Picnics turn ordinary meals into special memories for you and your kids. Best of all, you probably have everything you need in your house, and your yard for your picnic destination. You don’t need a large yard—even your front step will do!

Here are some ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner picnics, followed by some entertaining picnic activities.

Breakfast Picnic:

Eating breakfast outside is a fun break in the routine! Here are a few items that make for good breakfast picnics:

• Picnic Basket

• Picnic blanket (which can be as simple as a bunch of bath or beach towels)

• Blueberry muffins--a great cooking activity to do with kids of all ages. Younger children can help add the ingredients, and separate the muffin cups. Older kids can have their first experience of taking on a recipe all by themselves if they never have done so.

• Fresh fruit—Strawberries, grapes, bananas, blueberries or whatever is in season (and whatever your kids will eat).

• Breakfast or granola bars

• Waffles: Toast just before you head out the door, and then cut into strips. Place waffle sticks in plastic bag. Pour syrup in a small plastic container or bag.

• Individual orange juices, waters, or milk

Lunch Picnic:

A basic sandwich, some fruit, and a drink are all you need for a lunchtime picnic. Here are some sandwich ideas:

• Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

• Grilled Cheese

• Ham and Cheese

• Turkey and Cheese

• Hot Dogs

• Chips

• Fruit

• Drinks (water, juice boxes, etc)

Dinner Time Picnic:

• Hamburgers and Hot Dogs: From the grill to the picnic blanket, with little clean up and a lot of fun!

• Oven fried chicken nuggets (recipe link below)

• Skewer Meals (recipe link below)

• Finger Foods (recipe below)

Garden Picnic: If you are going to be planting some flowers this spring, why not turn it into a garden picnic?

Items Needed:

• Blanket

• Kid’s wagon or wheel barrow

• Two large pots

• Food and drinks

Assemble the first pot with some flowers, soil, and anything else you need to plant. Assemble the second pot with picnic food. After you have your picnic, you can create flowerpots with your kids!

Picnic Activities:

Here are some examples of inexpensive activities that are fun for the whole family.

• Sidewalk Chalk

• Bubbles

• A game of catch

• Freeze tag

• Kite Flying

• Egg throwing contest: Two people stand very close to each other and
toss an egg back and forth. Take one step back after each toss. See how far you can throw the egg without it breaking! This is also a fun activity with water balloons.