24 Things for kids to do with nature on a Woodland Walk
Being in the woods is something that my family and I love to do. One of our favourite weekend thing to do is go for a woodland walk with the kids and make woodland crafts when we return! Most of the time, the kids like to explore the natural world, make dens and collect things from natural materials in the woods – we are forever hauling around a plastic bag full of their woodland treasures! More recently, I’ve been thinking of different things that are fun things for the whole family to do in the woods and so, I asked a couple of friends and families what they liked to do when going for woodland walks. And….Wow – everyone had so many amazing ideas! So, if you’re looking for some fun things to do with kids on a woodland walk – try some of these ideas for a scraped knees, puddle jumping and woodland exploring kind of childhood! These ideas and fun activities are also perfect as Forest Schools Crafts Ideas or EYFS outdoor learning ideas! For more ideas of Nature Activities for Winter – have a peek at our bumper list of Outdoor Winter Nature Activities for Kids!
To find out why we believe getting outside is so good for kids – read this post with ideas for easy, fun ways to get your kids outdoors and exploring nature.
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Table of Contents
Fun things to do on woodland walk with kids
Things to do in the woods with Kids
Why are woodland walks good for kids?
Going for a woodland walk is something that I very much remember from my own childhood. I remember exploring woodland wonders and spending Sunday afternoon in the woods somewhere and with my younger brother and sister getting very muddy in various puddles, it’s something that really stuck with me. I think there’s just something about children in woods which means they can be free. They can run ahead of their parents, they can climb things, they can jump in muddy puddles and I feel like I really need to capture that and enjoy that to the full because there will come a time when they won’t want to spend their weekends doing that with us, they’ll prefer to hang out with their friends instead. But for now they really enjoy a family woodland walk and we’re lucky that there are lots of woods nearby to us and there are lots of things to do in the forest with kids. I’m looking forward to a time when we can go without a buggy – Archie does go in the sling but he’s not always the happiest in it. So it’ll be much better when we can choose a woodland without worrying if it’s going to have a buggy route! And what if it’s raining? Raining doesn’t need to stop outdoor play – you’ll love our ideas of outdoor things to do when it’s raining and still have a great time!
24 Things for Kids to do with Nature on a Woodland Walk
Activities to do in the Woods with Kids
1. Build a Stick Maze in the woods with kids…..
…….and have the children navigate themselves out of it. It’s a great way for exploring natural area and green spaces. A stick maze is a great woodland activity for kids and to create natural art. You could even try making a nature sculpture! You could also try to make a den, you don’t need acres of woods – just a few tree stumps. Read here about how to make a den with kids.
2. Learn how to plait grass by Making a Fishtail Braid.
This is a great woodland activity for children.
3. Spot a Nest in the forest with kids!
For fun things to do on woodland walk with kids – use this cute Nest Nature Hunt to keep kids observant! Fancy bird watching with kids? Check out this FREE printable Bird Watching Book.
4. Try Map Reading or Geocaching in the woods with kids
Playing with maps and compasses can be a lot of fun in the woods! Try out these map activities and here’s how to go geocaching in the woods with kids!
5. Play some Games in the woods with kids!
Try some of our games we love to play in the woods with kids! There are lots of different games here for playing in the woods with toddlers or older kids. Here’s our favourite outdoor games for teens too!
6. Make a Leaf Mandala in the forest
A good craft idea for the woods during Autumn (but would work any time of year) is to make a Leaf Crown or a leaf mandala.It’s a wonderful way to develop a love of nature and for kids to take a closer look at natural items.
7. Make a Nature Bracelet
Another collecting one – try making a Nature Bracelet using sticky tape. Our kids had lots of fun with this one and kept their bracelets on all day from Kid Citizen Blog! You can also see a Nature Belt idea here from How We Learn Blog. This is a fun activity to do in the woods with kids.
8. Play the Number Art Challenge
Once you’ve returned with lots of lovely nature materials. How about setting your child a Number Art Challenge? A great way of getting children to think about numbers and spatial reasoning and is a great hands-on activities This is such a clever idea that I can’t wait to try out with our kids from Mosswood Connections.
9. Make Pot Pourri
Another lovely idea to make with your collected woodland is to learn about different types of trees Pot Pourri – check out this recipe from Multiples Mom.
10. Do some Leaf Crafts for Kids
If you find yourself with a surplus of leaves at the end of your walk with young children, try making our Autumn Leaf People or try one of our Leaf Crafts for Kids
They’re creative ways to get kids to explore nature!
11. Scavenger Hunts!
Nature Scavenger Hunts are a Fantastic Way to help engage small people when out exploring nature and easiest way to get kids outdoors in the woods. We tried this recently with my friend Laura and her kids. A scavenger hunt = 6 happy kids – it worked a treat! Here are some of my favourite Nature Scavenger Hunts. Try our Nature Adventure Scavenger Hunt booklet that’s suitable for kids from 3-10 years old. We also have more ideas for scavenger hunts in this post about how to make walking fun for kids! There are lots of different textures to explore through a nature scavenger hunt and sounds of nature in the woods can be explored through a nature sound hunt and it’s also a great opportunity to learn about different species of trees through
12. Build a Den
Ever try building a Stick Fort in the woods? This is a fab Outdoor STEM activity that my kids have loved in their forest school classes at schools. This is a go-to activity for us and what our children are always happiest doing. Find out how to build a den in the woods with kids.
14. Climb a Tree or Find a Rope Swing
A great activity to do in the woods with kids is to climb trees or build a simple rope swing!
13. Storytelling
Collaborative Story Telling is a great way to help build your kiddos vocabulary and where better to do it then in an atmospheric woodland setting? See Rainy Day Mum’s ideas for collaborative storytelling here. Or you could try collecting some nature treasures and making some story art. Check out our other ideas for woodland crafts for kids.
Fun things to do in the Woods
15. Create a Nature Journal
Here’s an idea, I can’t wait to try out this summer as our kiddos love anything to do with reading, writing or painting! Creating a Nature Journal. I love the idea of trying out different art forms and processes in our Nature Journals – maybe we’ll try a different art form every week! If you’d like to start a Nature Journal with kids – here’s our post of Nature Journal Prompts for Kids.
16. Animal Observation
I love these Animal Observation Free Printable Logs for helping kids to learn more about animals – these are fun things to do on a woodland walk with kids by observing and recording them from Kcedventures.
17. Nature Bingo
Another FREE Printable that can be completed on the smallest of Nature walks or even in your back garden. Try out The Jenny Evolution’s Nature Bingo Game.
18. Make a Fairy House
Another activity to do in the woods is to build a Fairy House. Now, whenever we’re out for a walk, the kiddos like to collect little bits and pieces to decorate their fairy houses. I absolutely love these ideas for Nature Fairy Houses – you’ve got to take a look at this cute fairy teepee from Red Ted Art!
19. Nature Paint Brushes
Make simple paint brushes from nature and see what unusual patterns you can create. This is such a lovely outdoor process art technique with spectacular results from Messy Little Monster.
Crafts for kids to do in the woods
20. Bark Rubbings
And if you’re looking to explore nature in more detail – how about creating bark rubbings or going on a play-dough nature walk where you create nature play-dough creatures. Find out more how this idea works at How we Learn. Bark rubbings are fun to do with metallic crayons and black paper too!
21. Geocaching
Ever wanted to try Geo-caching? This is a great idea to keep older children engaged outdoors. Find out about our first not-quite successful geo-caching trip here!
22. Nature Keyring
If you should find some flowers on your woodland walk, then why not try making a perfect little keepsake – a woodland flower keyring.
23. Hapa Zome
Another flower idea – but can also be made with why not try Hapa Zome in the woods?
24. Woodland Arts and Crafts Journal
My last idea for fun things to do on woodland walk with kids really is a – ‘save the best idea ’till last’! I recently created this lovely Nature Adventure Journal. It’s a whole host of Nature Art and Craft materials in one pack. You simply head on a woodland walk, collect lots of nature materials and use the printable to document your adventure. If you’re looking to get your kids to play outside more – there are lots of easy nature journal activities to inspire kids to explore nature’s wonderland from cloud watching and scavenger hunts to designing their own garden and rock pooling. This is a fun and easy nature workbook with beautiful watercolour drawings encourages kids to look a little closer at nature and gently develop the lifelong habit of nature observation.
25. Make a Bird Feeder
Use these nature materials to make a bird feeder with kids! It’s a fun thing to do on a woodland walk!
If you’d like to get your hands on this amazing Nature printable pack – click here. It doesn’t have to be used in the woods – it can be used on any kind of walk.
Hope this has inspired you to take more nature walks or fun woodland walks with your kids! I’ve got a whole load of things I now want to try out with my little people! How do you explore nature with your kiddos? Comment below and let me know any ideas we’ve missed! And don’t forget to try out this Nature Pack next time you’re on a woodland walk!
Do you have older kids? Teens or Tweens?
Here’s our ultimate guide to getting older kids outside!
Summer Holiday Outdoor Activity Pack for Kids!
If you liked these ideas you’ll LOVE our Holiday Outdoor Activity Kit for Kids! It contains 3 weeks of fully planned outdoor activities including….
- Games
- Science Experiments
- Nature Crafts
- Codes to Crack
Each week has an eco friendly theme where kids can learn about topical issues such as ‘saving the bees’ and ‘plastic pollution’. All the activities are suitable for kids aged 4-11 and it even includes ideas for family adventures! It’s like your own printable DIY Eco friendly Summer Camp for Kids! And for our lovely readers – we’re offering 20% DISCOUNT on all items in our ETSY Store – including the Summer Holiday Activity Camp. Click here for more info!
Our favourite woodland walks in South East London can be found here…….
See here for more Family Friendly woodland walks in South East London
Things to do on a long walk with Kids – see our bumper list of things to make walking outdoors fun for kids!
You could also try our 5 things to do with Conkers in the Autumn!
And for more fun woodland ideas for kids…… click below!
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