It can be challenging to find educational activities your children will enjoy.
It can be even more difficult to find activities at home, but luckily, there are many ways your child can learn, move and have fun outside.
Below are five activities your children will love. Some activities are ideas about how to take learning outside, while others are specific to nature.
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Nature Scavenger Hunt
Make a nature walk more fun by turning it into a scavenger hunt. Hand them a list and have them find as many things on the list as possible. You can spice things up by giving them a specific time frame to get as many items as possible. This can be done with one child or as teams if you have multiple.
Some items to find can be acorns, certain flowers, a dead branch, a living branch, pinecones, or a cast-off shell. You can have them look around your yard or visit Highland Titles Nature Reserve to search for the items.
Chalk Jump
With chalk, write numbers and letters in different colors on concrete. Have kids jump on the color, number, or letter you call out. Give them a point for every correct recognition of the item called out. This helps develop gross motor skills, letter, color, and number recognition. It also helps them better their counting skills.
You can even make things a bit more tricky and draw shapes or other items related to the child’s age or grade. This is great and easy, as all you need is chalk and concrete.
Bug Hunt
Chances are kids will either think bugs are cool or gross. Regardless of their feelings toward them, they will enjoy spending their time outside, searching throughout the yard with a magnifying glass. You can talk about their colors, what they eat, what they do, where they live, and how they build their homes. This is also an excellent opportunity to mention if they sting or bite and what to do if they are stung or bitten.
You can turn this into a game and create a list of insects or animals to search for in your backyard. Be sure to stay away from poisonous or venomous insects.
Rock Art
Take your kids on a hunt for rocks throughout your neighborhood, in your backyard, or while on a hike. Search for different shapes, colors, and sizes. Talk about what shape it is or maybe what it looks like. After you have enough rocks, take out the paint and paintbrushes. Let them decorate them while encouraging them to be creative.
When dry, take them back to nature, or put them in a box for safekeeping. You can also lay them around your local park for other walkers to enjoy.
Gardening
This is a fun and hands-on educational activity for all ages. It allows them to get their hands dirty and practice responsibility. When teaching your children how to garden, it is best to allow them the opportunity to watch an adult. It can also spark an interest in healthy eating when they grow their own food.
Children experience stress and worry too, and may not know how to process those emotions. Gardening can help with that, giving them a chance to learn about ecology, biology, and more.
Final Thoughts
All of the activities mentioned above can be done outside and involve some learning.
These are only 5 Educational Outdoor Activities Your Children Will Love, but you can adjust them to suit your children best.
We hope you find some ideas that inspire you. With these activities, kids will have fun recognizing letters, numbers, colors, and more!
