Autumn is a great time to encourage children to take part in outdoor activities, and promoting an active lifestyle is an important part of furthering a child’s development. There are a range of outdoor experiences, events and attractions that your little one will love to explore and will help them to build a healthy relationship with the outdoors.
Some of the best outdoor activities for kids include;
- Playing outdoors in the wind. During the autumn seasons, it is usually windy which can be lots of fun for kids! Instead of just playing with the leaves that are being blown from the trees (which is still lots of fun!) why not make the most of nature and encourage your child to explore the wind. Some great play ideas include; flying a kite which will help your little one learn about energy, wind direction and movement, or playing with a bubble wand to teach them about wind power and direction- you could get them to guess which way the wind will blow next to create the most bubbles!
- Visit an outdoor farm. There are many children’s farms around the country that will give your child the opportunity to interact with a variety of animals. Activity farms provide a fun day out for all the family and activities include feeding the animals, learning about the operation and day-to-day running of a farm, along with playgrounds, crafts and other exciting activities.
- Nature walks. Children love discovering nature so why not take your family on a walk around your local nature reserve. Encourage your children to take a paper pad and pencil so they can make a note of all of the creatures you encounter whilst on your walk. If it is a nice day you could even stop for a picnic!
- Sensory walks. Autumn is a brilliant time to take your child on a sensory walk allowing them to discover a range of sights, smells, sounds and objects to touch and feel. A walk amongst woodland, or around a pond or river is a great place to start as there will be a bounty of interesting insects, plant life to ponder and a variety of textures to take hold of!
- Build an autumn collage. Autumn is a season full of colours that can be turned into a beautiful collage. Ask your children to go outside and collect interesting leaves, sticks, conkers or acorns that they can then combine with different craft materials to create a collage.
- Weather watch. Autumn is an exciting season full of changeable weather. Take this opportunity to help your child explore the weather and get to grips with the different seasons. Create a weather chart with them so they can record the weather each day, whether it is sunny and warm or dull and rainy!
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