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!
For more educational and fun activities that children can do at home, see my posts on ideas related to Maths, Science, English, Art, History & Geography and Music & PE.
