Summer is well and truly on its way now the weather has warmed up, and the sun has made an appearance for longer than a day! What’s also on the way is half term and the summer holidays. So let’s look at some cheap and cheerful outdoor activities to do in the sunshine to really nurture some knowledge of nature in Early Years Education
Crafts can get messy – that’s partly the point – but doing them outside can prevent any nasty spilt-paint-on-the-rug accidents inside. Most pedagogists talk to the importance of outdoor learning so our children can connect with nature. From Montesorri through to Steiner, the EYFS and forest school, we all share a love of the outdoors and believe that our children learn best when connected to nature.
Here are some creative garden activities for kids:
If your kids believe in fairies as Peter and Wendy do, then why not make a magical home for them with bits and bobs from the garden?
Choose a nice discrete area of the garden, maybe under a tree or at the base of a big shrub, then start creating. Any of your old broken flowerpots will make a great shelter for the fairies – you could get your children to decorate it with paint, glue and glitter. Surround the house with bits of moss, cut flowers and beautiful stones (you could paint those too). Then set about making some tiny furniture for them, like a picnic table and chairs – ice lolly sticks are ideal building materials and freeing them up is pretty tasty too. For extra atmosphere, why not add some solar string lights for added sparkle?
Not a fan of fairy-tale folk? How about dinosaurs? Let your children’s imaginations run wild as they create a dinosaur garden in the backyard. All you’ll need are some dinosaur figurines, various sized rocks, mud, greenery and sticks for trees. They can lay everything out how they want, paint dinosaur eggs and create a Jurassic garden feature.
An oldie, but a goodie – this one is perfect for the younger kiddies who love their teddy and want to sit and enjoy the sunshine during an elegant tea party. Of course, after they’ve had their fill, there will be plenty of time to explore the garden and go on an adventure.
Kids love a bit of fun and competition with their physical play, so lean into that. One easy-to-clean and set up option is a bucket shooting game. Just grab some buckets or containers and place them around the garden in challenging positions. Then fill up a super soaker. Assign each container some points and challenge your kids to see who can score the most. Keep track with a scoreboard and give a prize to the winner. Plus, it’ll help develop their hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills.
Skipping and any physical games are an excellent energy-using option too. You could create an obstacle course with plant pots, chairs, tables and more in the garden, or see who can skip the longest.
Make a playground – more of a parental activity, but it’s sure to keep the kids occupied when it’s up. You could get their help choosing parts and pieces, then let them paint everything however they want.
At the end of the day, your garden, patio or any outside space has loads of potential for fun and games. No matter if your kids are looking for fairies in the garden, to have a picnic with their bears or to just fly through the air on a swing – the sun makes outdoor fun more possible and more enjoyable, so get outside and encourage your kids to make the most of the free and fun activities on offer. For more fun activities that you can enjoy, follow our blog: