Kid-Friendly Backyard Pond Activities

As most kids begin their summer breaks, this is the time of year when parents start to wonder how they can encourage their children to spend more time outside, being active.

Designing and building a pond makes for a great family project, but if your backyard pond is already built, there is also a wide scope of summer pond activities for kids. We’ve outlined our favorite five kid-friendly activities below.

Ways to Create Pond Fun With Kids

  1. Start an observation journal, and have kids keep track of pond life throughout the summer. Older kids can write about what they see and notice about the wildlife. Younger ones could draw the fish, frogs, insects, and other animals they find.
  1. Let children feed the pond fish, raise tadpoles, or choose and care for their own plant. Kids enjoy feeling a sense of ownership. They are more likely to actually want to help out with pond care if they have a part in picking out the animals or plants.
  1. Read and write about pond life. There are many readily available children’s books about pond life. You might start by reading one or two books together, and then write your own version, based on your backyard pond. If your children are very young, they can draw pictures and have you fill in the words.
  1. Create mosaic stepping stones or painted rocks to go around the pond. Each child will be able to have a unique expression of themselves that they will see during every pond visit.
  1. Allow children to help decorate the pond for barbecues and holiday parties. For example, if you have lights in the pond, you might add red, white, and blue colored filters for a festive fourth of July theme (check out these pond boss® lights to see what we mean).

These are just a few ways you can use your backyard pond to spark an interest in the outdoors. Use your imagination, and we’re sure you’ll be able to come up with even more. If you try any of our suggestions, be sure to share this article and let us, and others, know how it turned out!