9 National Kids’ Day Activities

National Kids’ Day is celebrated every year on the Sunday before Father’s Day. In America, this lands on the second Sunday of June. National Kids’ Day events will take place on June 11, 2023, this year and present the ideal opportunity to plan and enjoy National Kids’ Day activities together.

Historically, a National Kids Day celebration focuses on the importance of children in our lives and, at the same time, the challenges that some kids still face every single day. The ultimate aim is to improve the lives of children by investing in their future, spending quality time with them, and addressing the mental and physical health issues they may be dealing with. A national day for kids is also the ideal time for typically busy parents to slow down and spend quality time with their kids and make new memories together. Here are 9 fun activities to do together on National Kids’ Day this year.

1. Bike Ride

With helmets on and the playful ting of a bicycle bell ringing in the air, one of the best National Kids’ Day activities you can do this year is to saddle up your bikes and take a long, steady, pleasant ride around your neighborhood or a local park. Pack a surprise halfway point snack with juice boxes to relax and laugh together to make this activity even more special!

2. Outdoor Treasure Hunt

They say that what kids really want from us is not necessarily more stuff, toys, and tech, but our time and attention. Here's one of the National Kid's Day ideas that checks all those boxes! Gather up fun colorful items like a garden glove, action figure, and tennis ball, and hide them Easter egg-style all over your yard, in bushes, and under patio chairs, then let your kid(s) run wild looking for everything. One way to make it even more special is to include one wrapped small new toy, like a silly putty or a Cubendi fidget cube, not that they probably need it, in this treasure hunt.

3. Backyard Camp Out

Neither you nor your child may be ready for or available to take a full-fledged camping trip, not even to one of the best family campsites, but you can connect with nature with your child by your side by having a backyard camp out. Consult our camping checklist and sleep under the stars to celebrate National Kid Day this year. Not comfortable pitching a tent? No worries, simply switch to a fire pit or outdoor movie night instead and you'll still be enjoying one of the best outdoor National Kids’ Day activities.

4. Parade of National Kids Day Games

Some say we are living in the golden age of television, but I think we have the pleasure of raising kids in the golden age of gaming! Families have all the classics, like Life, Candyland, the many different versions of Uno, and Chutes & Ladders, along with a slew of new board games and card games from big toy brands and small independent companies. Try Sushi Go, Phase 10, Machi Koro, Hip Town, and even a cooperative escape room card game called Exit: The Game. Making a whole day or night playing a parade of games, with a stack of pizzas and cold drinks, is an awesome idea for National Kid Day.

5. Painting en Plein Air

My first day as a stay-at-home dad was a bit windy but I had grand ambitions, so I took my infant and toddler outside to paint. That activity proved a mess, but I stand by painting en plein air as one of the most therapeutic and enjoyable National Kids’ Day ideas! Just make sure you've got a calm day for what should be a calm activity for you and your children to do together!

6. Fishing

We think that every day is a good day to be on or along the water! Fishing with kids makes for a superb National Kids Day celebration because it's all about bonding, passing down family traditions, and spending time together in the great outdoors. Whether you walk over to a nearby stream or charter a fishing boat, dropping a line into the water is one of the all-time classic National Kid's Day activities.

7. Pontoon Boating

Speaking of being on the water, charter a pontoon boat and invite your kid's friends and family on board! The Kids can play and swim, and the adults can become friends and make important connections over shared interests. We need community more than ever, and this National Kid Day activity can help foster it!

8. Baking

If your kid is anything like my 15-year-old, they’ll want to turn this National Kid’s Day into national kids take over the kitchen day! Spend the whole of June 11th around a mixing bowl, whipping up batches of scones, chocolate chip banana bread, cookies, and cupcakes with buttercream icing — yum!

9. Hang a Bird Feeder

With a birding book by your side to help identify the guests soon to dine al fresco, hang up a new feeder with some tasty seeds in your yard, and invite colorful winged friends into your and your kids’ lives this year for National Kids’ Day.

Now that you know when is National Kids Day, check out even more spring things to do and these 30 cheap summer outdoor activities!