Children thrive when they have regular, quality and unstructured time outdoors in nature. The health benefits of being out in nature physically, metabolically and mentally are immense and well documented – for children and adults alike. Children thrive in the outdoors because it’s their natural playground, an abundance of natural resources to spark their wild and true selves. To be curious, creative and risk takers.

Their experiences with nature and the environment now, will also shape our children’s life long bonds and relationship with the Natural World. How they see the natural world, their relationship to it & and responsibility towards it.

By providing our children with positive and enriching experiences in nature now, we can ignite their passion for the natural world both now and for the future.

5 Great Nature Activities for Kids

When surrounded by nature, kids tune in quickly to its beauty and natural rhythms. All they need is a little inspiration and time to be creative themselves. So, here are 7 great ways you can engage with nature with your children to get started.

They are simple, fun and can be done even in your garden or local park.

1.        Sit and Notice.

Practicing sitting and noticing is a great way to slow down and encourage mindfulness. Interestingly, sometimes the less we do in nature, the greater the observation and deeper the connection can be.

The idea of this activity is to notice – observe and maybe record.

You might want to find a regular sit spot, maybe in your garden so that you can return and get to know the plants nearby or local birds or creatures. It’s amazing how you notice small rhythms of a place when you spend time there mindfully regularly. Changes in smells, what grows, what lives there, creatures habits.

Choosing a sit spot:

I have a few sit spots that I love to spend time. One on my terrace, another in my garden and another by a nearby woods along a river.

I actually visit these regularly, sometimes to watch, sometimes to sketch or write. Try finding a place you can return to with your child, and with you they can observe small changes over time – maybe new spring buds on a tree or plant, habits of birds at different times, or the way the smell changes after rain for example. Of course, the more diverse the better, but you don’t need a Nature Reserve to do this. Nature is everywhere and when we stop to look, kids are amazing at noticing things we least expect.

Tips:

·      Do this activity with your child.

·      Explain the activity and model.

·      With young children start with just short moments – just 1 or 2 minutes a time of noticing. This also builds great mindfulness and ability to be present in the moment!

·      Use all your senses not just your eyes. Touch, smell maybe even taste.

·      Share what you noticed. Make comparisons to your last visit. How is it the same? How is it different?

·      Capture what you notice – sketch or photograph. Collect a piece of nature.

2.        Nature Journalling:

Although I love to draw nature, nature journalling is a little different.

Nature journalling is another way that provides kids with a chance to slow down and practice their observations skills, noticing some of the small wonders of nature they might otherwise miss.

Nature journalling is less about the drawing and more about sparking and capturing curiosity.

Tips:

·      Do this activity with your child.

·      Explain the activity and model.

·      Don’t worry if your sketch isn’t a great drawing or real-life likeness

·      Capture and draw what small details you notice – for example, a hole in a leaf, a twist in a stem, missing flower petals.

·      Add words and sentences that capture what you wonder, notice or it reminds you of.

·      If you stick the same item, compare your sketch and enjoy noticing how you both saw and experienced the same thing differently.

This article is a great read on the benefits of nature journaling fort kids and also gives more inspiration.

3.        Nature harvesting

If you have a child and have ever steps outside your door by foot, you’ll probably already know that kids love to pick up and collect stuff! This activity is pretty much guaranteed to be a success. Searching for and collecting bits of nature never seems to get tiresome or old.

My kids are now 13, 11 and 8 and honestly they still love doing this. No matter where we go, within minutes they have collected sticks, small and large!

Go slowly and inspire your kids to explore what they can find. You might be lucky to find som cool and interesting things, maybe an insect exoskeleton or old animal bone remains. But honestly sometimes the simplicity of nature – sticks, rocks, leaves or nuts is enough. Children will soon be enthralled in their search and eager to share and talk about their discoveries.

Tips:

–              Carry a basket or bag to carry items

–              Bring along some tissues

–              A magnifying glass or a small bug box helps to get a closer look

–              Let them take the lead

–              Be interested – they will likely find small things hugely curious and exciting. Share the enthusiasm.

–              Be mindful of your setting. If you are in a public park, collecting nature from the ground might be ok, but collecting flowers might not. But, often in a protected area you might need to look and leave. It’s a good conversation to have with your children and to build their teach them about our impact on nature and how to manage that.

–              Use what you have collected. At home you can create a season alter/display, maybe you can craft with collected leaves, use a flower press, or maybe even draw your collection.

–              Share it – maybe your child can take their discoveries to school and share their adventure.

–              Use books / nature apps to discover what your nature treasures are.

4.        Sensory Play and Risk Taking

Nature is a huge sensory playground for kids. Unlike adults, children are much more experiential with their senses. They are more closely in tune with  their inner wild selves. They think less, and feel and experience more.

Not only do sensory experiences in nature build skills such as problem-solving and creativity, this type of experience also helps them understand relationships within nature and their place within it. It foresters deeper connections with the natural world.

Generally, this time can be seen as free exploration. Let them freely explore with their senses. Let them touch, dig, smell, balance or climb. Let them experience nature with their whole body and their senses.

This might mean holding back. Often, as parents we end up intervening and holding them back – doesn’t get wet, don’t get dirty, be careful, don’t climb, don’t fall……

Observe. Stay close by. Let them explore, experiment and be free.

If your kids have already learnt to be less sensory experiential, you can purposefully set aside some sensory time. Maybe in a more mindful way, you can explore nature with your senses together. By modeling and guiding, you will provide your child with the prompts and safety net they need to explore more freely in this way. 

TIPS:

–              Hold back. Don’t tell them Don’t

–              Be present. Show interest in their experiences.

–              If there are unsure, model.

–              Be prepared. Ok so sensory experience can be messy. So be prepared. Have wipes, a towel, a change of clothes.

5.        Planting / Urban Farming

Engaging our children in planting also teaches our children how to care for nature, and its interconnectedness to them and the environment, for example by building a better appreciation of nature and climate.

Simply by planting natural wild flowers, our children can learn why these are needed and watch first hand the magic they bring to natures small creatures – bees and butterflies for example.

Urban Farming – growing food sources on your terrace or in your garden is a great way for children to not only become connected to nature but to also understand where their food comes from, how it grows and how its farmed.

The ultimate bonus is your kids are more likely to try new foods that they have grown themselves, all organic and chemical free!

TIPS:

–              You don’t need a big garden or space. You can place a container anywhere – a driveway, rooftop or terrace.

–              Simple leaf plants are quick and easy to grow – like lettuce or herbs.

–              Here is a great article to get you started on what you need.

–              If you use small pots you can move them in and out of the sun to maximise what they need.

–              Grow what your children are interested in and love to eat.

–              Harvest, chop and prepare the food together and complete the cycle

I hope you feel inspired, encouraged and motivated by some of the ideas here. And of course, there are many other ways of experiencing nature with your children. What’s your favourite way? Tell us in the comments.

And remember, if you want to join a friendly nature loving group of families, join one of our monthly Family Weekend Adventure Meet ups. Your kids are never too old to be playful, we just need to model this alongside them!