Are you looking for new playdate ideas to keep your kids entertained?
Look no further!
In this blog post, we’ve curated the ultimate list of 100 best play date ideas for kids and toddlers.
As parents, we understand the challenges of keeping our little ones engaged, stimulated, and socially active. With busy schedules and limited options for social interaction, finding creative and age-appropriate activities for play dates can be a real struggle.
Play dates provide a great opportunity for kids to interact with their peers, develop social skills, and build lasting friendships. Through play, children learn valuable skills, such as problem-solving, communication, conflict resolution, and cooperation.
And perhaps most importantly – they’re fun!
Whether you’re looking for indoor activities, outdoor adventures, art projects, or science experiments, we’ve got you covered with fun playdate ideas your kids are sure to love.
Let’s dive in!
Outdoor
The best way to spend time together is in the fresh air. Here are some great ideas for outdoor activities for your next play date.
- Chalk Art: Colorful sidewalk chalk is a fun way to get creative. Provide sidewalk chalk and let the kids unleash their creativity by drawing colorful artwork on the pavement. Here are 25 fun sidewalk chalk activities your kids will love.
- Bubble Party: For younger children, set up a bubble station with various bubble wands and solution. Watch the kids chase and pop bubbles of all sizes. It’s so much fun!
- Tie-Dye: Tie-dye is a colorful and creative art technique that involves binding or tying fabric with rubber bands and applying fabric dye to create unique patterns and designs. Here are 10 easy tie-dye patterns for kids.
- Bug Hunt: Provide magnifying glasses and jars for the kids to explore and observe bugs. Teach them about different insects and their habitats.
- Water Balloon Games: Kids of all ages love water balloon! Here are 21 water balloon games your kids will love, from a water balloon toss, hot potato, and more. It’s a refreshing and exciting way to beat the heat.
- Outdoor Art: Provide art supplies like paints and brushes, and let the kids create their own outdoor art gallery by painting on easels or large canvases.
- Nature Scavenger Hunt: Create a list of items for the kids to find in nature, such as leaves, rocks, or flowers. Let them explore and discover the wonders of the great outdoors.
- Picnic in the Park: Pack a picnic lunch and head to a local park. Enjoy the outdoors while indulging in delicious food and playing games.
- Playground Meetup: Visit a nearby playground with a variety of play structures, swings, and slides. Let the kids climb, slide, swing, and interact with other children, promoting physical activity and socialization.
- Kite Flying: Choose a windy day to fly kites with the kids. Let them experience the joy of watching their colorful kites soar high in the sky. Teach them how to launch and control the kite, and have friendly competitions to see whose kite flies the highest or performs the best tricks. It’s a great outdoor activity that promotes coordination, patience, and a sense of accomplishment as they master the art of flying a kite.
- Hopscotch: Hopscotch is a classic children’s game that has been enjoyed for generations.With its simple rules and minimal equipment requirements, it’s a popular pastime for kids all around the world. Here’s how to play hopscotch.
- Pool Day: Head to the local pool and play some fun pool games like Water Polo, basketball, and a cannonball splash contest. Here are the more pool games and activities for kids.
- Beach Day: Have a picnic on the beach, building sandcastles, hunt for seashells and rocks, play beach volleyball, and go swimming!
- Mud Pies: Embrace the messy side of outdoor play with mud pies! Find a patch of dirt or create a designated mud play area in your backyard. Provide buckets, shovels, and other small containers for the kids to scoop and mold the mud into pies. Encourage them to decorate their creations with natural materials like leaves, flowers, or sticks. It’s a sensory-rich activity that allows children to explore textures, use their imagination, and engage in tactile play. Just be prepared for some muddy fun and a little cleanup afterward!
- Water Table: A water table is a specially designed play table that features a shallow basin filled with water. It provides a dynamic and interactive play experience for kids during a play date. With various accessories like cups, funnels, water wheels, and toys, children can engage in sensory exploration, imaginative play, and cooperative activities.
- Backyard Camping: Set up a tent in your backyard and enjoy a camping adventure. The kids can play flashlight games, stargaze, and tell stories. For extra fun, roast marshmallows and make s’mores!
- Obstacle Course: Design a fun and challenging obstacle course using items like cones, hula hoops, and ropes. Let the kids race against each other and improve their agility.
- Bike Riding: Take the kids on a bike ride in the park or around the neighborhood. It’s a great way to get active and explore the surroundings.
- Sports: Organize a friendly game of soccer, basketball, or tag. Engage the kids in physical activity while teaching them teamwork and sportsmanship.
- DIY Water Slide: Create a water slide in your backyard using a tarp, a hose, and some soap. Let the kids slide and splash their way to fun and laughter.
- Splash Pad Fun: Visit a local splash pad where kids can run through fountains, play in water sprays, and cool off on hot summer days.
- Sprinkler Activities: Let the kids run and jump through the sprinklers.
- Nature Walk: Take the kids on a leisurely nature walk, pointing out different plants, animals, and interesting sights along the way.
- Mini Olympics: Organize a mini Olympics event with fun activities like sack races, egg and spoon races, and long jumps. Award medals to the winners.
- Planting and Gardening: Teach kids about nature and responsibility by letting them plant flowers or vegetables in a small garden or pots.
- Rock Painting: Collect smooth rocks and let the kids paint them with vibrant colors and patterns. They can then use these painted rocks to decorate the garden or play games like tic-tac-toe.
- Nature Photography: Give each child a disposable camera or a smartphone and encourage them to capture the beauty of nature around them. Share and discuss the photos later.
- Outdoor Yoga: Practice kid-friendly yoga poses in a peaceful outdoor setting. It’s a great way to promote mindfulness, flexibility, and relaxation.
- Nature Crafts: Encourage kids to collect natural materials like leaves, pinecones, and sticks during a nature walk. Use these materials to create crafts such as leaf rubbings, pinecone animals, or stick picture frames.
- Shadow Tracing: On a sunny day, position different objects (or people!) so that you can clearly see their shadow. Then trace away!
Want more? Here are the 100 Best Outdoor Activities For Kids >>
Indoor
Rainy day? No problem! Here are some creative ways to plan your play date the next time the weather is not cooperating.
- Build a Fort: I have yet to meet a child who doesn’t love to build a blanket fort. And a sleepover party is the perfect time to do it. Bust out every blanket and pillow in your house and let you kids have at it!
- Arts and Crafts: Set up a designated area with various art supplies like crayons, markers, colored pencils, paper, and stickers. Let the kids unleash their creativity and create artwork together.
- Indoor Treasure Hunt: Create a treasure hunt by hiding small objects or clues around the house. Provide the kids with a treasure map and let them search for the hidden items.
- Puppet Show: Help the kids create their own puppets using socks, paper bags, or craft sticks. Encourage them to put on a puppet show with a story they invent.
- Twister
- Board Game Marathon: Gather a collection of board games suitable for the kids’ age group. Have a board game marathon, where they can play multiple games and have friendly competitions.
- Indoor Obstacle Course: Use pillows, cushions, hula hoops, and other household items to set up a fun obstacle course indoors. Challenge the kids to complete the course in the shortest time possible.
- Movie Day: Set up a cozy movie area with blankets, pillows, and popcorn. Let the kids choose a favorite movie to watch together.
- Baking or Cooking Party: Get the kids involved in baking cookies, cupcakes, or simple recipes. Teach them basic cooking skills while enjoying tasty treats.
- Hide & Seek: This is one of the best games of all time, and it’s not just for little kids. In fact, it gets more fun as you get older! One player covers their eyes and gives the other players 30 seconds to hide. After 30 seconds, they’re coming for you! Set clear boundaries and rules for the game to keep everyone safe.
- Indoor Picnic: Lay out a blanket and have an indoor picnic with sandwiches, fruits, and snacks. Create a picnic atmosphere with a basket and some outdoor-themed decorations.
- Dance Party: Clear a space in the living room, play upbeat music, and let the kids dance their hearts out. Have a mini disco ball or make your own fun decorations to enhance the party atmosphere. Here are some kids dance songs to get your party started.
- Indoor Camping: Set up a pretend camping experience indoors by pitching a blanket tent and using flashlights. Share stories, play camping-themed games, and enjoy some indoor s’mores.
- Fashion Show: Provide dress-up clothes, accessories, and a runway area. Let the kids create their own fashion show, complete with catwalks and fun music.
- Blindfolded Makeup: For this fun activity, split the party guests into groups of two. One person puts on a blindfold. The blindfolded person applies makeup to their partner’s face trying to follow the instructions of their partner. It gets wacky pretty quickly!
- Jigsaw Puzzle: There are easy puzzles for younger kids, and difficult ones for older kids. If you don’t have any around the house, and you don’t want to spend full price, you can often find inexpensive puzzles at places like Good Will.
- Balloon Volleyball: Inflate a balloon and have the kids play volleyball using their hands or makeshift paddles made from paper plates and craft sticks.
- Storytime Corner: Create a cozy reading nook with cushions, blankets, and a variety of books. Grab your favorite book and take turns reading aloud or have a storytelling session where the kids can make up their own stories.
- Twister: Twister is one of the most fun games for play dates. The game caller shouts out the body part and what color it needs to be placed on. The last person standing wins!
- Indoor Mini Golf: Set up a mini golf course using household items like cups, cardboard tubes, and obstacles. Let the kids putt their way through the course.
- Karaoke: Set up a karaoke station with a microphone and a selection of kid-friendly songs. Let the kids showcase their singing talents and have a fun karaoke session.
- Charades: Charades is a classic game that will help break the ice and get everyone laughing. To prepare, review the basic instructions with the kids, do an example for them, and write down some of things they could act out within the given time limit. Remember, no talking allowed!
- Indoor Bowling: Use empty plastic bottles and a soft ball to set up an indoor bowling alley. See who can knock down the most pins and keep score.
- Museum Tour: Visit a local museum and learn something new!
- DIY Playdough: Make homemade playdough using simple ingredients like flour, salt, and water. Let the kids sculpt and mold their own creations.
- Indoor Mini Olympics: Create a mini Olympics event with activities like balloon races, spoon relays, or paper airplane throwing competitions.
- Indoor Playground: Find an indoor playground near you and let the kids get their energy out. The best part? Some indoor play cafes offer coffee for the adults so you can chat while the kids play. Now that’s what I call the perfect play date.
- Spa Party: Turn the living room into a spa! Bust out the bottles of nail polish, face masks, and sliced cucumbers! Giving each other manicures and pedicures is one of the most fun play date activities. To reduce the mess, purchase stick on nails. They’re so easy to apply and kids love them.
- Indoor Trampoline Park: If you have a mini trampoline or a safe indoor trampoline park nearby, plan a play date where kids can jump, bounce, and have a blast.
- Magic Tricks: Find some easy magic tricks online and have the kids put on their very own magic show.
Art Projects
Need an art project idea? We’ve got you covered. Here are some of our favorite ideas for fun crafts at your next play date:
- Paper Plate Masks: Provide paper plates, markers, paints, and craft materials like feathers, pom-poms, and googly eyes. Kids can decorate the paper plates to create their own masks.
- Learn To Draw: Need a great idea for your drawing? Check out Art for Kids Hub on Youtube. The videos are free and seemingly infinite, and the encouraging teacher will get your creative juices flowing.
- Watercolor Painting: Another creative activity is to paint, and watercolors are typically less messy than other paints. Maybe you can paint something special for each of your family members.
- Friendship Bracelets: Friendship bracelets are a symbol of friendship and are often exchanged as tokens of appreciation between friends. During a play date, kids can create their own unique friendship bracelets using colorful threads or yarn.
- Nature Collage: Take the kids on a nature walk to collect leaves, flowers, and other natural materials. Provide paper, glue, and scissors for them to create collages using their nature finds.
- Tissue Paper Suncatchers: Cut out shapes from black construction paper and provide colored tissue paper squares. Kids can glue the tissue paper onto the shapes, creating beautiful suncatchers to hang in the window.
- Paper Airplanes: Make some paper airplanes and see how well you can get it to fly. There are all kind of different designs online. You could even use a bucket to play paper airplane cornhole. Try to see if you can get the airplane to land in the bucket.
- Bubble Wrap Printing: Dip pieces of bubble wrap into washable paints and press them onto paper to create unique prints. Kids can experiment with different colors and patterns.
- Handprint Art: Have kids dip their hands in washable paints and press them onto paper to create handprint artwork. They can turn their handprints into animals, flowers, or imaginative designs.
- Salt Dough Creations: Mix together salt, flour, and water to create a moldable dough. Kids can sculpt their own creations, such as animals, shapes, or ornaments. Bake the dough to harden it.
- Paper Tube Stamping: Cut paper towel or toilet paper tubes into different shapes. Dip the ends into paint and use them as stamps to create patterns and designs on paper.
- Straw Blow Painting: Provide liquid watercolors or diluted tempera paints in various colors. Kids can drip the paint onto paper and use a straw to blow the paint around, creating abstract art.
- Yarn Wrapped Letters: Cut out large letters from cardboard and provide colorful yarn. Kids can wrap the yarn around the letters, creating textured and decorative pieces.
- Sticker Resist Art: Give kids white paper and stickers. They can arrange stickers on the paper, creating their desired design. Then, they can paint over the entire paper with watercolors or tempera paint. Once the paint dries, they can peel off the stickers to reveal the resist effect.
- Dot Painting: Provide cotton swabs or the end of a paintbrush and an assortment of paint colors. Kids can create artwork by making dots and patterns using the cotton swabs or paintbrush tips.
- Marble Painting: Place a piece of paper inside a shallow box or tray. Put a few drops of paint onto the paper, then drop a marble into the box. Kids can tilt the box to roll the marble around, creating colorful designs as it moves.
- Recycled Material Sculptures: Collect various recycled materials such as cardboard, bottle caps, and paper rolls. Kids can use glue or tape to assemble and create sculptures from the materials.
- Paper Mosaic Art: Cut small squares or shapes from colorful construction paper or magazines. Kids can arrange the pieces on a larger paper to create mosaic-style artwork.
- String Art: Hammer nails into a piece of wood in a pattern or shape. Kids can then wrap colorful embroidery thread or yarn around the nails to create intricate designs.
- Leaf Rubbings: Collect leaves of different shapes and sizes. Place them under a piece of paper and use crayons or colored pencils to rub over the paper, revealing the texture and patterns of the leaves.
- Drip Paintings: Set up a canvas or thick paper on an easel or vertical surface. Provide liquid paints in various colors and let the kids drip or pour the paint onto the canvas, creating abstract drip paintings.
- Paper Weaving: Cut slits along the edges of two parallel strips of construction paper. Weave another strip of paper through the slits to create a woven pattern. Kids can experiment with different colors and patterns.
- Torn Paper Collage: Provide colored construction paper and let the kids tear the paper into small pieces. They can then glue the torn pieces onto a larger paper to create collages or pictures.
- T-Shirt Decorating: Stock up on fabric paint and have the kids bring a plain t-shirt to decorate. Not only will they have fun designing their own wearable creation, they’ll also have a keepsake to remember the party by!
- Bubble Art: Do you love creative activities? Do you have bubbles? Put a drop of food coloring in them, and watch the bubbles turn colors! Then blow them onto some paper to create unique designs.
Science Experiments
These creative ideas are designed to spark curiosity and inspire young minds, from little kids to older children alike.
From colorful chemical reactions to mesmerizing physics demonstrations, these science experiments for kids offer a hands-on learning experience that will leave kids amazed.
- Homemade Volcano: Create a volcano using baking soda, vinegar, and a plastic bottle. Build a mound of sand or dirt around the bottle to create the volcano shape. Pour vinegar into the bottle, then add a spoonful of baking soda. Watch as the mixture erupts and flows like a volcanic eruption.
- Balloon Blow-Up: Inflate a balloon by mixing vinegar and baking soda. Pour vinegar into a bottle, then add baking soda to a balloon. Stretch the balloon over the bottle, allowing the baking soda to mix with the vinegar and inflate the balloon.
- Rainbow Skittles: Arrange Skittles in a circle on a plate. Pour warm water onto the plate and watch as the colors from the Skittles dissolve and create a beautiful rainbow effect.
- Lava Lamp: Fill a clear bottle with vegetable oil, leaving some space at the top. Add water, food coloring, and an Alka-Seltzer tablet. Watch as the tablet reacts with the water and oil, creating a mesmerizing lava lamp effect.
- Dancing Raisins: Drop raisins into a glass of carbonated water or soda. Observe as the carbon dioxide bubbles attach to the raisins, causing them to float and dance in the liquid.
- Magic Milk: Pour milk into a shallow dish and add drops of different food coloring. Dip a cotton swab into dish soap and touch it to the milk. Observe as the colors swirl and mix together due to the reaction between the soap and the fat molecules in the milk.
- Walking Water: Place three cups in a row. Fill the first and third cups with water and add different colors of food coloring. Place a paper towel strip between each cup, with one end in the water and the other end in the empty cup. Watch as the water “walks” up the paper towel, transferring the colors and mixing them in the empty cup.
- Static Electricity Balloon: Rub a balloon against a piece of fabric or hair to create static electricity. Hold the balloon near small pieces of paper or confetti and watch as they are attracted to the balloon due to static charges.
- Invisible Ink: Write a message using lemon juice or baking soda mixed with water on a piece of paper. Allow it to dry. When you want to reveal the message, hold the paper near a heat source, such as a light bulb or a candle flame. The heat will make the invisible ink darken and become visible.
- Jumping Pepper: First, fill the plate with a thin layer of water, less than an inch deep is plenty. Then, sprinkle the pepper on to the water, covering a much of the water surface as possible. The more pepper, the more fun. Finally, dip your finger into the liquid soap. Touch the pepper and see what happens!
Want more? Here are 100 Easy Science Experiments For Kids >>
Food & Snacks
Snack time? Here are some easy snack ideas for your next play date:
- Fruit Kabobs: Skewer bite-sized pieces of colorful fresh fruit such as strawberries, grapes, pineapple, and melon onto wooden skewers. Serve them as a refreshing and nutritious snack option.
- Homemade Ice Cream: Did you know you can make ice cream at home with simple ingredients that you probably have around the house? Here’s a handy link for making Ice Cream in a Bag.
- Veggie Cups: Fill small cups or jars with a variety of fresh and crunchy vegetables like carrot sticks, cucumber slices, bell pepper strips, and cherry tomatoes. Pair them with a delicious dip such as ranch dressing or hummus.
- Mini Pizzas: Provide English muffins or mini pizza crusts and let the kids top them with pizza sauce, shredded cheese, and their favorite toppings like sliced pepperoni, diced bell peppers, and olives. Pop them in the oven until the cheese melts for a delicious homemade mini pizza treat.
- Ants on a Log: Spread peanut butter or cream cheese onto celery sticks and top them with raisins. This classic snack is not only fun to eat but also provides a healthy combination of protein, fiber, and vitamins.
- Mini Sandwiches: Use small bread rolls or cut larger sandwiches into bite-sized pieces to create mini sandwiches. Fill them with kid-friendly ingredients like cheese, ham, turkey, or peanut butter and jelly. Arrange them on a platter for easy grabbing.
- Popcorn Mix: Combine plain popcorn with an assortment of toppings like chocolate chips, pretzels, dried fruits, or mini marshmallows. Toss them together for a sweet and salty snack mix that kids will love.
- Yogurt Parfaits: Layer yogurt, granola, and fresh fruits like berries or sliced bananas in clear cups or glasses to create colorful and nutritious parfaits. Kids can even add a drizzle of honey or a sprinkle of cinnamon for extra flavor.
- Mini Fruit Pizzas: Provide small round sugar cookies or graham crackers as the base. Let the kids spread a layer of cream cheese or yogurt on top and decorate them with sliced fruits like strawberries, kiwi, and blueberries for a delightful and healthy dessert.
- Cheese and Crackers: Set up a platter with a variety of cheese cubes or slices alongside different types of crackers. Kids can mix and match their favorite combinations for a simple and satisfying snack.
- Rainbow Fruit Salad: Combine a variety of colorful fruits such as watermelon, oranges, kiwi, blueberries, and pineapple in a bowl. The vibrant colors make this fruit salad visually appealing and appetizing.
- Hot Cocoa Bar: This is an especially good idea during the colder months. Buy some hot cocoa, whipped cream, and fun toppings like sprinkles, marshmallows, and chocolate shavings. Everyone will love this sweet and special treat.
Remember to consider any dietary restrictions or allergies of the children participating in the play date when choosing and preparing the snacks.
These snack ideas are not only tasty but also offer a balance of flavors and nutrition to keep the kids energized and satisfied during their play date.
With these 100 best play date ideas, you have a treasure trove of activities to create the perfect playdate for kids and toddlers.
Whether it’s outdoor adventures, indoor creativity, science experiments, or delicious homemade snacks, there’s something to keep young minds engaged, entertained, and connected.
Let the perfect playdate begin!
Related Posts:
50 Best Daily Activities for Toddlers
50 Best Sleepover Activities For Kids
100 Best Backyard Games & Activities
100 Best Activities for Kids Who Are “So Bored!”
Calie Herbst, Editor-in-Chief of Milwaukee With Kids, has spent over a decade combining her experiences as a parent of three to create a hub for Milwaukee’s family adventures.
Her decade-long teaching career in Milwaukee Public Schools and academic background, including a Master’s in Teaching from Marquette University and dual B.A.s in Sociology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, fuel her passion for inclusive and engaging family content.
Calie is also a recognized voice in local media, contributing to WISN Channel 12 News, WTMJ Wisconsin Morning News, Fox 6’s Real Milwaukee, and B93.3.
Discover more about Calie’s journey and editorial approach on her About Page and Editorial Policy Page.
