Fun Things to Do at a Playdate
I am always looking for creative ways to spend time with my kids and create memories! One of the things my kids love to do is get together and play with their friends. As a mom, I love to create a fun and exciting environment where kids can play and learn together. I always feel like the MORE KIDS THE MERRIER! We all love having weekly playdates with friends and we are always looking for fun and new playdate ideas to mix things up!! So if you are anything like me and are looking for what to do on a playdate, we’ve got you covered with this HUGE list of fun things to do on a playdate.
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From crafts to activities, there are SO many fun things to do on a playdate covered right here! We even found some awesome ideas for playdates for toddlers and baby playdates too. We decided to scour the web and find the absolute best playdate ideas for moms and kids!! Altogether, we rounded up 101 great ideas to entertain the kiddos! And to make things easier, we divided all these ideas up into 6 categories to make it easy to navigate and find ideas that you know your kids and their buddies will love!
Here are the categories that we came up with:
- Indoor Playdates
- Outdoor Playdates
- Food-Themed Playdates
- Crafty Playdates
- Sensory Playdates
- Active Playdates
It was so much fun looking for really great ideas for what to do on a play date! Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve got 3 little kiddos of my own, but this list really has me excited to spend more time with them! I have so many of these playdates on my bucket list now… Let’s get right down to it. Are you ready to play??
Indoor Kids Playdate Ideas
We all know how crazy kids can get when they’re all cooped up. And who are we kidding, Mommas, can get a little crazy too sometimes! We happen to live in a VERY hot climate and in the month of August, outdoor playdates are just not an option. So whether you live in a hot climate like us OR a super cold climate, here are some great things to do on a playdate that we’ve planned out for you. Stop pulling your hair out, Momma, and get these kids PLAYING! Here are some fun things to do on a playdate indoors.
- Balloons {All Free Crafts} – It is so simple – fill a room with balloons and let the fun begin! You will be surprised how entertained the kids will be!
- Cardboard Box Play Date {The Educator’s Spin On It} – Gather a bunch of old boxes, and let the kids create anything they can dream up!
- Book Club Play Dates {Still Playing School} – Learn AND have fun together!
- Mad Scientist Play Date – I love the idea of teaching the kids a little science for a playdate! Some of these experiments are just too fun!
- Drive In Movie {Messes to Memories} – Take a rainy day playdate to a whole new level with a drive-in movie event. Includes free printables to turn laundry baskets and cardboard boxes into cars for a drive-in movie.
- Treasure Map and Scavenger Hunt {Lil’ Luna} – Use the free printable treasure map to send the kids on a fun scavenger hunt!
- Paper Doll Party {Kids Activities Blog} – Invite friends over for a fun paper doll party using these paper doll printables.
- STEM Coding Game {Research Parent} – Learn how to code like a computer pro! This technological play date includes free printables, detailed instructions, and a guide for how to cater the activity to your child’s age and ability.
- Fly in an “Airplane” {Play to Learn} – Set up dining room chairs like an airplane and take a trip to anywhere your heart desires.
- Dress-up {Rain on a Tin Roof} – Kids of all ages will have fun playing make believe and dressing up!
- Science Experiments {Messes to Memories} – Try out a fun science experiment!
- Build a TeePee {Le Zoe Musings} – Whether you use this for during the day or for a fun sleepover, the kiddos will LOVE having their own teepee!
- Play Store or Restaurant {Domestic Candy} – Pretend to run a restaurant. Take turns being waiters, cooks and hungry customers.
Outdoor Playdate Ideas
Some of my best childhood memories include playdates with friends outdoors (where grownups were nowhere to be found… ha!) But the truth is, kids, need fresh air, Mommas need their vitamin D, and our houses need to stay clean for more than 24 hours. If you want to organize the most EPIC kids playdate here are some amazing, fun, and easy ideas to keep them busy in the great outdoors! And the best part is, once you get their imaginations going, kids will keep themselves entertained for hours.
- Water Balloon Stomp {Care.com} – Ten ideas for water balloon fun! Host a water balloon stomp or make a water balloon piñata by hanging the water balloons on a clothesline!
- Kid Car Wash {Lowes} – How fun would it be to have your kiddos running through this?!
- Giant Board Game {The Craftables} – Use a large sheet, tape or other objects to create “spaces”. The kids will have so much fun being the game pieces.
- Color Spray Science {Kids Activities Blog} – Keep the kiddos busy with this cool activity that uses science to change a plain white t-shirt into a fun, colorful shirt!
- Scavenger Hunt & Smore’s Play Date {Clean and Scentsible} – A little taste of camping, right in your backyard!
- Giant Bubbles {Lindsay and Andrew} – Every kid loves bubbles, but you can take it up a notch and totally impress them with GIANT bubbles!
- Pool Noodle Games {Mission to Save} – Pool noodles are cheap and there are so many fun things you can do with them! Check out these ideas for some easy and entertaining games!
- Marshmallow Shooters {Happiness is Homemade} – Help the kids make their own marshmallow shooters, then go outside for an epic marshmallow battle.
- I Spy Neighborhood Walk {Mess for Less} – Use the printable checklist to take the kids on an I Spy Neighborhood Walk. It doesn’t get any easier than that!
- Paint With Water {All for the Boys} – This is especially perfect for hot days! Let the kids paint without making a mess – just send them outside with paint brushes and buckets of water. You’d be surprised how entertained it keeps them.
- Host a Garden Tea Party {Classy Clutter} – Invite your child’s friends over for a garden tea party, with fruit punch, of course.
- Sidewalk Smoke Bombs {Growing a Jeweled Rose} – How fun is this idea!? Fill some eggshells with crushed chalk and let the kids go wild throwing the DIY smoke bombs. It may be a little messy, but the kids will definitely love it!
- Water Blob {Hello Wonderful} – Make a giant water blob or a bunch of mini ones for the kids to play on! What a great way to enjoy the warm weather!
- Food-Themed Playdates
Food and friends go together like peanut butter and jelly. And if the food is ALSO the center of your kid’s playdate idea, that’s a home run! Now, we know that getting kids into the kitchen is not for the faint of heart (hellooooo messes!), but some of my best times with my kids are when they are helping out in the kitchen! They learn hard work, patience, how to follow instructions and so many other important lessons. And when it comes to playdates for toddlers, I don’t know a single 2-year old that wouldn’t LOVE to get their hands on these ideas! A lot of these ideas can be adapted for baby play dates, too. So be sure to pin this puppy!
- Kid Fondue Party {Play Party Plan} – Set up a kid-friendly fondue bar with either chocolate or cheese and a whole lot of delicious finger foods to dip!
- Dessert Pizza {Homemade Interest} – Let the kids design their own dessert pizza! Yum!!
- Ice Cream in a Bag {Freebie Finding Mom} – Kids create their own delicious ice cream with just a few simple ingredients!
- Popcorn Bar {Family Fresh Meals} – Want an easy playdate? Popcorn bar + a movie = happy kids (and moms).
- Cooking Adventure {The Dating Divas} – Use the Kids Mini Recipe Book to cook up some yummy food, then use the printable placements and restaurant printables for some fun pretend play! {This kit is intended for babysitters to keep kids entertained but also works great for moms too!}
- Waffle Bar {Pillsbury} – If you’re not in to pancakes, this waffle bar looks delicious too!
- Picture Cookie Recipe {It’s Always Autumn} – This sweet printable will get your little ones active in the kitchen. The easy to follow pictures will help your little ones “read” the recipe.
- Popsicle Party {Messes to Memories} – The absolute perfect playdate for a hot day! Play a little popsicle bingo, make a popsicle craft and enjoy some cold popsicles!
- Lego Making Party {Messes to Memories} – Have you seen these fun candy Legos? You could make them together with jello and lego candy molds and then let the kids play with them once they’re all set up!
- Cupcake Decorating {Momtog} – This is the cutest idea for a party! Get some little paint trays and fill them with cupcake toppings for each kid! Now everyone has a variety of sprinkles and it minimizes the piles that you’d otherwise find on the table!
- Make Lego Brownies {Desert Chica} – Watch the Legos movie and have this for dessert, so FUN!
- Pizza Bar {Smart Schoolhouse} – Pizza is the number one thing my kids request! I’m sure a pizza bar would be so fun for kids to create their own mini pizza.
- Apple Party {Play Party Plan} – Here are some great ideas to host an apple playdate that includes an apple nacho bar, apple walk and so many other fun apple ideas!
- Homemade Lollipops {Hoosier Homemade} – Teach the kids how to make their own homemade lollipops using Jolly Rancher candies! Not only is it yummy, but it’s a memory they won’t soon forget.
- Make a Lemonade Stand {Design Dazzle} – On a hot summer day nothing beats the heat like a cool, refreshing glass of lemonade. And there is nothing sweeter than sun-kissed kids serving a refreshing glass of lemonade at their lemonade stand.
- Toast Masterpieces {123 Homeschool 4 Me} – Paint a rainbow piece of toast and enjoy!
- Brunch Pancake Bar – For a fun morning playdate, try out a pancake bar! This looks so cute, I want to make one right now!!
- Mini Pie Bar {Play Party Plan} – All you need are some pudding cups and fun toppings to set up this mini pie bar and let the kids customize their own mini pie creations.
Craft Ideas for Kids Playdates
Develop your kid’s inner artist by hosting the best crafty playdates EVER! My daughter is a craft-a-holic and I can tell you first hand that ANY of these craft ideas would make her SO happy! And for her to be able to do these crafts on a playdate with her friends… I would be the mother of the year! Just the other day we were discussing what to do on a playdate with her best friend coming up, and she is thinking those ninja toilet paper rolls looked pretty neat. Not to mention we probably already have everything around the house! Score! And a lot of these ideas can be adapted for baby play dates or even playdates for toddlers. Art really is for ALL ages!
- Color Block Art {Messes to Memories} – This colorful project would be so fun for kids. Grab some canvas, paint, and tape, and let the kids create a masterpiece for them to display!
- Bubble Wrap Printing {Artbar Blog} – Don’t throw away that bubble wrap, it could make for some playdate fun!
- Glowing Fairy Bottle {Bitz N’ Giggles} – These are perfect for a nighttime playdate!
- Paint Egg Splatter {Growing a Jeweled Rose} – Paint a canvas and have a blast doing it with paint-filled eggs!
- Toothpick Sculptures {Artful Parent} – Let the kids use toothpicks and mini marshmallows to create their own sculptures.
- Mason Jar Aquariums {Hello Wonderful} – Make your own mini aquariums, similar to snow globes, using mason jars.
- Toilet Paper Roll Racers {Be a Fun Mum} – Turn your old toilet paper rolls into racecars. This craft will keep kids entertained while making and long after!
- Candy Jewelry {Messes to Memories} – How fun would it be to grab a bunch of different candies and making some candy jewelry! To make it even easier, grab candies that can be easily strung!
Paper Roll Ninjas {Kid’s Activities Blog} – Create these fun paper roll ninjas using recycled materials. - Canvas Painting {B Lovely Events} – I love all of these art party ideas – including having the kiddos paint their own canvas!
- Cardboard Box City {Learn With Play at Home} – This would be such a fun rainy day activity and all you need are some cardboard boxes!
- Crayon Art Sculpture {Meri Cherry} – This is such a great idea! Take an everyday, ordinary item, like crayons and create a fun sculpture! Imagine the endless possibilities here.
- Cup Craft {Simple As That} – Choose any theme and put together a fun cup craft to fit it! Simple As That has so many fun ideas for cup crafts!!
- DIY Friendship Bracelets {Mama Miss} – I know my girl loves to make jewelry! Get all the girls together and celebrate their friendship by making these easy friendship bracelets with popsicle sticks and washi tape!
- Sensory Ideas for Baby Play Dates
When I was a momma of a young baby, I LOVED getting together with other Moms with kids the same age. But trying to figure out what to do on a playdate for babies can feel limiting. On top of that, energy is low and it’s hard to get the creative juices flowing for fun playdate ideas. You’re in luck. While these ideas are great for kids of all ages, they can REALLY speak to those little babies of ours! Sensory play is great for brain development and having friends over to enjoy the fun is great for their social development too! Win-win! So whether it’s ideas for playdates for toddlers, babies, or older kiddos, we linked them all up for you right here.
- Playdough Party {Messes to Memories} – Make this easy homemade playdough in less than 10 minutes!
- Edible Fingerpaint {Fun at Home with Kids} – This edible fingerpaint is perfect for babies or toddlers who like to stick their hands in their mouth, and it’s even scented!
- Homemade Gak {Lil’ Luna} – Toddlers cannot get enough of this homemade gak! It only takes a couple of minutes to make and provides HOURS of entertainment!
- Jell-O Soap Foam Sensory {Fun-a-Day} – Indoors OR outdoors, make some jell-O soap foam and set the kids up with some fun sensory play!
- Marshmallow House Building {The Idea Room} – See who can build the biggest house without eating it first!
- Ice Volcanoes {Messes to Memories} – We’ve made these fun ice volcanoes before and kids love watching them erupt and fizz all over the driveway!
- Monster Truck Sensory Bin {Crayon Box Chronicles} – This sensory bin is easy to put together with materials you already have laying around the house. Your car loving kiddos will be in monster truck heaven.
- DIY Dinosaur Fossils {Lil’ Luna} – Watch the movie Ice Age and make some fun dinosaur fossils for the kids to discover!
Playdate Ideas for Active Kids
If the goal as a Mom is to wear your kiddos out by the end of each day (and let’s be honest, when is that not the goal?!), then this section is for you. Nothing makes me happier than a kid’s playdate with friends that includes running, jumping, and playing so hard that I know they are going to sleep GOOD that night! Playdates are great for SO many reasons, but wearing the kids out is probably my favorite reason for them all. So, if you are like me and being active is at the top of your list of things to do on a playdate, here are some really great playdates to get the kids moving!
- Dance Party {Mom Junction} – Be spontaneous, let loose, and turn on some tunes for a dance party! Check out some of these dance games and activities to add some variety to the playdate!
- Dinosaur Hunt {Messes to Memories} – Any kind of theme could lend itself to a fun hunt like this dinosaur hunt!
- Painting with Feet {Homegrown Friends} – Try this fun and messy idea!
- Kids Camp {The Dating Divas} – Use this awesome printable pack to host your own Kids Camp for your kids and their friends! It includes wristbands, camp journal covers, and everything you’ll need!
- Get Moving Dice {I Heart Naptime} – Play a silly game and exercise while doing it!
- Rainbow Dancing Rings {Laughing Kids Learn} – You only need a couple of materials to make these fun rainbow ribbon rings. Then just turn on some music and let the kids get to dancing!
- Exercise Class for Kids {The Realistic Mama} – Use these 9 exercise videos for kids on YouTube to put together an exercise class just for kids!
- Build and Race Boats {I Heart Naptime} – What a clever idea! You can build boats out of bottle caps, soap, sticks, etc. Then set up a race and let the best boat win!
- Yoga {Pop Sugar} – Teach the kids some fun stretches and yoga poses! This will be an activity they’ll never forget!
- Camping Activities {The Dating Divas} – You don’t have to go on a real camping trip to have some outdoor fun! Go on a nature scavenger hunt, play camping bingo, make bug fossils, and eat some trail mix! {This kit is intended for babysitters to keep the kids entertained, but it also works GREAT for moms, too!}
- Superhero Activities {Itty Bisous} – If your kids love superheros, you’ll find games like the Hulk Smash absolutely perfect for a playdate!
- Toddler Field Day {Ice Cream Off Paper Plates} – This might just be the cutest thing ever! Have your littles participate in their own field day with three legged race and hula hoop competitions! Have a fun day just for your little ones!
If you are looking for more ideas on what to do on a playdate with your kids, you’ll definitely want to check out our 101 Things to do with your kids BESIDES watching TV. Plus, here are 101 Printables just for kids for even more fun things to do on a playdate!
I like to have nice play dates in a park. You can even have a play date at a library on the cheap on wet days in order to reduce costs. Even if you have no money there are plenty of good options left to you. Buy some decent art and craft supplies from a craft store to use. And then have a free play date at home.
Or watch a family movie. Maybe serve bowls of popcorn and cups of hot chocolate for the kids (you can have a secret glass of white wine instead). Make brief summary notes on play dates. Find a useful method that benefits you and even works for everyone else in the family. If that all fails try researching visitor attractions online in addition to see what is on.
Buy some fun family games from the local charity shops. Build a campfire at night sit there eating warm marshmallows singing. Make a festive wreath for Xmas or a similar decoration. Tell stories. Consider a few other less usual options like making butter and chutney, and so on.
YES! These are all such great ideas, thanks so much for sharing!!
Crayons really are a mom’s best friend. I did a play date at a church today that involved serving a afternoon tea and various art and craft projects as well. You can easily purchase a few more cheap art supplies online or from a local art shop instead. Board games are a nice idea. Or do simple cooking.
YES! Those are all GENIUS!! Thanks for sharing!
These are great ways for the children to spend time having fun and its even better that they’ll be sharing it with there friends
Agreed!! It’s amazing how many life lessons are learned through play! Thank you so much for your comment!
Wow! So many great ideas I found here. Love your ideas, they are amazing.
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! We hope you have the BEST playdates!! Enjoy! XO
Lovely post! There are so many great ideas and I love your ideas. Thanks for sharing all these ideas.
You are SO welcome! Thank you so much!! We appreciate your comment! 🙂
Heck yes!! This is totally up my ally… I have lots of little ones at home right now, so these ideas are so perfect! Thank you!
Woah this took playdates to the next level!
LOVE THIS POST!!!!! So many great ideas and I’m LOVING the sensory ideas especially!!
Oh my goodness! This is SO FUN!
Play dates save lives. Thanks for all the ideas!
That campout with the tee pees? Can I play in those?! Such fun ideas!
Sooooo many fun ideas! 🙂
So fun! And I recognize a few cute little faces in there! 😉