7 Exciting Outdoor Activities to Get the Kids Learning

Getting kids outdoors offers brilliant opportunities for hands-on, experiential learning. Spending time outside in nature provides invaluable benefits for children’s development and promotes healthy, active lifestyles.

Whether it’s exploring the woods, learning to ride a bike, or doing science experiments in the garden, outdoor play and education allows children to connect with nature. The great outdoors becomes a classroom where kids gain first-hand experiences that stick with them. Here, we’ll provide examples of fun outdoor activities parents can enjoy with their kids that also stimulate learning across various subjects.

Explore the Local Wildlife

One of the best ways to ignite children’s curiosity is through exploring the natural world around them. Go for nature walks and scavenger hunts in local parks, forests or beaches to observe wildlife and learn about ecosystems. Giving kids magnifying glasses to look closely at plants and insects will spark their curiosity and help them see the diversity of the world around them.

Alternatively, encourage them to try and spot new bird species or take photographs of the wildlife they see along the way. Over time, they’ll be able to see how the wildlife changes with the seasons. There are endless wonders waiting to be discovered on any nature walk. Through these activities, children will gain appreciation for the wildlife around them and understand more about the habitats and ecosystems they live in.

Seek Out Literary Inspiration

You might think that it’s only science-related subjects that kids can learn about when heading outdoors, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the great outdoors provides endless inspiration for strengthening literacy skills. For a literary activity, encourage little ones to collect 5 interesting objects on their walk, such as rocks, feathers or leaves, then at home help them to create a nature journal that gives them the opportunity to write about what they found. Alternatively, they can use the items they’ve collected as the starting point for writing a story or poem.

Try a New Sport

Parents are always trying to find new ways to keep the kids active and trying a new sport together can be a wonderful way to motivate them and learn new skills along the way. Getting kids active outdoors is great for developing new skills and coordination. Teach little ones how to ride bikes, climb walls at an indoor rock-climbing gym or take canoeing or kayaking lessons together to learn paddling techniques and water safety.

By guiding children through these fun outdoor skills, parents can instil confidence while promoting physical fitness and capabilities. Children will take pride in their growing independence and ability to thrive in the outdoors.

Become Explorers

Unleash your inner explorers and embark on a thrilling adventure with your kids with an orienteering adventure. Armed with a map and compass, you and your mini explorers can embark on a quest to nearby forests, scenic parks or the coast. With each step, you navigate by interpreting symbols, aligning directions and planning routes to reach checkpoints. With every step, you’ll need to interpret map symbols and clues to reach your destination. The thrill builds as you conquer each new milestone, with the journey itself being the real reward.

Geocaching is another popular outdoor activity combining navigation with a treasure hunting element that kids always enjoy. It’s free to do and requires nothing more than the GPS on your phone and a sense of curiosity.

Dive into Local History

Hop on your bike and transform your afternoon ride into a historical odyssey. Twisting through streets and backroads, your kids can peel back the layers of your town’s past. Grand, weathered monuments offer up tales of bygone eras, while quaint, forgotten landmarks tucked away in quiet corners reveal hidden stories.

With every turn of the pedals, you and your kids are not just getting exercise, but unearthing the fascinating narrative woven into the very fabric of your town, making every future bike ride a captivating journey through time. For kids with a passion for the past, a history-fuelled day out uncovering the stories of their local town or city can be a fantastic way to learn more about where you live.

Plant a Vegetable Garden

The garden is an ideal place for safe, easily accessible outdoor learning without needing to venture far. Why not hand over a small section of the garden to the kids so they can plant whatever they like, whether it’s their favourite flower or their own mini vegetable garden. Kids love to tend to plants, but it also teaches them about the science of growing as well as valuable skills such as patience and responsibility.

By facilitating activities like these, parents can stimulate curiosity, creativity and a connection with nature right at home. When their choice of fruits or veggies have grown, they also have the pleasure of trying new things and making meals with what they’ve spent weeks nurturing.

Build Environmental Awareness

Getting kids engaged with environmental conservation is also easy to do outdoors. Participate in beach or park clean-up days as a family to instil civic responsibility and care for the local environment, or join up with local groups planting trees in your local area. Visiting nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and or conservation centres will also provide opportunities to learn about protecting endangered species and habitats.

Simple hands-on activities like these teach children about sustainability and their role as environmental stewards, an important lesson for kids to learn early on. Developing eco-awareness from a young age will nurture responsible global citizens for the future.

The great outdoors provides the perfect classroom for curious young minds. Fresh air, sunlight and physical activity outdoors benefits children’s health and development, while hands-on learning stimulates intellectual growth. Camping trips, nature walks, garden bug hunts, bike rides and more provide endless opportunities for active learning adventures. Children gain confidence and self-sufficiency through outdoor challenges, while parents connect on a new level with their kids through shared interests and discoveries in the natural world around them.