10 free outdoor activities for kids

Nature is the original playground. There’s a whole world out there ready to explore!

With Summer holidays upon us, these simple activities are perfect for keeping little ones busy, creative and learning during long summer days. Use them to spend time together or to free up some time for yourself – and best of all, they’re free to do!

These tips are part of something bigger. At Hubbub, we want to see a world where everyone makes choices that are good for the environment. Check out what we do and how your actions add up.

1) Go wild with artistic license

Nature has long been a source of inspiration for great artists. And your kids are no exception!

Take paper, paint and pencils outdoors and draw what you see. You can challenge yourself to use unexpected colours, or even take ready-made colouring-in sheets.

Explore textures by making rubbings of bark and leaves. Simply place them under your sheet of paper and scribble over the page to capture the texture or pattern they hold.

Take your creativity 3D by collecting fallen flowers, leaves, twigs and more. You can use them for collaging, sculpture, or even to press and keep for future crafts.

Did you know you can draw with flowers? Try crushing fallen flowers against your paper to see what colour comes out from their petals, and make a picture from it.

2) Attract the birds...

The UK has loads of bird species, and they’re good at keeping pests under control, pollinating flowers, and for listening and watching of course!

Make a bird feeder for your windowsill, garden, or even to hang in your local park. Try this one made from recycled materials, or this one that’s plastic-free, from an orange peel!

All year round, but especially during hotter months, birds would love a bird bath to keep them cool, clean and hydrated. And that doesn’t mean buying one - here’s the RSPB’s top tips to making a bird friendly bathing spot, you can even use an old dustbin lid. Then sit back quietly and watch! You never know what unexpected guests will come flocking to see you.

3) Be ahead of the game

Game-ify it! Make a scavenger hunt of treats, hidden in an outdoor space (like an Easter egg hunt, but with whatever theme you like!).

Or you could make a list of natural things to find; bugs, different colours, biggest stick, etc, and see who can find each of them first! Try out Wildlife Watch’s bingo cards for a mix of plants, animals and fungi spotting.

A game of ‘I spy’ can help kids to notice new plants and animals and learn the words for them.

Remember making ‘nature soup’ as a kid? All you need is a bowl and some water, then it’s up to them to choose the ‘seasonings’ – grass, flowers, dirt… mix well, but don’t taste! And don’t forget the classic mud pies. If you live in London, it’s likely a lot of the mud/soil in your area is clay based, so it could be good for sculpting!

4) Get active

Get running, hopping, skipping and jumping outdoors. Make it a race, make it a dance party.

The National Trust have some top tips to climb a tree safely.

If the weather gets warm, building a twig teepee provides a shady hideout and a mud pit is an alternative to a paddling pool – you just have to wash more laundry afterwards!

5) Give it a grow

Watching a little plant pal go from seed to leaf is quite magical. Try planting some easy herbs to start with, or choose plants that will help the butterflies and bees. Try growing water plants in a mini-pond, and give bugs, birds and amphibians a place to chill out. 

Backyard Nature offer free resources and missions if you pledge to become a Guardian and protect your patch. 

6) Make or decorate your own plant pot

Give your plants a home they can flourish in by decorating an old plant pot. Or, check out these plant pot ideas by upcycling other household items, or for a bigger challenge, how to turn an old wooden pallet into a wall planter – the POTential is endless!

7) Become a Nature Investigator

What kind of sound does that bird make? How many legs does that bug have? What is that tree called? Unleash your inner detective and download the Seek app to explore minibeasts, birds, flowers and trees around you.

Kew Gardens have a quick guide to becoming an inspector Moss - learn the tricks of the moss to work out which way is North.

8) Be a good host to bugs...

Help local insects stay ‘snug as a bug’ by building them a bug hotel. What’s that you ask? A simple structure that can be put together with mostly bits and pieces you find outdoors. It will invite creepy crawlies to make a cosy home for themselves! Here’s a guide on how to make your own.

9) Make a hedgehog hideaway

Add your garden to the Hedgehog Highway by adding small gaps or holes in fences! These can be mapped on the BIG hedgehog map. Hedgehogs travel around one mile every night, so while they might be prickly, you can help make sure their journeys are as smooth as possible.

Space to spare in your garden? Welcome a thorny tenant with a hedgehog house.

10) Be a weather watcher

All living things are affected by the weather, and the sky can give us an understanding of what’s going on, or what plants and animals might need.

Try making rain gauges, weathervanes, wind gauges and sundials. They’re all awesome projects that will keep you checking in on the conditions outdoors, and you won’t want to take a rain check.