Keen to get out and about with the kids and make the most of the weather before it warms up? We’ve got you covered with our round-up of 20 of the best kids outdoor activities.

Dubai may have hot summers with sky-high temperatures, but there is still plenty on offer to keep the kids entertained thanks to a plethora of indoor play centres and activities.

But now that spring is here, it’s time to get the kids having fun outdoors (while we still can).

Thankfully, Dubai has just as much to offer families when it comes to things to do outside.

The city is home to plenty of brilliant outside places where the kids can burn off some energy and enjoy some fresh air when it’s less scorchio.

From theme parks and water parks to playgrounds and sport, we’ve rounded up the best outdoor activities and things to do with the kids in Dubai.

ADVENTURE
Battle it out at Action Park

Action Park is a brilliant adventure park that offers both indoor and outdoor fun. Keep it al fresco with a battle in the cool paintballing arena, explore the region’s first upside down house or take to the track and fulfil your need for speed on the go-karting track. A top idea for active families keen to spend some time outdoors.
From Dhs99 (per 100 paintballs). Sun-Wed, 10am-10pm; Thu-Sat, 11am-11pm. The Last Exit, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, www.actionpark.ae (04 235 8893).

Get back to nature at Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary

An animal experience doesn’t have to be a major production, with queues, tickets and cages. Sometimes you just want to go somewhere quiet and see animals doing their thing. That’s why this is an incredible day out with the littlies. The wetlands feature salt flats, mangroves and lagoons that more than 60 species of bird and 500 species of flora and fauna call home. But it’s the flamingos that are the area’s stars. There are a handful of bird-hides on the perimeter that are open to the public.
Free. Open Sun-Thu 7.30am-5.30pm (during the winter months). Ras Al Khor Road, wildlife.ae.

Swing from the trees at Aventura Parks

Set amid Mushrif Park’s natural ghaf tree forest, this 35,000 sq m adventure playground offers intrepid visitors around 80 activities, including rope walks, log balancing, ladders and zip lines, the largest of which is a toe-tingling 160m long and 10m high. The whole space is split into six circuits, designed to accommodate any level of Indiana Jones, Spider-Man or Tarzan wannabe.
Activities start at Dhs45. Mon-Fri, 2pm-9pm (Tue closed); Sat-Sun, 10am-9pm. Mushrif Park, Mirdiff, aventuraparks.com (052 178 7616).

EXPLORE
Travel the world at Global Village

This huge funfair-style theme park where cultures mix together harmoniously is a must for any family living in the UAE, or for any family visiting the UAE. Taking place annually, we are always sad to see it go at the beginning of the summer, but thankfully we’ve still got over a month to go as the season has just been extended to May 7.
Dhs15 (online), Dhs20 (at the door). Sun-Wed 4pm-12am; Thu-Sat 4pm-1am, until Sat May 7. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, globalvillage.ae

Wander around Ripe Market

It’s the annual family-friendly al fresco market that signals that that Dubai’s best weather is here. Ripe pops up once a year between October and May at the Dubai Police Academy Park in Umm Sequim. There’s loads to do for all the family in addition to local craft-makers selling their wares, with slime-making, arts and crafts, animal care experiences, pony rides and ninja warrior obstacle courses. And all this fun and more outside in the fresh air.
Free. From October 15. Sat-Sun 9am-9pm. Academy Park, Umm Suqeim, ripeme.com (04 315 7000).

Play, swim and chill at Privilee

Fancy some al fresco luxury? Signing up to a Privilee membership gives you and the family access to beach clubs and swimming pools at over 60 of the UAE’s most luxurious five-star hotels. As an added bonus, over 20 of them have kids’ clubs with things like splash pools and outdoor activities little ones can get stuck into. Plus, Privilee has just added free access to Wild Wadi for its members. We’re sold.
From Dhs529 (per month), privilee.ae.

PLAYGROUNDS
Al Barsha Pond Park

This 50-acre site has something to keep the whole tribe happy for hours on end. An oasis of green located in a predominantly sandy Al Barsha and set around the edge of a pretty, manmade lake this is a lovely little spot to while away an afternoon. Sporty kiddos can take advantage of the basketball courts and football pitches, little wannabe sailors can charter their own solar energy powered boat around the water and mini cyclists can race their bikes around the cycling track. The littlest family members will also appreciate the colourful playgrounds where they can swing, slide and climb to their hearts content. Mums and dads can bring their own food, or grab some snacks from the small shop or café.
Free. Open Sat-Wed 8am-11pm, Thu-Fri 8am-11.30pm.

Al Sufouh Park

This park might not be the biggest, or most well-known, in the city, but what it lacks in size and popularity, it more than makes up for in comfort. Beautifully maintained, the kids will have a whale of a time messing about in one of the playgrounds and once they’ve run out of energy, they can re-join the clan and graze on sandwiches in one of the plentiful shady picnic spots. There’s a full-size basketball court where little all-stars can shoot some hoops, while the five-a-side football pitch is perfect for a mini-match with all the gang. And with views of Media City’s skyline to one side and the Burj Al Arab to the other, this is also a great spot to come and dreamily stare into space as the world rushes by.
Free. Open Sun-Wed 8am-10pm; Thu-Sat 8am-11pm.

Creek Park

This huge green space on the edge of Dubai Creek has acres of lawn, botanical gardens and several play areas for the kids making it perfect for an afternoon stroll or a lunchtime picnic. But there’s more for little ones to discover with mini-golf, a go-kart track and an indoor edutainment centre called Children’s City. And if you’ve got a head for heights, you can take it all on from the 2.3km long cable car ride that hangs 30m in the sky.
Dhs5. Open daily 8am-10pm, and Thu-Sat 8am-11pm.

Safa Park

One of Dubai’s originals is still one of its best. Come the winter weekends you’ll be hard pushed to find a spot on the grass despite the huge size of the park – still vast in spite of having been shrunk to accommodate the Dubai Canal. But a midweek visit means you’ll have the whole place to yourself – virtually anyway. A majority of the space is taken up by perfectly manicured lawns, which lends itself perfectly for kite-flying on a windy day, a kickabout with a football for little soccer buddies or an opportunity for energetic tots to simply hare around wearing themselves out and making bedtime that much easier for mums and dads. It’s a winning situation all around.
Dhs3. Open Fri-Thu 8am-10pm, Thu-Sat 8am-11pm.

Safa Park 2

A much smaller option in Al Safa than this park’s big, canal-located sibling, Safa Park 2 is the perfect hangout for kids after school, or at the weekends. There are three playgrounds to choose from – or rather, they don’t really have to choose as the park is so compact they can run from one to the other without Mums and Dads even needing to vacate their picnic spot on the lawn. While not specifically designed for bicycles the pathway around the edge of the park is often full of kids learning to ride their bikes without stabilisers as well as little ones on scooters whizzing around. There is also a basketball court, a beach volleyball set up and a football pitch to keep older, sports enthusiasts occupied. There is a small kiosk in the middle of the park where you can grab drinks and snacks – it also sells a lot of plastic tat, which kids all beg to buy… Consider yourself warned.
Free. Open daily 8am-11pm.

SPORT
Try football at My Sports Academy, Dubai

Kiddos can learn a love of the beautiful game from the lovely, expert coaches at MSA. No matter what their footballing ability, there is a group to suit them and little ones as young as five can start to work on their footwork and dribbling skills. Plus, MSA offers a number of football-focused holiday camps throughout the school year.
Various locations including JESS Jumeirah, mysportsacademydubai.com.

Get into golf at Meydan Golf

It’s one of the most popular games in Dubai and there are very few other sports that will hammer your steps goals quite as impressively. Try Golf DXB where, with tiered ability programmes, young golfers get to learn, develop and compete in an environment suited to their level. Class sizes are no bigger than six, while regular tournaments give kiddos a competitive edge. Little golfers can sign up for a trial classic for Dhs150, and once they’ve decided it’s the sport for them, then ten-week programmes start at Dhs1299 for absolute beginners. Fore!
From Dhs175 (for a trial class). The Track, Meydan Golf, Dubai, golfdxb.ae (054 441 1429).

Go horse riding at Desert Palm

Not only are horses wonderful, calming creatures, horse riding is a top way for pony-obsessed kids to enjoy having fun and getting some exercise outdoors. Plus, if you’re going to be outside, you may as well head to a truly idyllic location, such as this one, where mini jockeys can learn to ride or develop their skills. The riding school boasts an impressive collection of horses and ponies ranging from smaller steeds of 11 hands up to larger rides of 18 hands. The school caters to all levels of riders including the tiny tots from five. Get the most out of being outdoors by booking the kids in for a guided hack – mums and dads are welcome, too.
Al Awir Road, desertpalmllc.com (050 451 7773).

Play rugby at Dubai Falcons

What better way to enjoy the beautiful Dubai winter season than standing on the grass with a coffee in hand? That’s you mums and dads, the kiddos will be on the rugby pitch letting off steam. Dubai Falcons is Dubai’s newest rugby club, and focuses on grassroots rugby and developing future talent. The club is open for kids from four to 18, and the fees of Dhs1,150 for 48 weeks of rugby. While this is a game played mainly in cold, rainy weather, we definitely see the appeal as a parent of standing pitch-side being warm and dry.
Dhs1,150. [email protected] (052 200 5321).

Sail at Dubai Offshore Sailing Club

Kids in Dubai spend a lot of time in the water all year round, but when the weather gets cooler, they might want to think about spending some time on it. Sailing lessons are on offer for kids as young as six or seven and are a great way to get active outdoors. And don’t worry, there’s no need to rush out and buy loads of equipment or to browse the classifieds for a boat for your budding Ben Ainslies because DOSC has a wide range of easy to sail boats for hire. So, breathe easy mums and dads because not owning your own boat doesn’t have to be a barrier to your little ones taking up the sport
Dhs425 (taster session for kids six and above), from Dhs1,150 (learn to sail courses for kids seven and above). Open daily 8am-12am. Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, Umm Suqeim, Dubai, dosc.ae (04 394 1669).

THRILLS AND SPILLS
Get the adrenaline pumping at Motiongate

Dubai is home to plenty of theme parks (aren’t we lucky?), but this one is great for the whole family as it has rides for all ages from tame attractions for tiny tots to more daring, faster rides for older kids. Seven of the rides are outside, but guests can also hide away from the sun at the DreamWorks Studio and the remaining 22 rides which are located inside. Get those steps up and lap up the fresh air as you wander from zone to zone, trying all the rides you fancy along the way of course. Hands in the air!
Dhs295. Sun-Thu11am-8pm, Fri & Sat11am-9pm. Park timings during Ramadan: Sun-Thurs 1pm-9pm, Fri-Sat 1pm-10pm. Dubai Parks and Resorts, motiongatedubai.com (800 2629464).

Build blocks at LEGOLAND Dubai

A great – not to mention colourful – outdoor destination that’s perfect if you’ve got little ones six and under. All of the rides are outside with the various zones housing cool attractions including a dragon rollercoaster. You can learn to drive a LEGO car, fly a LEGO plane, ride a LEGO watercraft and basically enjoy hours of outdoor fun wandering from kingdom to kingdom.
From Dhs330, free (kids under three). Open Mon-Thu,10am-6pm, Fri-Sun10am-8pm. Dubai Parks and Resorts, Dubai, legoland.com/dubai (04 820 0000).

Make a splash at Jungle Bay Waterpark

The Greeks love outdoor living and here, at Jungle Bay Waterpark, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to Corfu or Mykonos thanks to the tranquil blue and white Mediterranean themed vibe and décor. There are plenty of rides and attractions to keep the whole family entertained. The Lighthouse, Whizzard & Body Slides are gentle slides that are perfect for little thrill seekers, while a dedicated splash park, Aquaplay, which with no height restrictions, is aimed at kids of all ages.
Dhs200 (adults Mon-Fri), Dhs300(adults Sat-Sun), Dhs100 (kids four-12 Mon-Fri), Dhs200 (kids four-12 Sat-Sun) 8am-sunset. Jungle Bay Waterpark, junglebaytickets.com

Get soaked at Wild Wadi

The whole crew has access to around 30 fun experiences and rides that both little kids and big kids alike will love (plus there are some pretty stellar views of Burj Al Arab). Keep it calm by floating around the long lazy river of Juha’s Journey or ramp the adrenaline up (if you dare) by sliding down Tantrum Alley, Burj Surj and the infamous Jumeirah Sceirah. Cool dudes can hit the waves at Wipeout and Riptide Flowriders while the littlest thrill-seekers can head to Juha’s Dhow and Lagoon with over 100 water activities including five slides, a pair of racing slides, and water guns, but beware of the large dumping bucket that spills over every two minutes dumping its contents on anyone hanging out below.
Tickets start from Dhs179 (per online adult booking during the week). Open daily, 10am-6pm. Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Umm Suqeim, Dubai, www.wildwadi.com (04 348 4444).

This information has been taken from the press release originally published at https://www.timeoutdubai.com/kids-activities/things-to-do-kids-outdoor-activities
visit for more:https://www.aventuraparks.com/