Do your family enjoy nature walks? We do but I know all too well how important it is to have some ideas for things to do on a walk with kids. These nature walk games are perfect for keeping children entertained on your family walks so that hopefully you can all spend more time enjoying your walk and less time listening to cries of “I’m bored”, and “are we nearly there yet”. Can you relate?
Below you’ll find a list of games that you can play on your next hike or walk with kids. Some of them require you to pack something (always small things) but many of these ideas don’t require any items or preparation. I hope you find ideas to make your next walk a little easier with kids!
Ad – This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase through the links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Nature scavenger hunt
A scavenger hunt is a great way to get children excited about going on a walk. A scavenger hunt is simply a list of things to find on your walk and it can be a really fun game that keeps your children focused on their surroundings and hopefully too busy to feel bored.
There are lots of ways you can have a scavenger hunt:
- Make your own
- Take a free printable scavenger hunt
- Pack some scavenger hunt cards
Make your own
You can simply write a quick list of things that you might find on your walk. If you need some ideas then, read this post – Things to find on a walk.
You could also get your kids to make a scavenger hunt for themselves before you leave. They can write or draw a few things that they might find on the walk. If you have more than one child, then they could make one for each other to do.
Get your free printable nature walk scavenger hunt
I have a free printable nature walk scavenger hunt for all the seasons available to download here – Nature walk scavenger hunt free printable. You’ll find one for different seasons and even one to use on a beach walk.
Buy a scavenger hunt pack of cards
You can also buy scavenger hunt game cards that you can keep in your coat pocket or hiking bag. We have both sets of go find it cards which we love. Find out why here – Go find it scavenger hunt cards.
Go find it make great instant scavenger hunts that change each time, depending what cards you pick. Your kids will need to find different items. They might be different shapes, colours, sizes and textures. They are great fun and educational true.
For young children, we love * seekers which is a magnetic scavenger hunt board. It’s perfect for little hands to be able to use.
Find out more here – Seekers magnetic scavenger hunt review
I spy
Do you remember playing I spy with my little eye? It’s still a classic childhood game and so useful to play on walks. It can help to keep little legs moving and it also gets them to notice the natural world around them.
If you have younger kids then you can adapt the game to I spy something coloured and then choose a colour e.g. pink. This means that this is a game that the whole family can play and you can adapt it to your own children’s abilities as they grow.
Stop-go game
This is a great game for young children. It’s really very simple to play. When someone says go you walk (or sometimes my kids will even run) and when you say stop, they have to stop. To make it fun you can alter the gap between stop and go. Sometimes the grown-up is in charge of saying stop and go and sometimes it is the child who gets a go.
Who am I game
My kids love this one. Simply ask one person to pretend to be an animal and see if everyone else can guess who they are. They might be wild animals, birds or perhaps farm animals.
Pooh sticks
This is a great activity if your walk has a bridge on it. My kids can’t walk over a bridge without playing pooh sticks anymore.
Simply find your bridge and a selection of sticks. Then you need to throw your stick each over the side of the bridge with the water flow running under the bridge. Then move to the other side of the bridge and see whose stick come out the other side first.
Matchbox challenge
I remember completing a matchbox challenge at school with all sorts of items but you could try completing one on a walk. All you need is to pack an empty matchbox and let the kids see how many small items they can fit in the box.
Things like small leaves, stones, tiny twigs and hopefully other things too. The winner might be the one with the most items in the matchbox at the end of the walk. Or perhaps it will be the one with the most variety of different items.
Follow the leader
This is another simple game that doesn’t need you to pack anything. One person is the leader and they choose the route around your local park or woodland. They might choose to snake around the trees, walk through the muddy puddles or walk around them. They may choose to get you all hoping or skipping too.
Another option if you know the area well and don’t have a specific route to follow, is to let the kids choose which way to turn at each junction you come to. This is perfect if you’re walking in your local area, park or woodland you know well.
Geocaching
This is a bit like a treasure hunt and it’s a great idea for getting kids to want to go on a walk. All you need is the app and something small to swap. Thinks like marbles, Christmas cracker fillers, anything small.
If you’ve never tried geocaching before and you want to know more, this post is a great place to start – Geocaching with kids.
Pokemon go
Another app that is a great game to use on a nature walk is Pokemon go. This is an easy way to get your children to go out on a fun walk. It’s ideal if your children like video games or Pokemon. The best bit, the app is free.
You just need to download the free app and head out to collect over 600 Pokemon on your walks. Find out more here – Pokémon GO
Sound hunts
Sound hunts are great for getting children to listen to the sounds of nature. I have a free to download sound hunt printable here. It’s particularly good for young children and gets them to focus and really listen to the world around them.
You can do a really simple sound hunt by just asking the kids what they can hear right now. They might hear cars or hopefully, nature sounds like birds.
What are your favourite walking games? I hope I have inspired you with new nature walk games to play next time you are out walking with kids. After all, walks are a great way to get them some fresh air and exercise but unless you are walking on dedicated family nature trails, with lots to entertain kids already, then we need a few ideas on hand. All of these ideas need very little preparation and are a wonderful way to get children to enjoy walking whilst also connecting them with the natural world around them.
Oh and don’t forget the snack, take it from a mum who did once forget the snacks, that was not our best walk, neither was it a very long walk!
Where to next?
If you are looking for more ideas for things to do on a walk, you could create a journey stick which is more of a nature walk activity than a game but it is still a big hit with my children and a fun way to keep them entertained on a walk.
Find lots more outdoor games for children here.
Find more Nature activities for kids here.
Heading to a wooded area? I have loads of nature activities that you can do with your children in the woods in my post on Fun forest school activities to do at home (or in the woods with your family).
Find some fun ideas for outdoor night games for kids here
Find loads of ideas for Picnic games for kids here