Outdoor time is more than recess—it's a rich environment for developing skills in observation, language, and problem-solving. Allowing kids to get their hands dirty and their knees scuffed up, not to mention checking out flowers, bugs, and spiders up close, is impossible to experience the same way on a screen.
The Child Mind Institute shares a moment from Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, where a child told him he liked playing inside better “because that’s where all the outlets are.” It’s funny but also kind of sad — a reminder of how much time kids spend plugged in instead of playing outside.
Encourage children to spend time outdoors and reduce their screen time! Allow them to discover and engage with their surroundings. Nature-based learning is adaptable and inexpensive, perfectly complementing School Zone’s early education resources. In this third article of an outdoor-themed series, we further delve into the significance of outdoor play and learning about nature, along with a variety of nature activities for kids.
Why outdoor learning matters in early childhood
Experts agree—getting kids outside comes with a whole list of benefits. According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, outdoor play helps kids socialize, explore their imagination, get to know their bodies, and simply enjoy being in nature. The Children’s Museum of Sonoma County adds even more perks: better motor skills, healthy vitamin D from sunshine, and a boost in confidence and independence. When kids play outside, they naturally take positive risks, try new things, and learn at their own pace—which is exactly what growing up should look like.
How does outdoor time work its marvelous magic? Among other things, it tends to have a calming effect. To summarize the long list of positives, early childhood outdoor learning:
• Helps improve focus, confidence, physical coordination, and emotional well-being
• Builds real-world connections that spark creativity and curiosity
• Encourages multi-sensory learning
And time spent outside, with its huge payoff, is absolutely free!
6 Engaging Outdoor Learning Activities
Think of the outdoors as the ultimate classroom—no walls, no desks, just wide-open space for learning. One simple but powerful way to help kids learn outside? Ask them to talk about what they see, hear, and feel.
Here are a few outdoor classroom ideas for kids, including outdoor activities for preschoolers, along with suggestions for reflective writing prompts:
1. Nature Scavenger Hunt
Lots of sites online offer ideas for nature scavenger hunts, many with free printable sheets or cards to track the objects being searched for and keep kids focused. Some have specific themes or categories of things to search for. Or try gofindit, described on Amazon as a sensory science game for ages 3+, the cards ask kids to find things that have characteristics such as dry, green, or spotty. The description also says, “This travel game can be easily carried in your pocket, making it a perfect companion for any outdoor game or camping accessory.”
A scavenger hunt is an excellent time to use magnifying glasses to study patterns or insects. On an iPad you can also use the built-in Magnifier app or the Zoom feature in Accessibility settings to enlarge.
o Writing prompt: “What was your favorite thing you found? Draw and describe it.”
2. Mud Kitchen Science
Pretend play meets early chemistry! A mud kitchen is an outdoor area or structure equipped for kids to make-believe “cook” with mud, sand, and water using kitchen tools. For example, the London-based Thimble & Twig blog, hosted by a teacher and mother of four, compiled “Mud Kitchen Play Ideas for Kids.” They charmingly write, “Mud Glorious Mud! First and foremost – mud play is fun!” noting that making mud pies goes back a long way. On the practical side, they say, “A backyard mud kitchen is great for developing little kids fine motor skills in mixing, making and stirring.”
o Writing prompt: “Write your own mud recipe or make a mud menu.”
3. Bug Observation Station
Maybe reduce entomophobia (fear of bugs) and arachnophobia (fear of spiders)? Whether your child goes “ew!” or “awesome!” when they see a bug or spider, encouraging them to take a closer look, again, with magnifying glasses or iPad, might create a closer relationship with our 6- and 8-legged friends.
o Writing prompt: “Imagine life as a bug—what would you see, eat, and feel?”
4. Cloud-Watching + Weather Journals
Remember seeing a cloud shaped like a lion, a whale, or a superhero when you were a child? (Or maybe just yesterday?) Scanning the skies can inspire awe and spark imagination useful for, among other things, storytelling, but it can also sharpen skills such as observation and pattern recognition, important for reading, writing, math, and more.
Why not use cloud-scanning to float the idea of more weather study? School Zone’s Anywhere Teacher online learning program for kids 2-8 has Weather Flash Cards that include the basic cloud types.
o Writing prompt: “What do you see in the clouds? Write a short story about it.”
For more weather-related learning activities, check out School Zone’s Big Second Grade Workbook, available in both traditional format and spiral-bound format. Full of friendly pictures and colors, it covers everything from numbers to shapes to writing to weather. For example, one page defines air pressure and offers a simple experiment for testing air pressure. All it requires is water, a plastic or foam cup, and a postcard or index card!
Or plant a seed of science and watch it grow with School Zone’s Big Science 2-3 Workbook, also available in traditional format and spiral-bound format. Across two colorful pages, it offers an age-appropriate explanation of what makes weather and shows how to read an outdoor thermometer.
5. Leaf & Bark Rubbing Art
Learning to observe and describe the different textures, patterns, and other properties of objects surrounding them, expands kids’ all-around knowledge, understanding and vocabulary. One way to do this is by getting outside and making leaf and bark rubbings. Teach them words like smooth, rough, smooth scaly, and scratchy. Of course, colors and their various shades are part of the picture, too.
The main supplies are trees and bark! The rest, such as crayons, masking tape, and a paper bag for collecting leaves, are inexpensive. Ask kids to describe the feel of the bark and the shapes of the leaves.
o Writing prompt: “Write about where your leaf (or bark) came from. Is it part of a tree family?”
6. Nature Math Walk
A nature math walk lets kids explore nature while practicing math skills like counting, estimating quantities, and identifying patterns. They can then connect classroom lessons to real-world observations. A nature math walk can work for kids of any age. For littles, ask them to count flowers, sticks, or bugs. For slightly bigger littles, have them compare sizes.
o Writing prompt: “Write about what you saw the most of and where. Flowers in a garden? In a yard? Ants on the sidewalk?”
When you come back inside, continue the learning and build connections with School Zone’s Counting 1-10 Workbook for preschoolers or Preschool Write & Reuse Learning Cards.
Create an outdoor learning kit
Be ready for both impromptu and scheduled time outside by putting together a grab-and-go outdoor learning kit that includes a magnifying glass, crayons, pencils, a clipboard, a small notebook, a snack, and sunscreen. An alternative is a portable “explorer’s backpack” to encourage self-guided learning at home, at the cabin, when camping, or on day trips. Of course, weather changes, and that’s a good thing. Rain is important, and storms—from a safe distance—are magnificent. But it’s good to have rainy-day alternatives readily available. They also work for quiet time during fair weather, sitting at a picnic table or in the afternoon shade of a tree, or wind-down time inside after a full day outside.
- Big Preschool Workbook—This workbook, available in traditional format or spiral-bound format, supports pre-writing and early math concepts. The spiral-bound format is especially handy. When opened out flat, it can fold over on itself in half to make a 7.75” X 10.75” lap-sized work surface while traveling or waiting somewhere without access to a table.
- Flash Cards—These time-tested tools make great take-anywhere learning activities for practicing language and math skills indoors or outdoors. They include Alphabet Fun Flash Cards, Sight Words Flash Cards, and Numbers 0-25 Flash Cards. You can also put a different spin on card play with Go Fish Alphabet Game Cards and Three-Letter Words Puzzle Cards.
- Anywhere Teacher – This online learning program for kids 2-8 includes Get Up and Move Action Flash Cards that guide kids to “crawl like a crab,” “squat like a gorilla,” or “dance like a rooster.” Print them out or memorize or jot down a few ideas to use outdoors for movement-based learning.
- Write & Reuse Workbooks—These clever, colorful, durable workbooks, many of them including sheets of stickers, make learning new skills super doable and low-stress. Easy do-overs encourage practice and build confidence. Use them for reflections or to practice nature-themed words to keep the outdoor focus.
- Start to Read! Series – This 3-level series of books with fun, relatable themes, help create a lifetime love of reading. Those with outdoor or nature themes include Underwater, with spectacular illustrations; Jog, Frog, Jog about a charming frog who likes to jog and outsmarts a dog by way of a log; and Raccoon on the Moon, recounting the tale of a pesky raccoon, who causes some trouble and gets a big surprise one night.
The benefits of nature-based education are many. Teaching appreciation for nature also builds empathy and stewardship, and outdoor learning supports whole-child development. A combination of fun activities out there in the “big classroom” can change kids’ lives for the better today and well into the future. School Zone wants to hear about your child’s experiences. Tag your outdoor learning adventures with @schoolzone and use #SZNatureKids
