Connect With Your Community During National Park and Recreation Month
Every July, the nation celebrates Park and Recreation Month – a time to recognize the vital role that parks, trails, and recreational facilities play in enhancing our quality of life. This year’s theme – Build Together, Play Together – highlights the communal aspect of our parks, reminding us that they are places where families, friends, and neighbors can come together to create lasting memories, foster healthy habits, and strengthen our communities through shared experiences. Let’s start the month off strong by exploring some ways to bring our communities together through fun, meaningful outdoor activities in our local parks.
6 Community Oriented Outdoor Activities You Can Try This Month:
1. Create a Park Bucket List:
Sit down with close friends or family and make a list of nearby parks and trails that you’ve always wanted to visit. Commit to checking one off each weekend in July. Don’t forget to bring a Frisbee, some snacks, a water bottle, and a camera to capture the fun!
2. Plan a Community Picnic and Cook Out:
Invite your family, friends, or neighbors to a local park for a cookout. Organize lawn games like cornhole, tug-of-war, or sack races to get everyone involved and active. This will not only be a fun day out, but it will also be a chance to make memories and grow closer with the people in your community.
3. Create Something Together:
Building things is fun and educational! Whether it’s a building a birdhouse, planting a flower bed in a community garden, or even making a nature journal – activities like these encourage creativity and shared responsibility.
4. Go Stargazing:
Get together with close friends or family and visit a park after sunset to watch the stars. It’s a peaceful way to wind down the day and connect with nature as a family or community. Remember – not all parks stay open after dark, so be sure to prioritize safety and follow any relevant laws and ordinances.
5. Try a New Outdoor Sport:
Use this month to try something new – disc golf, pickleball, kayaking, or rock climbing if your local parks offer it. Many recreation departments also offer low-cost equipment rentals and beginner lessons.
6. Build a “Gratitude Tree” Craft:
Collect leaves and twigs during your park visit, then write one thing each person is thankful for on each leaf. Assemble them into a “Gratitude Tree” at home as a reminder of your outdoor adventure.
Celebrating Park and Recreation Month not only provides opportunities for fun, but also helps instill values of teamwork, care for the environment, and community pride. In a time when screens dominate most of our days, stepping outside to build together and play together can be a refreshing change of pace.
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Resources:
American Psychological Association. (2020, April 1.). Monitor on psychology. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature
July is Park and Recreation Month: National Recreation and park association. July is Park and Recreation Month | National Recreation and Park Association. (2025). https://www.nrpa.org/events/july/
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2024, April 17). The mental health benefits of nature: Spending time outdoors to refresh your mind. Mayo Clinic. https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/mental-health/the-mental-health-benefits-of-nature-spending-time-outdoors-to-refresh-your-mind/
U.S. Department of the Interior. (2022, April 19). Improve your health and wellness at National Parks (U.S. National Park Service). National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/health-and-wellness-benefits-of-parks.htm
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