Today I’m sharing my favourite outdoor activity books for kids. As much as I love finding inspiration for kids’ activities on the internet, sometimes it’s nice to flick through a book. Even better, sometimes my 7 year old daughter likes to look through books and pick activities she’d like to do. Find all the best children’s books here.
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Some of these books have been sent to us by publishers to review, others we have bought over the years. All thoughts, opinions and photos are my own. Review copies are marked with a #
Outdoor activity books for children
A year of forest school, Play the forest school way, Jane Worroll & Peter Houghton #
We love forest school and these books are perfect for bring forest school to you. I’ve taken my children to a number of different parent and child forest school sessions over the years. We love the outdoor fun and learning activities. These books are not only suitable for forest school leaders and teachers but they are also very applicable to parents too.
Play the forest school way is aimed at children aged 3-11 years old. Some activities are aimed at groups but many can be done with just one or 2 children. It includes nature crafts, activities and games. Some of the activities include learning forest school skills like knots, fire lighting and building shelters. Available to * buy now.
A year of forest school is the follow on book that provides forest school activities that can be enjoyed in each season. There is a mix of nature crafts, recipes to cook outdoors and games as well as survival skills. You can find out more * here.
Forest School activity cards include 48 cards, each with an outdoor activity. These double-sided cards are beautifully designed and perfect for parents and forest school leaders. Again they include a mix of games, nature crafts and survival skills. Get * your set here.
101 things for kids to do outside, Dawn Isaac
I love the large, bright photos of simple childhood fun and simple stick illustrations in this book. It’s filled with over 100 ideas for things for kids to do outside. There is a mix of ideas that can be done in the garden, alongside ones like crabbing which obviously needs to be done at the coast. We love the mix of games, crafts and activities. There really is something for everyone. Available to * buy now.
The wild weather book, Fiona Dank and Jo Schofield
This book is a great for when the weather is wild as the title suggests. It’s full of ideas for things to do in the snow, rain and wind. I don’t know about you but I do find it a little harder to get outside in these weather conditions. Now though I reach for this book and we always find something to inspire us. You could make a rain catcher, mud sculptures, streamers to dance in the wind or snow angels. This is a great addition to every family bookshelf if you believe in getting kids outside as much as possible.
Available to * buy now.
The stick book, Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield
Children love sticks and they are always easy to find. We use sticks in our play and crafts a lot already but this book has even more suggestions. Some of the ideas require tools and other resources like clay and string but some only need sticks. There are lots of ideas for crafts and games, all using the humble stick. You’re bound to find lots of ideas for things you can do on your next outdoor adventure. Available to * buy now.
Sticks and stones, Melissa Lennig #
This book is packed full of building and engineering projects to enjoy outdoors using sticks and rocks. Be inspired by the large colourful photos of projects like land art, stick catapults and log weaving loom forts. Some of the projects are more suitable to older kids and include using tools. Others are suitable for all ages. I know my kids will love pendulum painting with a stick tripod, making a bug hotel and leaf-stamped stones. Available to * buy now.
Wild things, Jo Schofield and Fiona Danks #
This book is one of the most creative outdoor activity books for kids I’ve come across. The book is split into sections based on mythical creatures that have enchanted children for decades. Unicorns, dragons, witches and wizards, elves and fairies, monsters and more. Each section is then packed with imaginative ideas for crafts and activities based on the theme. Learn how to track a dragon, design seasonal costumes for fairies, make a driftwood monster or make a hobby unicorn. If you love seeing kids imaginations come to life you will love this magical book.
Available to * buy now.
Nature month by month, A children’s Almanac, Anna Wilson and Elly Jahnz
We love seasonal activities and this is a great guide from National Trust.There is a chapter for each month of the year with facts and activities to help you celebrate the seasons and the special days. I love the illustrations and how the information is displayed. It’s really inviting for children.
There is a mix of recipes, nature spotting, gardening, exploring the night sky and other activities. It’s a great resource for anyone who likes to teach children about the seasons changing and all the holidays, festivals and other celebrations. Available to * buy now
Go Wild at the seaside, Goldie Hawk and Rachael Saunders #
I love National Trust nature books for kids and this one is a great one is you are lucky enough to be heading to the beach. It is packed full of cute and colourful illustrations. It is full of ideas for things to do at the seaside and things to see at the seaside as well as tips for organising a beach clean as well as plenty of safety tips too.
As well as providing inspiration for activities to do at the beach, it’s also really educational. You can learn about the tides as well as all the different wildlife you could see on the coast. Activity ideas include rock pooling, pebble balancing, bodyboarding and collecting driftwood to make a boat. We took this book with us on a beach trip last year and found it invaluble. Available to * buy now
Also available is * Go wild at the river and * Go wild in the woods
Sunflower shoots and muddy boots, Katherine Halligan and Grace Easton #
This is another beautiful outdoor activity book from National Trust and Nosy Crow. This is a spiral-bound book with sturdy wipe-clean pages that is great for introducing gardening to young children. The illustrations are cute and colourful. It covers the basics like gardening words, top plants to grow, the gardening gear you need and tips for staying safe.
Alongside this are lots of activities for doing with your child. from little projects like creating a window box, hanging basket or glass jar garden to larger projects like composting and growing a den made from sweet peas or runner beans. A fantastic introduction to gardening for little ones. Available to * buy here.
Hello Nature activity cards, Nina Chakrabarti #
This sturdy deck of 30 double-sided cards are a great addition to your ideas bank. I love the design of them, mainly black and green on a beige background. The illustrations are perfect, simple where possible but going into more detail where needed. They are double-sided with 2 different ideas. I love the information in the top right corner that instantly tells you where the activity is appropriate for (beach, water, anywhere, park or garden).
Some of the cards are activities and some are educational like ones that show the anatomy of a flower, how to identify a tree by its leaves or seeds and creatures you may find in a pond. I love that many of the activities are ones I remember from my own childhood like pooh sticks, pebble painting, rose petal perfume and daisy chain making. Available to * buy now.
There is also the book * Hello nature, Draw, collect, make and grow.
Where to next?
We love outdoor activities for children so click through for loads of ideas.
If you want more ideas for forest school activities, then you’ll love my extract from the book Wild days, Richard Irvine – find it here – how to build a den with sticks.
If you’re still looking for things to do outside with kids I can recommend this post with over 100 ideas.
These books make great gifts for kids. Find more great Christmas gifts for outdoorsy kids here. They work great for birthdays too.
For more children’s books about gardening head here.
As well as outdoor activity books for kids, I also love creative activity books for kids.
Find my favourite things to do outside at home here.
Find my favourite Autumn activities for kids here.
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