Go Play Outside: Books for Kids

As summer begins, the sun shines more often, the days get warmer and the world outside your door calls you to go play outside! Whether you play at a neighborhood park, on your block or in your yard, there are many ways to enjoy the outdoors.

In Are You Ready to Play Outside?, Elephant and Piggie are very excited to go outside to play. A quick weather change upsets their plans, but they work together to solve the problem.

The next time you get stuck inside, read a few of these books about outdoor play. You might get some ideas for fun things to try the next time you can head out the door.

Acka Backa Boo!: Playground Games from Around the World includes lots of games to try with your family or friends. Try a variety of ball games, chasing games or clap, skip and jump games at a picnic or beach day this summer.

Peer into Inside Outside, a wordless picture book, to give preschoolers and their families ideas for playing inside their homes as well as outside the house. From planting seedlings and building sailboats to performing a puppet show and creating artworks, the child in the book shows what simple pleasures play brings to life.

A Stick Is An Excellent Thing: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play highlights the playfulness of poetry through its exploration of summer fun in a city. Kids play hopscotch and jump rope on the sidewalk, swing and climb at the neighborhood playground and catch fireflies in the park. This fun collection of playful poems includes quick, short rhymes and longer verses that tell bite-sized stories.

What's your favorite way to play outside?