50 Free Outdoor Activities For Kids

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

1. Balance on a log
2. Climb a tree
3. Play hide and seek
4. Follow animal tracks
5. Pick blackberries
6. Pick crab apples
7. Pick elderberries
8. “Spot” birds
9. Paddle in a stream
10. Collect leaves
11. Make a camp fire
12. Camp out
13. Dig for treasure
14. Collect conkers
15. Play conkers
16. Plant a tree
17. Collect acorns
18. Dam a stream
19. Make a bridge over a stream
20. Climb a hill
21. Explore a cave
22. Walk through a waterfall
23. Collect bugs
24. Toast marsmallows
25. Toast “dampers” (like the Duchess of Cambridge)
26. Fish in a stream
27. Explore mole hills
28. Listen for owls
29. Look at the stars
30. Splash in puddles
31. Dig in mud
32. Collect stones
33. Collect shells
34. Make your own tent
35. Find a walking stick
36. Pick holly for Christmas
37. Collect pine cones for “barometers”
38. Climb rocks
39. Play Pooh sticks
40. Sail paper boats
41. Make a kite from paper, string and sticks
42. Crawl through long grass
43. Listen to bird song
44. Identify flowers
45. Explore rock pools
46. Bark rubbings
47. Build a den from sticks and bracken leaves
48. Build a raft
49. Leaf “fight”
50. 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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Luci McQuitty Hindmarsh

Luci is the founder of Mums Make Lists. She has written about all aspects of organising family life for ten years. Her main areas of expertise are family finance and budgeting, simplifying housekeeping and family admin and kids’ party planning. Read more.