After six weeks of lockdown, it can be hard not to go stir-crazy. This is especially true for our little ones with their boundless energy and inexhaustible sense of adventure.
Spending time outside is essential for maintaining a healthy lifestyle – both mentally and physically. In this journal entry, I have collated a range of outdoor activities for you to share with your children.
You can also download a printer friendly copy of this outdoor activity poster here.
- Build a fairy garden from leaves, twigs and pebbles etc.
- Identify trees in the local area by looking closely at their leaves.
- Create wax crayon rubbings of leaves, stones, bark etc.
- Set up an obstacle course in the garden and time how long it takes to complete it.
- Make parachutes from plastic bags and string then see how long it takes for them to fall from different heights.
- Make paper aeroplanes and test which type of plane flies the furthest when thrown.
- Collect flowers and leaves then freeze them in ice. Children will love to explore them as the ice melts.
- Fill buckets, bowls and pots with water then give children the freedom to play as they wish.
- Build a fort or den in the garden. It could make a great reading nook!
- Be creative and build a marble run around the garden.
- Make daisy chains into crowns, necklaces and bracelets. Use blades of grass between your hands to make a whistle.
- Take some tasty treats into the garden and have a picnic on the grass.
- Create amazing nature art using leaves, stones, twigs, flowers etc.
- In the warm weather, make a “slip & slide” with some plastic sheeting and soap.
- Plant flowers or vegetables and watch for the daily changes as they grow.
- Create your own bubble mixture from washing-up liquid.
- Make insect houses or bug hotels from pieces of wood.
- Make bird feeders from fruit.
- Go outside every day and check the temperature or daily rainfall. Children can use this data to plot graphs.
- Use items from nature to make your own wind chimes or mobiles.
- Let your children play in the mud! Give them utensils to do mud cooking and bake mud pies.
- Create your own sun dial and use shadows to tell the time.
- On windy days, fly kites outside. Perhaps you could even make your own!
- Go outside on clear nights and look up at the stars. Can you spot any constellations?
- Paint rocks and pebbles with different designs to brighten up your local area.
- Take photographs of interesting shapes and patterns that you find outside.
- Play a range of ball games like catch, football, basketball and boules to name just a few.
- Collect sticks and twigs to build your own nest.
- Search for and identify a range of mini-beasts.
- Measure various parts of the garden, calculating the area and perimeter.
- Do some garden gymnastics, such as handstands, cartwheels and gambols.
- Use colourful chalk to decorate patio slabs, brick walls and wooden fences.
- Set up a scavenger hunt to collect different items around the garden.
- Fill trays and tubs with different textures and do a barefoot walk.
- On rainy days, put on your wellies and jump in muddy puddles – just like Peppa Pig!
- Have a go at pressing flowers.
- Lie on the ground and look up at the clouds. What shapes can you see?
- Do some garden bowling. Make the pins using cardboard tubes and knock them over with a ball.
- Draw around your shadows with your chalk and watch how your shadows change throughout the day.
- Water fight! Use water pistols to cool down on hot days. Alternatively, Nerf guns are a less soggy option.
- Collect stones and pebbles to balance on top of each other.
- Put a tent up in the garden and camp outside overnight.
I hope you find some of these activity ideas helpful. ?
I’d love to know if you use any of these suggestions. Use the button below to share your stories and pictures with me on twitter!