Super Fun Outdoor Activities For Kids

Super fun outdoor activities for kids truly do have very special powers.

Playing outside for hours and hours every week transforms kids health, boosts kids confidence and makes family life a whole heap happier!!!

And the most fun outdoor activities do NOT need lots of fancy prep.

So I have here a huge list of simple prompts for fun outside for kids of all ages wherever you are. Enjoy!!

1. Fun For Kids In Woods & Forests
2. Fun For Kids In The Backyard
3. Fun For Kids In The Park
4. Fun For Kids On The Sidewalk
5. Fun For Kids On The Beach
6. Fun For Kids By A Stream
7. Fun For Kids In The Countryside

Outdoor Activities For Kids In Woods & Forests

Woodland has a magical impact on kids wellbeing offering hours of freedom for imaginations to run wild as they climb, chase, hunt and hide.

So hit any woodlands near you regularly with nothing more than a picnic – and some spare string – to …

• Climb Trees
• Walk The Plank
• Make A Log Seesaw
• Build A Tree Swing
• Play Forty Forty
• Build A Den
• Make Stick Swords
• Make Leaf Crowns
• Make Bow & Arrows
• Make Stick Flags
• Gather Craft Supplies
• Create A Trail
• Make Forest Face Monsters

Climb Trees

Climbing trees is not just fun for kids. It involves balancing and crossing the midline both of which boost mood and help kids worry less.

Walk The Plank

The simple fun of balancing on logs is also key for child development.

And even more fun if you balance the log over a ditch or stream and weave a tale of daring-dos around it.

Make A Log Seesaw

If you find a decent sized fallen branch and log make your own see saw for DIY fun that lets kids explore the power of levers for themselves.

Build A Tree Swing

Throw a rope over a strong branch and make an impromptu swing with a wooden stick for hours of fun.

Play Forty Forty

A classic kids game, Forty Forty is a super cool version of hide and seek that is the perfect outdoor activity for having fun in the woods.

Build A Den

Design your own den any which way you like with old branches then camouflage it with fallen supplies.

The very simplest of dens can be the start of hours of imaginative play.

Make Stick Swords

Make stick swords with some quick square lashing. Avoid injury with below-your-butt only battle rules!

Make Leaf Crowns

Simply thread string through leaves and tie around your head to create your own instant leaf crowns.

Make Bow & Arrows

Capture the spirit of Robin Hood with stick and string bows. And don’t worry about firing actual arrows – that’s what imagination is for.

Make Stick Flags

Tie a hankie, a scarf, a t-shirt – whatever you’ve got – to a good stick and you’ve a flag to march under!

Gather Craft Supplies

Woods are full of free craft supplies from twigs to pine cones and seed heads that are perfect for nature inspired craft activities including Christmas decorations …

Create A Trail

Make sure you don’t get lost by creating a trail with simple tracker tips e.g. twig arrows, little stone cairns, marks in the ground with a stick, piles of pine cones and more.

Make Forest Face Monsters

Use your forest finds to make super fun forest face monsters.

If you’re a fellow Londoner check out this guide to the best woods in London. It covers 18 stunning woods in all parts of the city.

Outdoor Activities For Kids In The Garden Or Backyard

Kids need loads of energy burning, body building backyard fun but also simple, soothing backyard activities that help them calm down.

There’s loads of fun backyard activities for kids that do both here.

High Energy Backyard Activities For Kids

For high energy backyard fun with little prep, help kids enjoy these:

• Camp In The Garden
• Crazy Obstacle Course
• Make Box Tunnels
• Paint Outdoors
• Make Bean Bags
• Tin Can Alley
• Soda Bottle Skittles
• Back Yard Train Track
• Build A Teepee
• Water Play
• Giant Bubbles
• Build A Stick Maze
• Create A Mud Kitchen
• Star Spotting

Camp In The Garden

Kids of all ages have great fun camping out in the garden. Just up their independence as they grow.

On warm summer nights older kids can have fun rigging up a shelter with a picnic blanket or some such and sleep under the stars.

Crazy Obstacle Course

Design an instant crazy obstacle course with whatever you can grab from your garage or shed :

• Hoops
• Skipping ropes
• Trikes
• Space hoppers
• Planks of wood to balance on
• Lawn mower box to hurdle
• Play tunnel to crawl through
• Garden sacks for sack race
• Ground sheet to crawl under
• Tub lid stepping stones
• Chalked hopscotch
• Bucket for bean bag toss
• Racket & ball for bouncy uppies and bouncy downies
• Bean poles to weave around or crawl or limbo under!!

Make Box Tunnels

Put all those delivery boxes we all keep getting to good use making the biggest tunnel you can of boxes and gaffer tape all around the garden.

Paint Outdoors

Who says painting need to be indoors? There are all sorts of high energy creative ways to paint outdoors with kids from feet painting to spray painting, balloon painting and even catapult painting!

Make Bean Bags

Make bean bags from old socks and beans or rice and then enjoy all sorts of throwing and catching games.

Tin Can Alley

Make your own tin can alley with empty tins and your sock bean bags. You can even paint letters on the cans for a bit of reading practice.

Soda Bottle Skittles

Fill plastic bottles not gone in the recycling yet with sand, soil, water or a few marbles and enjoy backyard bowling with any ball you have.

Back Yard Train Track

Take a wooden train set outdoors for backyard railroad engineering fun and awesome journeys in the forests and savannahs of the garden.

Build A Teepee

You don’t need a fancy play house! Just grab 5 or 6 bean poles, string and an old sheet to make a simple 5 minute backyard teepee.

This is a fun backyard activity for older kids to whip up for little ones.

Water Play

Water play is always a winner when it’s hot and does NOT need lots of equipment or preparation.

Kids truly will make their own fabulous fun outdoors with :

• Buckets of water
• Dish soap
• Squeezy bottles
• Sponges
• Paint brushes
• Colanders
• Funnels
• Spoons for stirring potions
• Containers for pouring
• Plastic sheeting for a water slide.

Have faith in their imagination!!!

Just lay down basic rules at the beginning and stick to them.

Make Giant Bubbles

Make gorgeous rainbow giant bubbles with super quick DIY stick and string bubble wands …

Create A Mud Kitchen

It truly doesn’t need to be fancy.

Turn a couple of old boxes or crates into a pretend stove and hand over unused pots and pans cluttering the kitchen and let them play.

Any of these will add to the fun :

• Small saucepans
• Small frying pans
• Wooden spoons
• Colanders
• Seives
• Mixing bowls
• Ice cube trays
• Plastic or metal beakers
• Jugs
• Ladles
• Ice cube scoops
• Rolling pins
• Play dough cutters
• Metal tea pots.

And yes, mud kitchens are messy but they offer hours of imaginative fun!!

Build A Stick Maze

Use all those sticks you brought back from the woods to create simple stick mazes all round the backyard.

Star Spotting

You don’t have to go crazy learning every star but little by little share the easy ones to spot e.g. the plough or big dipper, Orion, the little bear.

Backyard Craft Activities

Sitting outdoors making very low prep nature inspired crafts is a great way to get outdoors and ease stress levels when everyone is tired …

• Paint With Petals
• Flower Crafts
• Nature Paint Brushes
• Garden Weed Mandalas
• Stick & Ribbon Wands
• Flower Crowns
• Paint Story Stones
• Stick Maze
• Stick Picture Frames

Paint With Petals

Find fallen petals or pull apart a few flowers you are happy to pick to create gorgeous petal paintings to explore flower structure & parts.

Flower Crafts

And don’t stop there as there are all sorts of lovely simple flower crafts for kids you can make with real petals.

Nature Paint Brushes

You can make your own nature paint brushes with seed heads, leaves, flowers, firs and ferns and also use them for creating pretty prints.

Swooshing paint with a fir tree brush is a wonderful sensory activity for exploring nature with kids.

Garden Weed Mandalas

Get your kids to do some weeding and be creative at the same time making garden weed mandalas.

They can add in snail shells, sticks, petals or whatever they can find.

Stick & Ribbon Wands

Simple stick and ribbon wands are lovely to make on a slightly windy day so you can swirl around the garden with the ribbons flying out.

You can create beautiful rainbow ribbons easily with felt pens but any fabric scraps tied on will do.

Flower Crowns

Gently weaving flowers to make flower crowns is unbelievably calming and soothing on scorching hot days and a great prompt for imagination and story telling …

Paint Story Stones

Don’t over complicate it. Let kids decorate any stones you have from woods, beach or garden with whatever paint or pens you can find.

For inspiration try these ideas …

Stick Picture Frames

If you have nature finds from the woods, park or garden, create simple stick picture frames to display them.

Tying the sticks and threading finds onto them is super soothing when you’re all whacked and need calm.

Backyard Bug Activities

There are lots of ways for kids to get up close with bugs in the backyard which are strangely calming …

• Race & Raise Snails
• Garden Pest Scavenger Hunt
• Raise Butterflies
• Raise Ladybirds
• Build A Bug Hotel
• Create A Wormery

Race & Raise Snails

Race & Raise Snails

I know snails are a pain when eating home grown vegetables but make brilliant little pets for kids and can be raised easily in a DIY snail home.

Garden Pest Scavenger Hunt

Get your kids to hunt down caterpillars, green fly, beetles and more in a garden pest scavenger hunt. It removes pests organically and teaches kids about the many micro habitats in their own garden.

Raise Butterflies

If they haven’t yet, get your kids to raise butterflies. They will be truly mesmerised by the transformation.

Raise Ladybirds

Alternatively raise ladybirds. They go through their own amazing lifecycle and helpfully eat lots of pests …

Build A Bug Hotel

And you can encourage good bugs to your garden with a bug hotel.

Create a Wormery

And for kids who love bugs do make a wormery – it’s incredibly simple but a brilliant way to explore soil.

Simple Gardening With Kids

There are loads of simple gardening activities kids can enjoy outdoors all year round. They can be wonderfully calming for kids who worry lots :

• Growing Peas
• Quick Growing Vegetables
• Growing Veggies From Scraps
• Growing Courgettes
• Plant A Mini Pumpkin Patch
• Grow A Tree

Growing Peas

Pea seeds are super easy for little kids to plant and kids can have great fun providing sticks for the cool little pea seedlings to grow up …

Quick Growing Vegetables

Kids aren’t patient gardeners but these quick growing vegetables will give them a crop in weeks which is the best motivation to grow more.

Grow Vegetables From Scraps

You can also take scraps of vegetables including carrots, cabbage and turnip tops and regrow them in little jars of water.

It’s free, takes no prep and is a cool plant life cycle activity for kids.

Growing Courgettes

Courgettes or zucchini are fun plants for kids to grow as they are easy to handle and make delicious chocolate zucchini brownies!!

Plant A Mini Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkins take longer to grow but the joy of growing your own pumpkin for Halloween is worth it!!

Grow A Tree

It’s super powerful for kids to see a conker or acorn from the park start to grow into a whole new tree.

Or for even more magic pop a fallen pussy willow twig in a jar of water and watch it come back to life!

Fun Outdoor Activities For Kids In The Park

We don’t need a plan to hit the park for the playground, football or hide & seek but local parks are also chock full of nature and lovely simple nature crafts for kids to enjoy :

• Daisy & Buttercup Chains
• Braid Grass
• Collect Conkers
• Collect Acorns
• Bark Rubbings
• Leaf Rubbings
• Paint The Park Like Monet
• Micro Habitat Collages

Daisy & Buttercup Chains

Daisy and buttercup chains are as old as the hills but threading stem into stem is still a lovely activity for little fingers on a sunny day.

Braid Grass

In the lazy days of late summer when the grass has got long, grass braiding is another lovely calming activity to enjoy outside with kids.

Collect Conkers

In autumn collect beautiful horse chestnuts for good old fashioned games of conkers or use them to make all sorts of cute conker crafts.

Collect Acorns

It’s not just conkers you can collect. Compete with squirrel for acorns to use in all sorts of acorn crafts.

Bark Rubbings

Even as kids get older it’s worth carrying a little tin of crayons and a notepad with you wherever you go for some impromptu bark rubbing.

It’s a great way to get up close and really explore the tree and if you look out for silver birch trees you may even find bark you can write on …

Leaf Rubbings

And there are all sorts of ways to do lovely leaf rubbings. You could take the leaves home or get crafty right then and there in the park …

Paint The Park Like Monet

You could even hit the park with paints and make a big impression learning to paint like Monet …

Micro Habitat Collages

Parks are bursting with micro-habitats from squirrels in trees and bugs under logs to ducks on ponds.

Take the time to look up, look down and poke around to see who’s building their nest where.

Then gather a few nesting supplies and create cute bird’s nest nature collages when you get home …

Outdoor Activities For Kids On The Street

We played out on the street as a big gang of kids when I was little. That’s been lost for this generation but these are fun ideas to tempt kids on the street back out …

• Paint Your Shadows
• Play Hopscotch
• Long Rope Skipping
• Play Mother May I
• Paint Your Box Tunnel
• Have A Frumble Sale
• Rainy Day Art Gallery
• Sweep Leaves

Paint Your Shadows

Create some street art by painting your shadows and learn about light waves whilst you’re at it …

Play Hopscotch

We played this for hours as kids. If you’ve forgotten how read these hopscotch rules and get chalking on the pavement or side walk.

Long Rope Skipping

This does need car-free space but with a long rope – an old washing line? – you can get kids playing these classic long rope games together.

Play Mother May I

Kids street games were passed down generation to generation. You can re-start the connection with Mother May I an old school favourite for a gang of kids from two to 10!!

Paint Your Box Tunnel

Combine your box stash with other family’s for a giant box tunnel and paint it. This is a gloriously messy fave at our street party every year.

Have A Frumble Sale

If your home is full of kids clutter that needs free cycling help them set up a little Frumble sale and experience the joy of passing things on.

Rainy Day Art Gallery

On a rainy day create a gallery of fabulous rainy day rainbow pictures for your front fence or wall.

Sweep Leaves

Get all the kids out on the street to sweep the autumn leaves with big brooms and then have a big leaf fight … before sweeping up again!!

Fun Outdoor Activities For Kids On The Beach

Kids do NOT need tips to have fun at the beach but when the weather’s not great these prompts are cool starters for family fun …

• Go Rock Pooling
• Catch Crabs
• Create Miniature Worlds
• Dig A Sea Canal
• Play Stuck In The Mud
• Create Sand Pictures
• Shell Mandalas
• Sand Angels
• Skip Stones On The Sea
• Have A Camp Fire

Go Rock Pooling

Just poke around in the rock pools and see what you can find …

Catch Crabs

Bait a net with bacon and catch crabs off the rocks or the harbour, then race them down the jetty.

Create Miniature Worlds

Don’t settle for sandcastles, build yourself whole new miniature worlds with beach combing finds …

Dig A Sea Canal

Get the whole family digging a massive sea canal to fill the moat of your sand castle full with water when the tide finally comes in.

Play Stuck In The Mud

Classic kids game stuck in the mud is a version of tag and great fun to play on the beach as it’s so easy to crawl under people’s legs to release them.

Create Sand Pictures

If you’re on a beach with loads of shells and pebbles create lovely pictures of mermaids, fish, dinosaurs or whatever rocks your kids boat …

Shell Mandalas

Get creative designing lovely abstract shell mandalas …

Sand Angels

Or simply make sand angels with your own bodies …

Play French Cricket

Burn off energy with french cricket, a family game everyone can play. You don’t need a bat, any racket or even a stick PLUS a tennis ball will do.

Learn To Skip Stones On Sea

Teach your kids how to make stones skip and bounce across the water .

Have A Camp Fire

At the end of a long day when most people have gone home, nothing beats a little camp fire on the beach!

Fun Outdoor Activities For Kids By A Stream

Kids love water. So if you can’t get to the beach easily find cool streams near you where kids can get in and splash around for hours on end …

• Ford A Stream
• Bridge A Stream
• Build A Swing
• Dam A Stream
• Fish For Tiddlers
• Look Out For Frogspawn
• Hunt For Tadpoles
• Make A Stick Raft
• Play Pooh Sticks
• Sail Paper Boats
• Weave Mats

Ford A Stream

Look out for any big stones you can find and ford the stream with your very own stepping stones for hours of mood boosting balancing fun.

Bridge A Stream

If there are no stones, look out for logs and build a bridge of some sort – falling in is all part of the fun!!

Build A Swing

If you can find a super sturdy branch over the stream create a swing …

Dam A Stream

You could build a dam like a beaver with sticks and reeds and more.

Fish for Tiddlers

You can fish for tiddlers in even a tiny stream with a little net or bucket but put them back after a bit.

Look Out For Frogspawn

In spring look out for frogspawn on the edge of streams and pools.

Hunt For Tadpoles

If you have a pond take a few frog spawn to raise tadpoles at home.

Make A Stick Raft

As long as you’ve got string in your pocket you can make cool little stick rafts to cross the stream.

Play Pooh Sticks

Slow right down and simply play pooh sticks under a bridge.

Sail Paper Boats

Make paper boats to sail with any paper you have handy, newspaper is ideal. If you’ve forgotten how, here’s how to make a paper boat.

Weave Mats

Weave little mats with fallen reeds or long grass … and you could even have a go to see if they will float.

Fun Outdoor Activities For Kids In The Countryside

Kids aren’t always up for a long walk in the countryside but there are lots of simple activities that make walks and exploring the countryside much more fun for kids of all ages …

• Make Journey Sticks
• Race Up A Hill
• Roll Down The Hill
• Pick Elderflowers
• Pick Blackberries
• Pick Strawberries
• Pick Apples
• Visit A Pumpkin Patch
• Join The Harvest
• Midnight Hike

Make Journey Sticks

Find a stick at the start of a walk plus long pieces of grass and attach finds to your journey stick as you go.

Race Up A Hill

Race up a hill to conquer it with a quick stick and hanky or shirt flag.

Roll Down The Hill

On summers days, grassy hills are there to be rolled down. Obviously better in scruffy clothes but you can remove grass stains fast.

Pick Elderflowers

In the early summer pick elderflower blossom for elderflower cordial.

Pick Blackberries

Go blackberry picking with friends and whip up favourite blackberry recipes when you get home.

Pick Strawberries

Picking strawberries at the pick your own farm is a lovely way to spend a day outdoors as a family.

Pick Apples

You can go apple picking all the way from August to October. It’s a lovely fun outdoor activity for the whole family that gets everyone moving and connects kids with real food.

Visit A Pumpkin Patch

A trip to the pumpkin patch has become an Instragram cliche but it is a fun way to get outdoors with kids in October. At many farms kids can pick other vegetables as well.

Join The Harvest

See if there are other harvests around you to join as a volunteer, it could be anything from peaches to lavender and hops to hazelnuts!!

Being part of a community harvest is an incredibly powerful way to help kids connect with the seasons.

Midnight Hikes

They need a bit of care but night hikes are a brilliant way for kids to experience all the night time nature they usually miss out on, from hedgehogs, bats and owls to badgers, foxes, moths and moles.

And there you go; loads of simple, cheap, no-prep or planning ways for kids to have fun outdoors :

1. In Woods & Forests
2. In The Backyard
3. In The Park
4. On The Sidewalk
5. On The Beach
6. By A Stream
7. In The Countryside

I hope these ideas help you enjoy more fun outdoors all year round.

For more simple parenting ideas do check out these other posts :

• Slower Happier Parenting
• How To Calm Down As A Family
• Building Kids Confidence
• 30 Flower Crafts For Kids
• Painting Outdoors With Kids
• 75 Balancing Activities For Kids
• Helping Kids Who Worry A Lot

And follow me on Pinterest :

Original image source: verkeorg, Honza Soukup

Badger, Climbing Hill, Pumpkins, Frogspawn, Pooh Sticks, Stream, Splashing Stream, Stepping Stones, Beach, Sand Angels, Crab, Skipping, Bug House, Water Play, Camping Out, Woods, Balancing Logs, Balancing Logs 2, Climbing Tree