Outdoor activities for children

Do you love getting your kids outside? Then you’ve come to the right place to find inspiration for outdoor activities for children.

I’m passionate about getting children outside and sharing outdoor activity ideas. Below you’ll find some fun outdoor activities for kids of all ages that can be done in the garden, on a woodland walk, at your local park or at the beach.

Ad – This post contains affiliate links. These are marked with *. 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.

The best ideas for outdoor activities for children

I’m a big believer that we should get kids outdoors more. There are so many benefits for parents and kids of getting out in the fresh air which I’ll go into more about below. More importantly, though there are loads of things for kids to do outside.

Find loads of great inspiring outdoor play quotes here.

Wondering where to start? I have shared 100 things to do outside with kids over here. You’re bound to find something to inspire you.

The ultimate outdoor activity for kids has to be camping with kids, you’re literally outdoors 24/7. There is so much outdoor play time when you are camping. Find the best camping activities for kids here.

Looking for a gift to encourage kids to get outdoors? Find the best Outdoor gifts for boys and girls here.

Outdoor garden activities for kids

There are so many things you can do in your own garden. It doesn’t matter how much outdoor space you have, there are lots of easy outdoor activities you can do. Here are some ideas to get you started.

50 Things to outside at home whether you have a large garden or a small yard. You’ll find ideas like to try such as paint rocks, blow giant bubbles (if you’re in the UK we love * Dr Ziggs), making mud pies and setting up an obstacle course.

Another great thing to do with children of all ages is gardening. Find my full guide to starting gardening with kids here.

Find lots of ideas for Creating a vegetable patch in a raised bed with kids here.

Another great garden activity is encouraging wildlife to your garden. You can add bird feeders and bug hotels or plant wild flowers. Why not then have a bug hunt. You don’t even need a magnifying glass but it is always fun to use one.

Outdoor activities for babies

There’s no reason to wait to spend time outdoors until your baby is older. Find lots of simple outdoor activities for babies here.

Outdoor water toys for toddlers

One of my kids’ favourite things to do in the garden is water play. A water table for younger kids is always a great addition to your garden but even a washing up bowl can lead to hours of fun.

Outside games for kids

Playing an outdoor game is a really fun way physical activity for kids. I bet you remember playing hopscotch, skipping, pooh sticks and many more games when you were growing up. Piggy in the middle and what time is Mr Wolf? are also fun games to play outside too. Find a blog post filled with ideas for outdoor games for children here.

Find our favourite Outdoor group games for kids here.

If you’re looking for Picnic games for kids then here’s where you’ll find them.

Fun things to do on a walk

Find your nearest nature trail or nearby park and take the kids on a walk. It’s a wonderful way to spend time outdoors with your family. There are so many things to find on a walk with kids and this can really help keep them engaged on a walk.

We love nature walks so here are our favourite things to collect on a nature walk.

As well as finding things, there are many fun things you can do on a walk with kids, click through for a list of fun things to do on a walk. There are a few ideas below that we do all the time with our kids.

We love geocaching with kids. It’s great for older kids as it combines time outdoors with technology. It’s a modern day treasure hunt.

I don’t think you can beat a good nature scavenger hunt. Find a Nature walk scavenger hunt free printable for every season here and enjoy one on your next walk.

Another great scavenger hunt is Seekers magnetic scavenger hunt review. It’s perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

We love our Go find it cards for keeping in our explorer backpacks.

We love to take an adventure pack with us. A little rucksack with bits and bobs for entertaining the kids in it. Things like these Geosafari Jr Kidnoculars Extreme review.

If you love family walks then you may want to start tracking how far you walk as a family in a month or a year. If so I have a set of free family walk tracker printable in 50, 100 & 500 miles or km for you to print out.

Woodland activities for kids

We love walking in the woods. So much so that I have a 5 day woodland challenge for you. You can have so much fun in the woods doing simple outdoor activities.

Do you want 5 days of woodland-themed emails?

Ideas for entertaining kids in the forest, things to make with woodland finds, books to read and even suggestions of some of our favourite woods to explore.

Easy ways to have fun with your kids and get them outside, connecting with nature.

Things to do at the beach with kids

We love visiting the beach and not just in the warm weather. Some of our favourite beach activities for children are rock pooling, building sandcastles and paddling in the sea. We also love collecting seashells and pebbles. A trip to the beach is fun for the whole family.

Find loads of cool Sandcastle ideas here.

Nature crafts for kids

My kids are always collecting nature on our walks. I love to use these natural materials for crafts. How about making:

A pine cone bird feeder

Why not collect nature on your next walk and create some nature art.

Sticks are one of the best craft materials in nature. Find 30 fun things to do with sticks here.

If you want more ideas then you’ll love my post on fun forest school activities.

Find my mud + bloom review. This is a great nature craft and gardening subscription box for kids.

Outdoor activities for 2 year olds

I’m a big believer in getting kids outside from an early age. Toddlers will love being outside. Why not take them on a walk, to the local farm or simply blow bubbles together in the garden. Here are 33 more outdoor activities for toddlers.

Perhaps you’re looking for specific nature-based outdoor play? If so you need my post on – Forest school activities for 2 year olds

Thinking of going camping with toddlers? Do it but read my top tips first for my top tips for camping with toddlers. Find the best camping toys for kids over here.

Go on an after-dark lantern walk. Here’s a DIY paper lantern craft for toddlers.

Outdoor activities for 3-5 year olds

This is a great age for getting children outside. There are so many great learning opportunities for toddlers and preschool children too.

A great educational game is an outdoor number hunt for preschoolers.

Another learning activity is a sound hunt for preschool children.

Teach your child maths and measuring outdoors. Find out more in my Learning Resources Measure Mate review.

Outdoor activities throughout the year

Many outdoor activities can be enjoyed all year round but for some activities there is a perfect time of the year to enjoy them.

Winter activities for kids

I’m not the biggest fan of winter but we really made the best of it this year. So I put all my ideas together and wrote about outdoor activities for kids in winter. I hope it helps anyone else who doesn’t like winter or even those of you who do like winter but would like more ideas.

Many of the ideas don’t need snow as we don’t always get snow where I am. If you do get any snow though, it’s a good time to try painting snow.

Picnics aren’t just for summer. Why not go on a winter picnic? Find my Winter picnic ideas here.

Enjoy a Winter scavenger hunt printable on your next winter walk.

Spring activities for kids

There are so many great Spring activities for kids to enjoy. We love when winter is over and we get to start enjoying milder trips out. Spotting the new lambs, flying kites and Easter egg hunts.

Summer activities for kids

There are so many summer outdoor activities for kids. Beach trips are our favourite. We also love picnics, playing in the garden, camping and lots of walks and days out are always fun in spring.

Autumn activities for kids

We love autumn. The temperatures are still mild, the colours in nature are stunning at this time of year and my kids love collecting autumn treasures like conkers, acorns and pine cones. Find my favourite Autumn activities for kids here.

Outdoor activity books for kids

Find my favourite outdoor activity books for kids here. As much as I love the internet for finding new and creative ways for outdoor fun, sometimes it’s nice to flick through a book with my kids and let them choose a fun outdoor activity.

why is it so important for kids to be outside?

There is a lot of research on the benefits of getting kids outside. In particular these two studies – National Trust Natural childhood and a 2 year government study. 

• Increased physical fitness
• Increased confidence
• Increased concentration  
• Reduced levels of childhood obesity
• Reduced stress and mental illness
• Increased vitamin D from time spent in sunlight
• Improved problem solving and increased ability to assess risks

Want to join a community of outdoor-loving parents?

Want to share more ideas for getting kids outdoors with like-minded parents? Join Wildling Explores the free Facebook group for parents who love to get their kids outdoors.

Have I missed a great outdoor activity for children? Do tell me in the comments.

Pin for later: