Go on a walk around your neighborhood or a local park to observe the world around you. Learn and have fun with family nature walk ideas.
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When the weather is nice, it’s wonderful to get outside, whether you walk around the block or visit a park. Of course, taking a walk is good for exercise and burning off energy for wiggly little kids. It’s also a fun way to learn!
We’ve collected a dozen fun ways that you can turn a family nature walk into a learning experience. Try one or more of these open-ended activities with your kids.
Before you head out the door, make sure everyone has dressed appropriately for the weather, including closed-toe walking shoes. It’s also a good idea to bring along:
- bottled water
- snacks
- a simple first aid kit
- sunscreen
- insect repellant
- a towel (in case the kids get wet/muddy)
- a change of clothes (in case the kids get really wet/muddy!)
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Do a Scavenger Hunt
Go on a scavenger hunt to encourage kids to observe and learn about the world around them. While a classic version requires you to hide objects ahead of time, on a nature scavenger hunt your kids will look for a list of items that are naturally occurring. To avoid disturbing nature, have kids snap a photo of each item when they find it. Get a scavenger hunt for kids or a scavenger hunt for tweens from One Mama’s Daily Drama.
Watch the Birds
Can your kids identify the birds that live around you? Look up pictures and names of the most common birds in your area, then go on a walk to see if you can spot them. Take a camera or a journal so that your kids can record what they find. Once you’ve identified a few birds, turn it into a learning project. You might discuss whether they migrate in winter, what they eat, how they build nests, or even listen for their unique songs.
Make a Map
Do your kids know how to get from home to to places like school, the library, or a friend’s house? Visit places in your neighborhood on foot instead of by car and make a map of where you live. Keep it simple and have your child draw in important landmarks that they visit.
Collect Craft Supplies
It’s important to make sure you are allowed to remove items from the place you’re walking. If it’s allowed, collect items like acorns, leaves, or rocks for nature crafts. Even if you can remove found items, be mindful of nature and don’t let your kids damage anything. We put together a whole list of nature crafts you can do with found items here on Backyard Summer Camp.
Do Some Math
Kids who love measuring and counting will love this sneaky math activity that you can do on a walk anywhere. Have them count the number of steps, measure the distance, or time how fast they can get from one place to the next. You could even keep a notebook with the information and update it each time you walk.
Have a Picnic
Pack a snack or a meal to take on your walk and turn it into a picnic. Include foods that don’t need refrigeration, can be eaten at room temperature, and aren’t too messy as finger foods. Some good kid-friendly options are sandwiches, trail mix, crackers, pretzels, and raw veggies and fruits.
Pick up Trash
No matter where your family walk leads, carry a bag with you along the route and pick up any trash you find along the way. This is a great way to teach kids to take care of their neighborhood. Alternatively, plan a walk specifically to clean up a local park. You may also want to have your kids wear gloves or talk about certain objects you might not want them to pick up, such as glass.
Identify Animal tracks
If your walk goes through a natural area, see if your kids can find and identify animal tracks on the ground. This is often easier after a rainy day when the ground has been soft. Nature Tracking has guides with photos for identifying tracks of common animals, including mammals, herps, birds, and bugs.
Make Bark Rubbings
Bring along some paper and crayons with the paper removed to make bark rubbings. Have kids hold the paper against a textured surface and rub the side of the crayon across it. This is a neat activity that works on any textured surface. Just be careful not to get the paper wet!
Study the Environment
Budding scientists will love keeping track of everything they can observe on a trip to a natural area. Decide what you want to measure and track, then get a notebook to organize it all. Your child could measure the temperature, count how many birds they see, measure how tall the grass is, or anything that interests them. Write the information in a notebook and create a chart so your child can see how whatever they’re tracking changes each time you visit.
Explore Somewhere New
Sometimes the best adventures are the ones that aren’t really planned. Instead of learning the house with a single activity and goal in mind, try doing the opposite. Decide where you’re going to go, but leave the other details unplanned. Have an adventure exploring a trail you’ve never been down or visiting a park that’s not in your neighborhood. You never know what you might discover.
Keep a Journal
Plan family nature walks as a regular activity and encourage your kids to keep a journal. Let each child pick a special notebook that they can write or draw in. Stop along your nature walk or set aside some time when you get home to have your child write or draw about their experience. They could include where you went, what they saw, or how they felt on the walk.
Summer might be the best time to get your family outdoors, but you can do most of these nature walk ideas year-round. Get outside and explore your neighborhood, teach your children about the natural world around them, and have fun!
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