Exploring the outdoors isn’t just a budget-friendly way to engage our kids; it’s a canvas for their imagination, a spark for their curiosity, and a crucial element for their physical and mental development. And the best part? Nature doesn’t send you a bill. There are endless free outdoor activities for kids!
I’m here to share all my favorite outdoor activities to get you and your kids outside. Whether you’re in a big city or surrounded by green spaces, these activities are sure to engage kids and foster their love of play and the outdoors.
- Related: Best Two-Story Playhouses for Your Backyard
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81 Free Outdoor Activities for Kids
1. Nature Scavenger Hunt
You can print a nature scavenger hunt (or have your kids make their own) and head outside to start checking things off.
2. Bird Watching
Kids can slow down and notice the various birds outside, or you can extend the activity by adding a pair of binoculars and a bird book from the library.
3. Bug Collecting
Grab your bug box and net and begin looking for bugs. This is a great activity that kids can do independently.
4. Rock Collecting
Give kids a bucket and let them gather interesting rocks. Kids can dump them out when done, use them as loose parts in play, or paint them.
5. Nature Sketching
Have your kids select some art supplies and head to the park, nature preserve, or even your own backyard to do some sketching. This is an easy and engaging free outdoor activity for kids.
6. Hiking in a Local Park
Look online or get a hiking book from the library to discover some new trails near your house.
7. Leaf Collecting
Kids can identify, sort, and make collages from leaves they collect while outside.
8. Star Gazing
Learn about planets and constellations by heading away from the city lights to see some stars. Bring cozy blankets and warm drinks.
9. Watch the Sunrise or Sunset
Find a good vantage point to observe as the sky changes color.
10. Skipping Stones
Have kids collect flat stones to skip across a lake or pond.
11. Stream or River Exploration
Head to a local stream and allow kids to play and explore to their heart’s content.
12. Beach Day
Kids can build sandcastles, collect shells, and play at the shoreline.
13. Puddle Jumping
Head out after a rainy day to jump in some big puddles. Dress kids in rain gear to keep them dry and warm so they can play longer.
14. Water Play
Head to the backyard, fill several containers with water, add a few scoops, and let kids play.
16. Play in the Sprinklers
Let kids cool off on a hot day by running through the sprinklers.
17. Water Balloon Fight
Invite some friends over and let kids have a water balloon fight. Reusable water balloons are easier to fill and clean up.
19. Bike Riding
Kids can ride around the neighborhood with friends, or the family can head to the local bike path for a longer ride. Have kids help map out where they’d like to go. Bonus points if the ride ends somewhere fun, like a new park or an ice cream shop.
20. Tree Climbing
Let kids climb trees! This builds their gross motor and risk assessment skills. Plus, it’s super fun.
21. Hopscotch
Give kids some chalk and let them create their own game of hopscotch to play together.
22. Soccer
This doesn’t need to require lots of kids or even a soccer goal. Simply head to the backyard or a large grassy field and kick the ball around.
23. Hula Hooping
Get kids practicing their hula hooping skills and creating challenges while playing together outside.
24. Jump Rope
Simple yet fun! Kids love to practice new tricks.
25. Disc Golf
Grab a set of discs and head to your local disc golf course for a fun family round. What’s great about disc golf is that it’s fun for all ability levels.
26. Yoga in the Park
Join a local kids class or let kids plan and lead a sequence of their own. Kids can use a deck of yoga cards to help plan their mini-class.
27. Obstical Course
Pull all the boxes, bins, recycling, sports equipment, boards, and tape from your garage and have kids create their own obstacle course. This keeps them outside and busy for hours!
28. Hide and Seek
This classic game is perfect for the outdoors. Try heading to new parks and wooded areas to play.
29. Sidewalk Chalk Art
A simple box of sidewalk chalk can get kids writing, coloring, and creating murals together. It’s an excellent way for kids to be creative while outside.
30. Fairy Houses
Kids can collect interesting twigs, leaves, pebbles, and other nature items to create their own DIY fairy house.
31. Mud Kitchen
Water, dirt, and some kitchen items are all kids need for some messy play. You can add a premade mud kitchen for kids if it’s something they really love.
32. Treasure Hunt
Create map or riddle clues that lead to the next clue and hide them outside for kids to follow until they reach a small treasure. You can write your own clues or use premade treasure hunt clues that work well with your outdoor space.
33. Fort Building
Kids can use sheets and cardboard boxes to make their own outdoor hideouts. If you have a trampoline, that can be the perfect spot to build a trampoline fort.
34. Bubble Blowing
Find an open area or park to chase and pop bubbles. Kids can make their DIY bubble wand and bubble solution.
36. Kite Flying
Head out on a windy day to fly kites as a family.
37. Storytelling
Find a nice spot to sit together outside and go around and have everyone tell a story. You can use story dice to help provide inspiration.
38. Nature Rainbow Walk
Head out on a family walk and look for things that are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Find several things in each color before heading on to the next color in the rainbow.
39. Backyard Camping
Get out the camping gear and have a campout in your own backyard! For extra fun, roast marshmallows over a firepit.
40. Texture Scavenger Hunt
Print out a texture scavenger hunt sheet and have kids find something smooth, bumpy, squishy, prickly, soft, rough, fuzzy, hard, and feathery. This works best by heading to a wooded area or green space and letting kids explore.
41. Nature Rubbings
Take some paper and crayons outside and make rubbings of leaves, bark, rocks, and other items kids find outside.
42. Garden Smell Walk
Take a walk through a garden and stop to smell the various plants and flowers.
43. Cloud Watching
Kids can lay on a blanket outside and watch the sky. They can tell stories about cloud shapes.
44. Watch Wildlife
Kids can observe squirrels, rabbits, birds, and other animals. They can look for tracks and note where they see the various animals. You can extend their learning by checking out library books about the animals that live in your area.
45. Jump in Leaf Piles
Kids can rack up giant piles of leaves to jump in and throw. As an added bonus, this helps to clean up your yard.
46. Play in the Snow
Head to the mountains for a day of sledding, snowball fights, snow angels, and snowman building. Make sure to pack lots of snacks and warm layers.
47. Picnic
Eat outside as often as possible! Have a picnic in your backyard, at the park, at the beach, or in the woods. Kids can suggest places they would like to have a picnic and help pack supplies.
48. Make Dandelion Chains
This simple and classic activity is a great way to engage kids in an outdoor activity. Here is a tutorial on how to make a simple dandelion chain.
49. Collect Acorns or Pinecones
Kids love collecting. Supply them with a bucket and let them explore outside and gather “treasures.” These can later be used for crafts, play, or dumped out for another day.
50. Visit a Community Garden
Your family can learn about gardening and local plants, and maybe do some volunteer work together.
51. Participate in a Local Clean Up
You can head out on your own to pick up trash in your neighborhood or join a community clean-up day. This is an excellent way to be outside while making your neighborhood nice for everyone. Keep kids safe by using kid work gloves or a trash picker tool.
52. Explore a Farmer’s Market
Head to the farmer’s market to touch, smell, and taste local produce and foods. You can add to the experience by giving your child a certain amount of money beforehand and allowing them to choose what they want to spend it on.
53. Alphabet Nature Hunt
Head out on a walk or hike and look for things that start with each letter of the alphabet. You can start over again at the beginning if you make it through the whole alphabet and everyone is still engaged.
54. Make a Map
Have kids draw their own map of your backyard or a local park. Encourage them to include as many details as possible.
55. Stack Rocks
Collect rocks and try to balance them to create rock sculptures. It’s also fun to knock them all down when you’re done.
56. Flashlight Tag
Flashlight tag is a super easy and fun way for kids to spend time outside after dark. You simply need 3 or more people and a flashlight. Here is a great explanation of how to play flashlight tag.
57. Glow Stick Games
There are tons of fun glowstick games that are easy to play outside in the dark.
58. Evening Nature Walks
Experience how different the world feels at night. A kids headlamp is a super fun and essential accessory to get kids out after dark.
59. Outdoor reading
Bring a camp chair, hammock, or blanket outside to do some reading. This is a great way to get the whole family reading more.
60. Nature Meditation
Kids can do some simple breathing exercises or follow along with a guided nature meditation. This exercise can enhance kids’ mindfulness and appreciation of the present moment by grounding them in the natural world.
61. Cook in a DIY Solar Oven
Kids can make their own DIY solar oven and test recipes on hot days! It’s a fun way to make science playful, all while spending more time outside.
62. Learn About Local Flora/Fauna
Use guidebooks from the library to help kids learn more about your local ecosystem.
63. Visit Tidepools
Nothing is quite as fascinating as sitting skill and watching a tidepool come to life. This is a great way to explore the beach year-round, even when it is too cold for swimming.
64. Learn to Use a Compass
Together, you and your kids can learn basic navigation skills. There are many books and videos to help you learn. You can easily print maps of your area for free using CalTopo and then use a real compass to practice your new skills.
65. Go Geocaching
Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting game using a smartphone or other GPS device to navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. Head over to geocaching.com to pick your first objective!
66. Visit a Pumpkin Patch
This is a fun fall activity that can be totally free! Explore the patch by walking around, lifting and moving pumpkins, and taking lots of photos.
67. Public Fountain Play
When the weather is hot, head to a local fountain to play. The fountain at Seattle Center is a favorite for anyone living in the PNW.
68. Park Hopping
Visit different playgrounds in your area. The novelty of a new playground is great for keeping kids engaged outside.
69. Barefoot exploration
Ditch the shoes and explore water and mud in bare feet. Make sure to check for glass and other hazards.
70. Rock Throwing
Kids love to throw rocks! Head to a lake, stream, or even an open area and let them throw rocks to their heart’s content.
71. Rainy Day Walk
No need to sit inside on a rainy day! Put on rain gear and head out to enjoy the rain. Kids are more than happy to be out in wet weather as long as they are dry and warm.
72. Photography walk
Get an extra sturdy case for your phone, and let your child be the photographer for the day. They can take photos of things they find interesting or items that are part of a scavenger hunt.
73. Outdoor Storytime
Spread out a blanket, bring some snacks, and read to your kids outside. This is a fun activity for all ages – you can keep reading to your kids even after they learn to read. Pick fun chapter books to read together.
74. Counting Walks
Look for various quantities of things you see while out on a walk or hike (i.e., 1 snail, 2 pinecones, 3 rocks, 4 leaves, etc.). Start at the number 1 and go as high as you like!
75. Shelter Building
Kids can build their engineering and problem-solving skills by using sticks and branches to construct shelters.
76. Berry Picking
Kids are snackers, and so they love berry picking! You can head to the local berry patch or look for wild berries in our area. You can use a berry guide from the library to help identity which berries you can eat.
77. Outdoor Nap Time
Taking a nap outside lets kids sleep under a canopy of clouds and leaves, making rest time feel like part of a cozy camping story.
78. I-Spy
A simple game of I-Spy can help to pass the time on a walk. And it can be pretty challenging — lots of green things!
79. Garden
Kids love to help, and gardening can be a great way to get the whole family outside. They can engage all their senses while learning about caring for plants.
80. Collect Worms
Collecting worms is a hands-on adventure that sparks kids’ curiosity about the wonders of soil-dwelling life. Plus, kids love to dig in the dirt.
81. Snow Painting
Kids can use squirt bottles filled with colored water to paint on snow. This activity is both simple and mess-free.
Benefits of Time Spent Outside
Free outdoor activities for kids are more than just fun. Time spent outside is essential to healthy growth and development!
Here are some of the many benefits:
- Improves Physical Health
- Improves Mental Health
- Strengthened Connection with Nature
- Independence and Risk-Taking
- Builds Holistic Development
- Mental Reset and Break from Technology
- Improves Sleep Quality
Final Thoughts
In a world where technology and urban living can limit the amount of time kids (and adults) spend outdoors, it’s vital to make concerted efforts to integrate nature and outdoor activities into daily life.
Whether it’s a simple walk in the park, a family camping trip, or just playing in a garden or backyard, these experiences are fundamental for healthy development and a balanced lifestyle.
Free outdoor activities for kids make it fun and possible for all kids to spend time outside. What are your favorite free ways to get outside with your kids?
- Looking for more ways to get kids playing outside? Check out all the best outdoor toys for kids!
