Getting My Daughter Outside Everyday & 10 Kid-Friendly Outdoor Activities

I certainly don’t want to imply that I’m perfect at getting my daughter outside every day. But I am indeed a practitioner and am committed to practicing more days than not. But I am convinced of the benefits from time spent outside, especially in natural settings like forests and here in Minnesota, lakes! If you’d like to know a bit more about the benefits like a child learning to socialize and building resilience by taking risks, check out Getting Addy Outside: Why This Mom is Waging the Battle for Outdoor Play Every Day.

If you’re like me, already committed to getting your children outside every day, but a bit short on ideas, I’ve made a list of 10 kid-friendly outdoor activitiesthat have little to no props or preparations needed. These are not all my original ideas, so I’d like to give a shout out to Richard Louv and his most recent book, Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-rich Lifewhich has over 500 ideas to get kids playing in and exploring nature. Children & Nature Networkalso offers a great website that invites you to take your own Vitamin N Challenge.

1. Snake/Deer/Owl Game.
   • Deer can move their ears to better help them hear and locate the sound. Have your kids cup their hands, first in front of their ears, and then behind them to see the difference.
     • An owl has incredible sight. Invite your kids to put their hands around their eyes to make owl eyes. Ask them to see what a difference this makes when looking at something far away versus up close.
     • Finally, be the snake. They’ll love this one. Have them stick their tongues out to feel the temperature and the wind.
2. Build a Flower. Addy is all over crafts and art of any kind! Does it involve a glue stick? Win! On a walk around the neighborhood or at your local park, Addy is always collecting treasures: a stick, rocks (oh my, does she like her rocks…), fuzzy grasses, petals and pinecones. We are always running out of “treasure boxes”! Instead of boxes, the simple treasures can become the makings of a flower. Use some construction paper along with tape and/or glue stick to arrange a unique flower picture.
3. Sniffer Cups. This one is simple. Bring some small paper cups with you on a walk or in your back yard. Have kids pick a small flower, blades of grass or a sprig from an herbal plant you may have in your garden (even some dirt or compost, which Addy would definitely dig). Place them in the cup and allow your child to get a really good whiff! Then let them try their hand at mixing different things to find their favorite aroma!
4. Roll Down a Hill. I’m not sure I even need to give you directions for this one! It’s a classic! But you might need to model it for your toddler, so prepare yourself and channel your inner child! And be prepared for this simple activity to last for an hour. For the older kiddos, challenge them to walk a straight line after they reach the bottom of the hill. And if you’re like us, living in a snowy place can be just as accommodating. Just a few weeks ago, Addy and I went sledding. She usually elected to leave the sled at the top and chose to roll down, kicking up snow all the way down.
5. Duct Tape Bracelets. Using duct tape or if you have it laying around, contact paper, wrap it around yours and your child’s wrists inside out. Now head for a walk picking up petals, picking dandelion heads or anything that offers a splash of color and can easily stick to the bracelet. One savvy mom is now keeping strips of contact paper in her purse just in case!
6. Ladybug Playground. A slug or ant would work for this one too! First layer a 9X13 metal cake pan with brown butcher paper or parchment paper (I usually have the second on hand). Then let your child fill it with sticks, toilet paper roll, blades of grass, craft sticks and flowers. Put in a ladybug, slug or ant to explore the playground and listen to the giggles of delight!
7. Build a Flower. Addy is all over crafts and art of any kind! Does it involve a glue stick? Win! On a walk around the neighborhood or at your local park, Addy is always collecting treasures: a stick, rocks (oh my, does she like her rocks…), fuzzy grasses, petals and pinecones. We are always running out of “treasure boxes”! Instead of boxes, the simple treasures can become the makings of a flower. Use some construction paper along with tape and/or glue stick to arrange a unique flower picture.
8. Mud Pies. Another classic and one that Addy and I haven’t tried yet. You can use pie pans or shallow aluminum/plastic food packaging cleaned out after use. Have them mix dirt and water into pies. They can experiment with the right water to dirt ratio. Once you lay them out to bake in the sun, they’ll see which ratios worked best. Before laying them out to bake, make sure to decorate them. I mean what’s a chocolate cake without sprinkles or sugared fruit on top! Use leaves, petals, grasses and stones.
9. Stuffed Animal Hide-and-Seek. This is another one I haven’t tried yet but think it will be a hit! When your kids aren’t looking, quickly hide ten of their stuffed animals in the yard. Tell them that their stuffies (as Addy affectionately coined them) were “bored” in the house and sneaked outside to have some fun. Now let the seeking commence! Be ready for your kids to ask for another round!
10. Backyard birdwatching. Late winter and early spring are the best times as you’ll catch migrating and mating birds. Introduce your child to binoculars and if they are old enough, have them keep a journal to sketch and write what they observe. Even a young child can draw and color that kinds of birds they see. Addy does a lot of birdwatching with her grandma Sandie. She has gotten quite good at identifying a bird by their unique calls. She also knows which birds like which seeds and fruits, so she has started putting out feeders near our house.