few decades ago in the United States, but now very popular here too. The play kit (sold at sporting goods stores) includes a small rubber ball and an elastic trampoline-like net.
The players, up to a maximum of four, arrange themselves in a circle around the elastic net. The goal is to bounce the ball off the net without dropping it to the ground. Anyone who fails to catch the ball “on the fly” is penalized.
Kites / planes
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Flying kites and launching toy planes (not remote-controlled ones) are very popular activities years ago that should be rediscovered for their simplicity, capable of giving timeless smiles. You can also have fun making them at home.
With a little tissue paper, some light wood and a string, together with our children, we can create a fantastic kite to fly high in the spring sky.
Alternatively, we can put on a real “tournament” for the most beautiful and creative kite: this will stimulate the imagination of the little ones and push them to try their hand at this little job.
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