Hot Days, Cool Adventures: Our Hot Weather Playlist

Bright sunshine and warm weather invite children outdoors, but on especially hot days it’s important to adapt rather than avoid outdoor play altogether. By choosing cooler times of the day, seeking out shady spaces and offering plenty of opportunities to cool down, children can continue enjoying the many benefits of time outside. 

Hot weather creates its own unique opportunities for exploration. Water play, mud kitchens, sprinklers, shady nature walks and quiet sensory experiences all encourage children to connect with the outdoors while staying comfortable. It can also be a wonderful time to notice how plants and animals respond to the heat, sparking curiosity about the natural world.

Experiencing different weather conditions helps children develop both adaptability and an understanding that nature is constantly changing. Learning how to play safely in warmer weather also encourages children to recognise their own needs and to make sensible choices in caring for themselves and others outdoors.

Birak and Bunuru: Hot Weather on Noongar Country

Across the south-west of Western Australia, Birak and Bunuru (occuring around December to March) are the warmest of the Noongar seasons. Birak often brings hot, dry days balanced by cooling afternoon sea breezes, while Bunuru is typically the hottest time of the year, when rainfall is scarce and many waterways begin to shrink.

During these seasons, both people and wildlife adapt their daily routines – seeking shade, conserving energy and making the most of cooler mornings and evenings. This reminds us that spending time outdoors is not about enduring the weather but learning to work with it. 

Tips For Being Prepared for Hot Weather Play

With plenty of water, sun-safe clothing and a little planning, outdoor play can remain enjoyable even on hot days. Here are our top tips for making hot weather play work:

• Head outdoors early to play before it heats up. 
• Be prepared with hats, sun-safe clothing, shoes and sunscreen to suit the weather. 
• Make cold drinking water readily available. 
• Keep outdoor play sessions short if children begin to feel uncomfortable due to the hot conditions. 
• Plan play activities with water or ice (see our suggestions below). 
• If you’re planning a playground visit, choose a space with water play or go coastal for some beachside play. Check out our website for articles featuring Great Perth Playgrounds with Water Play and our pick of Perth’s Best Play & Swim Spots. 
• Evenings are glorious for family outdoor time. Try having a picnic dinner outside, enjoying a neighbourhood walk, or gardening together on warm nights. 

Additionally, in childcare and school settings;

• Check the forecast and UV index and, wherever possible, be flexible about when you head outdoors with the children. 
• Share outdoor supervision during hot weather by rotating educators, ensuring everyone takes an equal turn. 
• During very hot times of the day, set up your planned outdoor play activities under shaded areas, or take them inside if needed – climbing frames, balance beam, hoops, etc.

The Hot Weather Playlist

These hot weather play ideas will help children stay cool while continuing to explore, create and connect with nature.

1. Mix up potions in old jars, adding petals, leaves and grass to water to create your own magical brews. 
2. Create a shady cubby to play in out of the heat of the sun. 
3. Take an early morning walk. How many different bird calls can you hear? Can you imitate them? 
4. Use a bucket of water and a large paintbrush to paint a fence or wall. Watch what happens to your painting.

5. Create a drip castle by mixing a slurry of beach sand and lots of water. Grab a fistful of the slurry and let it drip through your fingers to form stalagmite-like stacks on top of each other. 
6. Find some fallen pieces of bark and decorate them. You might like to use crayons, markers or paint. 
7. Put out a dish of water for birds and insects to take a drink. Watch from a distance to see who comes to visit.  
8. Find a shady spot to sit and play I Spy with a friend. 

9. Make a leaf boat to float in a shallow tub of water or in a puddle left by your garden sprinklers. 
10. Go for a neighbourhood walk in the early evening, taking turns to talk about your favourite moment from the day. 
11. On your watering days, play under the sprinklers while the garden gets a drink. This is such a classic way to start or end a hot day in WA!

12. Enjoy an evening family picnic in the backyard or at a local park. 
13. Use large ice cubes as “paintbrushes” to draw on warm concrete, rocks or tree trunks. 
14. Find a shady spot to sit still. Close your eyes and listen for three different sounds. Do they sound close or far away? Are they loud sounds or quiet sounds? 
15. Build a sand castle and decorate it with shells, seaweed and other natural treasures.
16. Read your favourite book while relaxing under the shade of a tree.  
17. Head out in the early evening to water the garden.  
18. Gather a basket full of nature’s treasures such as pinecones, feathers, shells, leaves, pebbles and gumnuts, and take them indoors for loose parts play when it is very hot. 
19. Wash your toys with water in a bucket outside. You might like to add a little dishwashing liquid for some added bubbly fun!  
20. Watch a sunset – watching carefully for the moment the sun disappears. What changes do you notice around you once the sun has gone down? 
21. Visit a play space with water play. Find one near you with the interactive Play in WA Map. 

Looking for play ideas for other weather conditions, check out our other nature playlists (click on an image below to be take to the related article);