50 Fun Outdoor Activities for Kids That Boost Mental Health and Well-Being

As children become constantly glued to their screens, outdoor activities for kids offer a welcome change. Spending time outdoors can be a powerful and natural remedy for stress, anxiety, and focus challenges.

Discover 50 fun outdoor activities for kids that are worth exploring to boost their mood, sharpen their attention, and help them have fun!

Fun Outdoor Activities for Kids

Spending time outdoors has incredible cognitive, physical, and social benefits [*]. Get your child excited to spend time outdoors with these 50 fun activities:

1. Nature Walk

Walk slowly and intentionally with your child in your backyard or at the local park. Ask your child to note things they see, hear, smell, and feel.

This mindful grounding exercise engages your child’s senses and reduces stress as they notice the things around them.

2. Treasure Hunt

Create a list of things to find in nature. You can categorize them according to color, texture, or theme.

A nature treasure hunt can keep children focused and engaged when away from their digital devices. It sharpens their attention and plays to their senses.

3. Gardening

Assign your child a gardening role, such as planting seeds, watering plants, or digging in the soil.

Because plants take time to grow, this activity will teach children patience and delayed gratification. It’ll provide them with a sense of purpose. Managing stress through gardening reduces cortisol production. It’s a mood-booster that requires children to be more mindful of their environment.

4. Bird Watching

Visit a local birding area and observe the species you and your child see. Use an online guide or app to help you on your birding journey.

Bird watching is a great way to build your child’s curiosity and shift their focus to the present environment.

5. Kite Flying

Teach your child the classic art of kite flying! Modern kites come in many shapes and sizes—pick a simple one to begin with and fly it together in the park or in your backyard.

This timeless activity teaches children patience and perseverance, as kite flying isn’t always easy. It requires concentration and gives children a confidence boost when they succeed.

6. Star Gazing

Lay a blanket out in the backyard at night and look up at the stars. Find constellations and appreciate the moon.

Taking quiet time to look up at the stars promotes relaxation and encourages children to be comfortable when they’re deep in thought.

7. Outdoor Yoga

Teach your child simple yoga poses in the backyard. Use a yoga mat or stimulate their senses by doing yoga in the grass.

Yoga provides an excellent way to connect breath with movement. It can relieve stress and promote calm in your child.

8. Nature Journaling

While immersed in nature, ask your child to draw or write about what they observe. Encourage them to write freely and without a structured approach.

Nature journaling enables children to reflect on and appreciate their surroundings. It improves their observational skills and introduces the concept of mindfulness.

9. Backyard Obstacle Course

Use household items, such as cones, ropes, chairs, and toys, to create a movement path. Switch up your obstacle course as your child completes each one.

Obstacle courses provide a safe way to improve your child’s coordination and boost their physical confidence. It can also challenge your child’s physical limits.

10. Water Play

Engage your child in a tactile way with sprinklers, an inflatable pool, or a visit to the creek. You can also DIY water experiences with buckets and plastic boxes.

Water is known for its calming properties. Water play can offer your child much-needed sensory and emotional relief.

11. Hiking

Take a purposeful walk with your child on a nature trail or a designated walking area in the woods. Consider hiring a guide to tell you more about the area.

Hiking challenges a child’s physical endurance and encourages them to be adventurous. Prolonged exposure to nature can also help reduce stress and anxiety.

12. Sports

Encourage your child to try outdoor sports like soccer, kickball, or ultimate frisbee. Let their interests and strengths lead.

Team sports satisfy a child’s need for socialization. They also introduce and encourage cooperation, communication, and a sense of community.

13. Recreational Outdoor Games

Outdoor games like chase, tag, hopscotch, or jump rope are all activities children can enjoy with others.

Any recreational outdoor game can help children burn off excess energy and experience spontaneous positive feelings.

14. Reading Outdoors

Spend time reading with your child outdoors. Sit under a tree, on a picnic mat, a chair, or relax on a hammock.

Reading is restorative and engages a child’s imagination. Reading outdoors adds the calming effects of nature and makes the experience even more enjoyable.

15. Visiting the Zoo

The zoo is a fun and exciting place to learn about nature and its animals. Visit the local zoo, wildlife park, or aquarium to teach your child about new species.

Visiting the zoo creates a sense of wonder, especially when your child encounters animals they’ve never seen before. It also allows them to empathize with living things.

16. Dog Walking

Spend time walking your dog with your child. If you don’t have one, volunteer to walk the neighborhood dogs.

Dogs have long been proven to be emotionally healing for people, including children. Walking dogs creates a special bond that increases a child’s empathy for animals.

17. Biking

Bike around the neighborhood or take on a local biking path with your child. Remember to use the appropriate safety gear.

Physical activity is a great way to reduce stress. It also increases endorphins and provides a satisfying release of energy.

18. Picnic

Give your child’s lunch a change of scenery. Bring a picnic blanket outdoors or to the local park and enjoy a meal under the sun.

Spending time outdoors while eating can make the meal more enjoyable, as children will feel more connected to nature and mindful of what they’re consuming.

19. Backyard Camping

Pitch a tent in your backyard, even if you don’t spend the night. Get your child familiar with the idea of camping.

Backyard camping is a fun and novel experience that gets kids excited to spend time outdoors. It also provides an avenue for family connection.

20. Daisy Chains

Find fallen flowers and grasses to weave into a daisy chain or flower crown. Follow a simple pattern to guide your child.

This repetitive and gentle activity is calming and engages your child’s focus. It also improves their fine motor skills, as it involves weaving.

21. Outdoor Photos

Equip your child with a camera or smartphone to take photos of what they observe outdoors. You can provide them with some guidance by offering a list of things to photograph.

Taking photos of the environment encourages children to look more closely at it. It allows them to appreciate nature’s beauty.

22. Fruit Picking

If you live near a local farm, take your child to experience fruit picking. They can learn about new foods and wild berries.

Picking fruits gives a child a simple task to focus on. You can also use it to introduce the concept of mindful eating and appreciating nature’s resources.

23. Outdoor Tie Dye

Tie-dye shirts inspired by nature and the colors your child observes. Create a theme for each shirt, such as inspiration from a specific animal, flower, or tree.

Tie-dying shirts is a timeless activity that encourages creative expression. The process itself is meditative and fun.

24. Wind Chimes

Create a unique wind chime with found objects in your backyard, such as sticks, leaves, flowers, rocks, and twigs.

Making wind chimes gets your child’s creative gears going. It also provides them with relaxing auditory stimulation.

25. Bird Feeders

Make natural bird feeders by spreading peanut butter on pine cones and rolling them in bird seed. Leave them in a safe space for birds to pick on.

This simple activity fosters a sense of care for wildlife and gives children something to look forward to (watching the birds eat!).

26. Nature Mandala

With found objects, create a nature mandala. Your child can line rocks, petals, sticks, and grass in a round, symmetrical pattern.

Mandalas are designed to be meditative, and this activity provides a calming way to create natural art.

27. Building Miniature Worlds

Let your child’s imagination run wild! With materials found in nature, encourage them to create a miniature world with made-up characters.

This form of free play nurtures creativity and encourages attention to detail. It also exercises a child’s imaginative thinking and storytelling.

28. I Spy

Apply this classic game to an outdoor setting. Ask children to spot things that are yellow, round, rough, or whatever descriptors you can think of.

This game encourages mindful observation and focus. It encourages children to view objects in nature from a different, more curious perspective.

29. Cloud Gazing

During the day, take a moment to lie down in the grass with your child and look up at the sky. Ask them to find shapes and stories in each passing cloud.

Like star gazing, cloud gazing is a calm activity that promotes slow and unstructured reflection. Kids can lie quietly with their thoughts and engage in creative play.

30. Blowing Bubbles

Blow bubbles in the backyard or at the park. With your child, watch them float or pop them—whatever they like!

This simple, rhythmic activity promotes sensory relaxation and deep focus. You can also pair this with deep breathing.

31. Nature Sounds

Sit in the backyard or visit the local park. Sit quietly with your child and notice the different sounds you hear.

Sitting quietly with nature encourages children to be present in the moment. It focuses their attention outward.

32. Bug Hotel

Build a bug hotel made with found objects from your backyard. Use twigs, logs, pinecones, and leaves to create a unique shelter.

Building a bug hotel fosters a sense of respect for nature and encourages children to be curious about the lives of these creatures.

33. Simple Sundial

Create a simple sundial by placing a stick in the ground and following its shadow’s movement. Use this as a fun and interactive way to teach them about time.

Sundials engage the mind with science and make children curious about how things work. It requires sustained attention.

34. Mud Pies

Sometimes, it’s fun to get messy! Make mud pies by mixing dirt and water for fun, tactile play.

Engaging in messy textures can be calming for kids who love tactile stimulation. It also helps the brain process sensory information.

35. The Floor is Lava

This crowd favorite is even more fun outdoors. Use safe spots, such as tree stumps and large rocks, for your child to move across.

The Floor is Lava offers a secure and exciting way to engage your child’s problem-solving and decision-making skills.

36. Barefoot Walk

Introduce your child to new textures below their feet, such as grass, pebbles, and sand. Ensure the area is safe and free of hazards.

This grounding and sensory activity is relaxing and connects your child’s body with the earth beneath them.

37. Rain Gauge

Create a simple rain gauge with a glass jar and mark it with a ruler and Sharpie to see how much rain falls in a day.

This simple science experiment sparks your child's curiosity about the world and increases their eagerness to learn about the different seasons.

38. Shadow Play

Make hand shapes on the ground or against the wall when the sun is out. Try to mimic animals, people, and other interesting shapes.

This simple light-dark play serves as an engaging and fun way to learn about shapes and illusions.

39. Making S'mores

Every child deserves the experience of making s’mores! Make this campfire classic in a small fire pit or induction grill.

S’mores-making teaches real-life skills and is an excellent way to create memorable experiences.

40. DIY Paint

No paint? No problem! Use natural materials like berries, colored dirt, or charcoal to make natural paint.

This engaging and straightforward activity stimulates your child’s tactile senses and encourages them to be resourceful.

41. Water Sounds

Find a fountain, stream, or visit the beach with your child. Sit or lie on the ground as you listen to the gentle waves and droplets.

Listening to water activates the “blue mind effect,” which is a state of mental calm and peace [*].

42. Stone Stacking

Find flat stones and start stacking them on each other to create a stable, temporary tower.

Stone stacking requires a lot of concentration and focus. It keeps your child determined and teaches them to be calm.

43. Snow or Sand Sculpting

Live near a beach or in a place that snows? Use sand or snow to create little sculptures.

This unstructured creativity encourages children to be bold and ambitious in their creations.

44. Paper Airplanes

Fold paper airplanes indoors, then take them outside to test them. Keep experimenting with different folds until your child can get their plane to fly as far as possible.

Making paper airplanes introduces trial-and-error learning. It motivates persistence and teaches children to problem-solve.

45. Outdoor Storytelling Circle

Gather together in a circle and take turns adding one sentence or idea to a story. Collaborate to include interesting details, twists, and turns.

Collaborative storytelling creates shared connections among people. Doing it outdoors provides a stimulating environment that can stretch a child’s imagination.

46. Smell Walk

As you go on a nature walk, ask your child to observe what they smell. Smell flowers, pine cones, tree bark, or leaves. Now is a good opportunity to introduce 5-4-3-2-1 grounding, which involves naming 5 things your child can see, 4 things they can feel, 3 things they can hear, 2 things they can smell, and 1 thing they can taste.

This sensory integrated activity heightens olfactory awareness. It provides a grounding sensory experience.

47. Farmer’s Market

If you live near a farmer’s market, take your child to visit. Discover the origins of various foods.

A trip to the farmer’s market can be highly educational for a child. It also connects them to local people and food sources.

48. Volunteer Litter Cleanup

Join a community litter cleanup. Most communities host neighborhood or beach cleanups. Give your child a safe and appropriate role.

Participating in a community cleanup can give your child a sense of responsibility and civic duty. It teaches them to care for their environment.

49. Outdoor Drum Circle

Use buckets, pots, sticks, rocks, and other natural materials you find outdoors to start an outdoor drum circle.

A drum circle provides a non-verbal outlet for children to release pent-up energy. It also teaches them to be resourceful.

50. Nature Photo Alphabet

Equip your child with a camera and have them take photos of things in nature that start with each letter of the alphabet.

Giving your child a task like this combines active learning with sharp attention to detail. It increases their cognitive focus and observation skills.

The Bottom Line

Embracing the outdoors and regularly discovering new places and activities with your child can help them regulate their emotions, appreciate nature, and even build essential life skills. By using this list as a starting point, you can help your child create a deeper connection to the world.

Explore more activities in our worksheet collection to find ways to keep your child engaged, curious, and support their mental health.

Sources:

1. Fermin C, Perez M, Obee A, Hart K. “Benefits of Time Spent Outdoors in Early Childhood Education: A Systematic Review.” FIU Undergraduate Research Journal, 2024.
2. Nichols W. “Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do.” Little Brown Spark, 2024.