Children are charging with excitement over all the upcoming summer activities! Put your child’s adventure skills to the test and go on a Newcastle walk or camping experience or keep things simple by doing at-home education or LEGO® summer activities. These activities benefit your child’s development, with advantages like improved fine and gross motor skills, concentration, and STEM enrichment.
Here, you’ll discover the summer ideas for Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, and Hunter Kids to have on their bucket list this season. Bookmark this page for future reference, and let the fun begin.
Summer Outdoor Activities for Newcastle Kids
Days are now reaching summer highs, and now it’s time to take it all on! Take advantage of the warmer weather by getting outside and engaging in hands-on fun, like these seven family summer activities.
1. Play Garden
Build your child a space in your backyard or porch for them to create a garden. If you have a backyard, dedicate a small area to till your soil and adorn the space with children-friendly gardening materials. Or, if you have limited space, consider filling a children’s pool with soil and placing it on your porch.
Some things you may want to add to your child’s garden include:
- Nontoxic herbs, like lavender or mint
- Flowers with vibrant blooms
- Plastic gardening tools
- Smooth rocks
- Watering cans
- Planters
“Gardens help kids grow in many ways.” With Kids now spending too much time in front of a screen it’s so important they get outside. Growing a garden teaches kids responsibility and gives them self-confidence.
2. Nature Scavenger Hunt
Strengthen your child’s observational skills by going on an outdoor scavenger hunt. A Newcastle scavenger hunt is one of the best summer activities for families because you can work as a team to discover things from a list of must-find items. Your scavenger hunt activity list may look something like this:
- A purple flower
- A bluebird
- A fallen branch
- An anthill
- A cloud shaped like a flower
- A dandelion
- A rabbit
You can keep your scavenger hunt in your backyard or take it with you while on an outdoor adventure in Newcastle. Download Newy with Kids backyard scavenger hunt. Remember the special treat for the scavenger hunt winner!
3. Go for a family walk.
Walking is an ideal activity for people of all ages, especially developing children. Explore nature and enjoy stunning views of harbours, lakes, beaches, and national parks that Newcastle has to offer. Here are some ways you and your family can benefit from going on a walk.
- Improved physical health: Walking engages your whole body, leading to stronger muscles, better coordination, improved cardiovascular health and lower risk of respiratory problems.
- Better mental health: Being outside offers many mental health benefits, like reduced stress, anxiety, and depression. Being outdoors also heightens your senses, which children need to be successful in their learning.
- Stronger relationships: Walking with your family allows you to spend quality time together, forming a stronger bond.
Grab your family, some snacks, and comfortable shoes, and make a trip to your nearest family-friendly walking trail. Here are the Best Family-Friendly Walks in Newcastle.
4. Backyard Camping Adventure
Imagine the fun of a camping trip without all the effort to pack up the car! Just set up camp in the backyard! Follow these steps to create a memorable backyard camping experience.
- Set up camp: Transform your backyard into a campground by setting up your tent as you would if you were camping. Make things comfortable by outfitting the inside of your tent with an air mattress, sleeping bags, pillows, lighting, and all the gear. If it’s terrible weather, why not set up a tent in your lounge room? You don’t need to camp outside to enjoying camping at home!
- Remember the marshmallows: Marshmallows are the classic campfire treat. Build a bonfire and create a delicious marshmallow treat. Once you toast the marsh marshmallows why not grab your favorite biscuit and fill it with these delicious clouds of white and pink.
- Decorate your camping area: Atmosphere is everything! Think fairy lights, picnic tables, camp chairs, music, even glowsticks. Create a fun atmosphere in the backyard for the family so you have an inspiring camping spot to hang out together!
- Prepare camping games: Prepare for plenty of camp festivities, like telling exciting or spooky stories and playing a fun game of telephone. Even get your dog involved!
5. Stargaze
Another fun summertime activity you can play with your kids around the camp — or on any clear night — is spotting the stars. Before stargazing, explore the concept of space and stars with your child. Print out pictures of constellations, bring them outside with you, then see if you can spot any! There are lots of constellation stargazing apps available why not give one of them a try!
6. Bird-watching Book
Bird-watching is a fun, free activity that teaches children different ways to appreciate nature. Find a printable bird-watching book online and take your child outside for some bird-watching fun. You don’t have to go far — even sitting in your backyard or on your porch will work. Look at the birds that pass by and browse through your bird-watching book to see if you can identify any of them. If you can’t, challenge your child to draw the unfamiliar bird and research it later.
7. Who doesn’t love the Playground?
Playgrounds are always a reliable option when you’re looking for an easy summer activity to do with your kids. We are fortunate with so many amazing playgrounds in Newcastle and the Hunter. Large and small you are bound to find a playground you’ve not visited before. Here are some of the Best Playgrounds in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, and Hunter.
All playgrounds have specialized equipment that benefits child development in ways that include:
- Improved gross motor skills
- Improved coordination
- Access to sensory play
- Learning how to play and communicate with others
- Practicing decision-making abilities
Aside from enjoying the playground equipment, you can also include some of the other educational summer-themed activities for kids mentioned on this list, like bird-watching or going on a nature scavenger hunt in the Park.
Indoor Summer Activities for Newcastle Kids
While Newcastle is beautiful and getting out to see her is a priority on everyone’s list! Mother Nature doesn’t always agree with your plans. When this happens, you can do plenty of fun activities from the comfort of your home. Bring the outdoors inside with these eight at-home summer learning activities for kids.
8. Growing Beans
Your kids don’t have to play around in the dirt to become gardeners. You can grow beans right from your home — all you need are two bean seeds, a small container, and cotton balls. Growing is easy — it takes only two to three days to sprout! Grow your bean seeds by following these instructions:
- Fill a clear jar with cotton balls.
- Place two bean seeds on either side of the jar so your child can easily watch them grow.
- Water the cotton balls until they’re damp, but not overly saturated.
- Check your beans every two to four days and watch as they sprout, grow tendrils and a root system, stems and, leaves.
- If you want, carefully remove the beans after a few weeks of growth and replant them into your outdoor garden. That way, you and your children can enjoy fresh beans.
Your kids will love checking on their plants every day. Plus, it’s an excellent opportunity to learn more about science, as they’ll get to see every stage of a plant’s growth you don’t usually get to observe when planting in soil.
Garden Centre and Heritage Nurseries in Newcastle are great plant nurseries to get started.
9. Painting Flowerpots and Bird Houses
Arts and crafts are essential for many reasons. Children get to practice their fine motor skills — aka small muscle movements, like holding a paintbrush — develop creative thinking, build self-esteem, and spend quality time with you.
A beautiful warm-weather tradition worth considering is painting flowerpots. Aside from flowerpots, all you need is a paintbrush and acrylic paint — which you may already have around your home if you have a young artist.
After your child finishes designing and painting their flowerpot, take them to a garden center and allow them to pick out flowers to fill it. Or, put their gardening skills to the test and ask them to choose flower seeds to grow themselves.
Painting birdhouses is another excellent way to get your child’s creative brain thinking. Your birdhouses will attract birds to your property that will eat unwanted insects, control weed seeds and help pollinate flowers. You can use these benefits as learning opportunities to teach your child what happens outside during the summer.
Head to a Bunnings store and find some pre-built birdhouses for a quick activity or put your woodworking skills to the test and build one yourself! Then, once you are ready, set up a painting station and get painting.
Paint supplies can be found in various Arts & Crafts shops around Newcastle and even at your local discount store.
10. DIY Flower Crowns
Crown your child a queen or king with these in-season DIY flower crowns. To make a flower crown, you will need:
- Cardboard
- A pencil
- Scissors
- Clear contact paper
- Flowers
Once you have gathered all your supplies, it is time to start crafting. Follow these instructions to design your flower crown.
- Draw the crown shape: Draw out the shape of your crown on your cardstock, including cut-outs. The glue — which you’ll apply next — will fill the cut-outs, and you’ll put your flowers into those spots.
- Add contact paper: Pull the backing off the contact paper and place it on your table sticky side up. Then, press the crown onto the adhesive and use your scissors to cut off the excess around the border of your crown.
- Decorate your crown: Pull some petals off flowers of your choice and place them on the sticky contact. You can also incorporate other decorative elements like jewels and beads for extra fun.
After you’ve finished crafting, secure your child’s crown onto their head.
11. Clay Leaf Prints
Clay leaf prints are snapshots of nature and something you can keep forever. To make them, you’ll need:
- White clay
- A circular clay cutter
- Leaves
- An oven
- Acrylic paint
- Paintbrushes
Making clay leaf prints is easy. All you’ll need to do is:
- Roll out your clay into a thin sheet around 6.5cm thick.
- Use your circular cutter to cut out circles from your sheet of clay.
- Go outside and pick out around 10 of your favourite leaves.
- Take your first leaf and gently press it into one of your clay circles, just enough to leave an imprint.
- Repeat step four for all your leaves or clay circles.
- Place your imprinted clay on a baking sheet and bake according to package instructions.
- Let your clay cool down once baked.
- Set up a painting station and encourage your children to paint their leaf imprints.
12. Build a Cloud
Build a cloud and teach your children more about the weather cycle. Before getting started, talk about the concept of precipitation — the air is full of water, and the clouds above us consist of condensed, tiny, and lightweight water droplets. When those water droplets get too heavy, they fall from the sky in the form of rain or snow, depending on the temperature.
Make it rain in your home by creating a small raincloud. To do this, you’ll need:
- A clear plastic cup
- Shaving cream
- Blue food coloring
Then, follow these instructions:
- Fill your cup with room-temperature water.
- Spray a layer of shaving cream on top of the water to form a cloud layer.
- Discuss the concept of precipitation.
- Drop a few drops of blue food coloring and watch it run through the cloud layer and create raindrops, turning the water blue.
13. Summer Sensory
Sensory containers filled with materials stimulate a child’s senses, touch. They’re free-play tools, meaning children explore the sensory bin through self-guided learning. Playing with a seasonal sensory bin is one of the best activities for kindergartners and preschoolers because they benefit from improved fine motor and language skills. Plus, sensory bins are a breeze to make and versatile for every season or holiday.
Some summer-inspired things you can place in your sensory bin include:
- Pastel-colored rice
- Plastic Easter eggs
- Fake flowers
- Plastic insects
- Miniature gardening tools
- Sand
- Miniature umbrellas
- Seashells
- Plastic ocean animals
14. Holiday LEGO® Play
LEGO® Bricks are another example of developmentally beneficial free-play toys. The endless opportunities of LEGO® Bricks serve as natural inspiration for children — a handful of bricks can be a flower, insect or even a new breed of monster. All you need to do to spark your child’s imagination is place a bin full of LEGO® Bricks in front of them and watch the magic unfold.
Some benefits of LEGO® Bricks include the following.
- Improved concentration: Focusing for long periods is difficult for even some adults to do. Build your child’s ability to concentrate now by engaging in LEGO® Bricks play.
- Strengthened fine motor skills: Children must tap into the small muscle movements to manipulate LEGO® Bricks, benefiting their fine muscle growth.
- Better problem-solving: Your child will feel determined to make their imagination a reality. Their challenge is learning which LEGO® Bricks they need to do so.
School holidays are wonderful times to get your child involved in assisted LEGO® play with many fun themed summer activities happening everywhere around Australia.
Discover Bricks 4 Kidz LEGO® Programs
Bricks 4 Kidz started 10 years ago while a mother was watching her son play with LEGO® Bricks. With her background in architecture, she realized playing with LEGO® Bricks is more than just fitting two plastic pieces together — strategy and foundational skill development are behind every interaction. That’s why she created Bricks 4 Kidz, a STEM-based learning environment for children using LEGO® Bricks. Franchise owners of BRICKS 4 Kidz in Lake Macquarie Brad and Jo are continuing this vision of helping kids’ development by sharing their science and engineering knowledge and childcare experience in a desire to give back to the Newcastle community.
We offer many LEGO®-based building classes in Newcastle, Hunter and Central Coast including:
- School Holiday Workshops
- Kids Birthday Parties
- After School Workshops
- School Incursions
- OOSH and Vacation Care Activities
- STEM enrichment
- Bricks 4 Kidz® ASD Kids
If you’re looking for creative activity ideas for your kids this summer, consider signing them up for some LEGO® Bricks fun at Bricks 4 Kidz. Discover more about our programs.