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We were very lucky as children.
We lived on the edge of a small town with fields just over the road and some amazing forest a few miles away, with plenty of free outdoor activities for kids to have fun with.
There were lots of children on the street and we all played out together – the older ones looking after the little ones.
We spent many happy hours by ourselves or with our parents in the forest just playing with what was there.
I tried to remember all the things we enjoyed … so they could be as much a part of my daughter’s life as they were mine … and came up with this list …
Fun Things to Do Outdoors for Free
- Balance on a log
- Climb a tree
- Play hide and seek
- Follow animal tracks
- Pick blackberries
- Pick crab apples
- Pick elderberries
- “Spot” birds
- Paddle in a stream
- Collect leaves
- Make a camp fire
- Camp out
- Dig for treasure
- Collect conkers
- Play conkers
- Plant a tree
- Collect acorns
- Dam a stream
- Make a bridge over a stream
- Climb a hill
- Explore a cave
- Walk through a waterfall
- Collect bugs
- Toast marsmallows
- Toast “dampers” (like the Duchess of Cambridge)
- Fish in a stream
- Explore mole hills
- Listen for owls
- Look at the stars
- Splash in puddles
- Dig in mud
- Collect stones
- Collect shells
- Make your own tent
- Find a walking stick
- Pick holly for Christmas
- Collect pine cones for “barometers”
- Climb rocks
- Play Pooh sticks
- Sail paper boats
- Make a kite from paper, string and sticks
- Crawl through long grass
- Listen to bird song
- Identify flowers
- Explore rock pools
- Bark rubbings
- Build a den from sticks and bracken leaves
- Build a raft
- Leaf “fight”
- Collect tadpoles
It’s nigh impossible to recreate that experience in a busy London street but we have a wonderful park close by and London has far more outdoor spaces and wilderness than you would imagine.
And once spring finally gets here – can’t believe it is snowing again! – we can hop on the train to get to the woods and the sea.
It’s not quite the freedom that we had, but these are some of my fondest memories of childhood and I would so love to share that legacy.
What about you? What are your favourite memories of playing outdoors as a child and what do your children most enjoy?
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