As the weather warms up and flowers begin to bloom, we’re all ready to get outside and spring offers the perfect opportunity to get kids moving! Physical activity isn’t just fun—it’s essential for developing strength, coordination, balance, and motor skills in children of all ages.
At Beyond Speech Therapy Specialist, our pediatric physical therapists love, and always recommend, outdoor activities that naturally support physical development and strength building while our kids do what they do best – play!
Whether your child is currently in physical therapy, or you’re simply looking for fun ways to support their gross motor development, these spring activities can help!
The best part? These are all activities that the whole family can do this spring!
Choose a few and plan a day this spring, especially over spring break, and create some fun family memories while supporting your child’s physical development.
10 Super Fun Spring Time Outdoor Activities
#1: Backyard Obstacle Course
A backyard obstacle course is a fantastic way to work on multiple physical skills while having so much fun!
You can buy a complete kit like this one:
Or you can build one! Here is what you’ll need:
• Hula hoops (for jumping through)
• Pool noodles (for hurdles or balance beams)
• Cones or plastic cups (to weave around)
• Stepping stones or paper plates (for balance steps)
• A tunnel or blanket over chairs (for crawling)
• Chalk to mark the course
The PT Benefits Of Obstacle Courses:
• Balance and coordination
• Motor planning and sequencing
• Core and leg strength
• Endurance building
• Bilateral coordination
Tips From Our PTs:
- Design the course in a circuit so multiple kids can participate
- Include a variety of movements: jumping, crawling, balancing, throwing
- Time participants for added motivation
- Let kids help design the course for added engagement
- Create themed obstacles (like “cross the lava” or “jungle adventure”)
For younger children, simplify the course and focus on basic movements like stepping over low obstacles or crawling through tunnels. For older kids, increase the challenge with timed elements or more complex balance activities.
#2: Nature Scavenger Hunt
A nature scavenger hunt takes as a simple walk and turns it into an outdoor adventure while encouraging a wide variety of movements and motor skills.
PT Benefits of A Nature Scavenger Hunt:
• Walking on various terrains improves balance and proprioception
• Squatting to examine ground items strengthens leg muscles
• Reaching up for leaves or flowers improves shoulder stability
• Carrying collected items builds endurance and grip strength
How to Set It Up:
- Create a written list with pictures for non-readers
- Include items at various heights (ground level to eye level)
- Add movement challenges between finds (hop to the next item, bear walk to the tree)
- Incorporate counting or sorting for additional fine motor practice
Tips From Our PTs:
Look for opportunities to practice specific skills your child is working on in PT. If they’re working on balance, include items they’ll need to balance to reach. If core strength is a focus, include plenty of bending and reaching activities.
#3: Sidewalk Chalk Games
A childhood classic, sidewalk chalk can transform your driveway or sidewalk into a PT playground that develops important gross motor skills!
Games to Try:
• Hopscotch: Enhances single-leg balance, coordination, and number recognition
• Balance Beam Lines: Draw straight, curvy, and zig-zag lines to walk on
• Lily Pad Jumps: Draw circles of increasing distances apart for jumping practice
• Alphabet Road: Create a winding path with letters to jump to and identify
• Target Practice: Make circles for throwing beanbags or balls
PT Benefits:
• Jumping and hopping build lower extremity strength
• Balance activities improve vestibular system function
• Throwing enhances eye-hand coordination
• Squatting to draw develops core strength
Tips From Our PTs:
If your child is working on specific skills in PT, modify the games to work on those skills. For ankle strength, draw targets that require tiptoeing. For bilateral coordination, create games requiring two-handed throws or symmetrical jumping.
The beauty of chalk games is their flexibility—you can easily adjust the difficulty level by changing sizes, distances, or movement requirements to match your child’s abilities and challenges.
#4: Bike Riding Adventures
When the temps start to warm, everyone is ready to add some air to the tires and hop on their bikes! Bike riding is an excellent way to build gross motor skills, and it’s easy for the whole family to get in on the fun!
PT Benefits:
• Core strength and stability
• Balance and vestibular development
• Bilateral coordination
• Lower extremity strength
• Cardiovascular endurance
Developmental Progression For Bike Riding:
• Toddlers: Start with ride-on toys that require pushing with feet
• 3-4 years: Balance bikes help develop the fundamental skills of balance and steering
• 4-6 years: Training wheels help build confidence while learning pedaling
• 5+ years: Transitioning to two wheels builds advanced balance and coordination
Family Activity Ideas:
- Create a “bike wash” station in the driveway to get your bikes ready
- Set up a slow-ride contest (who can ride the slowest without putting feet down)
- Plan a family bike ride to a park with a picnic
- Draw chalk paths to follow on a driveway or quiet cul-de-sac
Tips From Our PTs:
If your child struggles with bike riding, break down the skill into smaller components. Practice sitting and balancing on the bike while you hold it, then work on pedaling with support, and finally combine the skills.
#5: Spring Gardening Activities
Gardening is a therapeutic activity that naturally incorporates lots of physical therapy movements while connecting children with nature and teaching lifelong skills.
PT Benefits:
• Squatting and kneeling strengthen leg muscles
• Digging develops upper body and core strength
• Carrying watering cans improves balance and weight bearing
• Fine motor skills through planting seeds and handling small plants
Age-Appropriate Gardening Tasks:
• 2-3 years: Filling pots with soil, watering plants with small watering can
• 4-5 years: Digging holes, planting larger seeds, pulling weeds
• 6+ years: More complex gardening tasks, using tools with greater independence
Fun Family Gardening Ideas to Try:
- Plant a “pizza garden” with tomatoes, basil, and other toppings
- Create a sensory garden with plants of different textures and smells
- Grow a rainbow garden with flowers or vegetables in different colors
- Use a tiered garden or hanging plants to encourage reaching up
Tips From Our PTs:
If your child is working on balance, have them use a watering can that requires two hands. For core strength, focus on digging activities. For children working on fine motor skills, include tasks like separating seedlings or arranging small stones.
#6: Nature Park Exploration
Large, open parks and public preserve areas provide lots of natural terrain and exploration opportunities that challenge and develop gross motor skills in a fun, engaging way.
PT Benefits:
• Walking on uneven surfaces improves balance and ankle strength
• Climbing playground equipment builds upper body strength
• Navigating hills develops core stability and leg strength
• Crossing bridges challenges vestibular system
Getting the Most from Nature Park Visits:
• Seek out parks with varied terrain (hills, wooded areas, open fields)
• Encourage exploration beyond the playground equipment
• Try “animal walks” between locations (bear crawl, crab walk, frog jumps)
• Create a movement-based “I Spy” game
Tips From Our PTs:
Many physical therapy exercises mimic the natural movements children do while playing. The difference is that at outdoor parks and nature spaces, they’re doing these therapeutic movements repeatedly while having fun, which makes this “work” feel like all play!
#7: Ball Games To Build PT Skills
Ball activities – whether an organized game or just tossing it around – are excellent for developing coordination, motor planning, and gross motor strength.
PT Benefits:
• Throwing improves shoulder stability and bilateral coordination
• Catching enhances visual tracking and timing
• Kicking develops balance and core strength
• Chasing balls builds endurance and agility
Simple Ball Games to Try:
• Target practice with various sized containers
• Balloon volleyball (gentler than regular volleyball)
• Soccer golf (kick the ball to various targets around the yard)
• Roll and chase games for younger children
Tips From Our PTs:
Start with larger, softer balls for children who are still developing catching skills. Use beach balls for children working on visual tracking, as they move more slowly through the air. For children needing more challenge, try weighted balls or smaller targets.
#8: Bubble Chase
This simple activity offers surprising physical therapy benefits while providing endless entertainment.
PT Benefits:
• Running and jumping to catch bubbles builds endurance
• Reaching improves shoulder range of motion
• Eye tracking helps with visual motor integration
• Quick direction changes enhance balance and coordination
Ways to Play Bubble Chase
• Have children stomp on bubbles that land on the ground
• Challenge them to catch bubbles on different body parts
• Create a “bubble obstacle course” they must navigate
• Use giant bubble wands for bigger challenges
Tips From Our PTs
For children working on breath control (often important in PT), have them blow the bubbles themselves. This builds oral motor control and respiratory strength while providing motivation for the physical activity that follows.
#9: Spring Cleaning Movement Games
We’re all ready for a good spring cleaning! So let’s turn household chores into playful movement activities with some big therapeutic benefits.
PT Benefits:
• Sweeping and mopping develop core rotation and stability
• Carrying laundry baskets builds strength and balance
• Reaching to dust improves range of motion
• Pushing and pulling activities enhance strength
Making Spring Cleaning Chores Fun!
• Create a “clean and freeze” dance party
• Use a timer for short, high-energy cleaning bursts
• Turn matching socks into a sorting game
• Make a scavenger hunt of items that need to be put away
Tips From Our PTs
Many PT exercises are designed to mimic daily living activities. By making actual daily living activities fun and engaging, you’re providing functional therapy in a natural way.
#10: Water Play
As temperatures warm up and we reach the heat of summer, water activities provide excellent resistance training and sensory input.
PT Benefits:
• Squeezing spray bottles builds hand strength
• Pouring develops bilateral coordination
• Reaching into water provides proprioceptive feedback
• Carrying water buckets improves strength and balance
Water Play Ideas to Try
• Water painting on fences or sidewalks
• Sponge relays or target games
• “Car wash” for bikes, toys, or even the family car
• Water balloon tosses (using biodegradable balloons)
We’re all itching to get outside after months of cold weather and there are so many ways to make spring time play fun AND developmentally supportive!
You’ll notice that a lot of the activities we suggest are things that kids naturally do anyway! This is why we love to call the way we work with our kids and families “playing with a purpose” – we take what our children are best at (play) and incorporate important skill building.
The most effective physical therapy happens when children are engaged in purposeful, fun activities that motivate them to move!
Want to learn more about how physical therapy can support your child’s development? Reach out to us at Beyond Speech and we can connect you to one of our fantastic scheduled physical therapists! We offer in-home services that integrate naturally into your family’s environment and routines.
Remember, the goal is progress, not perfection. Celebrate your child’s efforts and enjoy these special moments of active play together!