When you are getting started in an outdoor life, it can be hard to get kids to enjoy their time in the forest. While you don’t want to entertain them or limit their free play, some kids can be helped by specific game ideas or activities that get them started enjoying their time. Other kids already love free play, but sometimes get bored or run out of new ideas.
Play in the Water
Kids of all ages can enjoy playing in the water whether it’s wading, swimming, or just throwing rocks. Finding an area along a creek or lake can be one of the best ways to entertain them in the woods.
Study Nature
Modern children know less about the natural world than children in the past. One of the best ways to encourage your kids to learn more about nature is to allow them unstructured time to explore and observe nature. Children are naturally interested in the world around them. You can encourage them to have a longer attention span and to observe things in more detail while out in nature by noticing things yourself or showing interest in the cool things they find.
Play Hide and Seek
Hide and Seek can be fun for all ages if you do it right. Small children obviously love the game, but if you are in the woods they might be scared to be alone. You will also want to take extra precautions such as making sure they have buddies, you know where they are at all times, or setting parameters for the search area so they can’t wander off.
Hide and seek in the woods can be a great game for older children, teens, and adults as well. It’s more complicated and strategic when done with older people, and has an element of survival training to it. There are several different ways to do this, but some safety rules should still be in place. Having everyone wear whistles or carry walky-talkies and designating boundaries are two good precautions.
Practice Survival Skills
If you want your children to learn safety and survival skills, go to the woods and practice. Skills like fire building, how to handle being lost, and how to build a shelter are all fun when treated as a game and kids love feeling capable.
Build a Fort
Building a fort with your kids can be a fun way to get time together and build problem-solving skills. Not all public land allows this kind of activity, but National Forests and Bureau of Land Management land are usually good options. We usually build our forts with dead branches and avoid cutting down live trees or branches.
Go on a Scavenger Hunt
If you are taking your kids to the woods for free play or a hike, bring along a prepared scavenger hunt to give them something to do if they get bored. You can find easily come up with your own scavenger hunt, or use one of our Scavenger Hunt PDFs which are organized by theme or season.
Cook Over a Fire
Kids love meals cooked over a fire. Find a picnic area or unused campsite and build a small fire for s’mores or hotdogs-even if it’s the middle of the day! Just make sure it’s completely put out before leaving. You should not leave a fire until it is cool enough to touch.
Do Citizen Science
Teens and tweens can start learning to participate in citizen science projects. Citizen science is usually organized by a specific research organization, such as a university or public land management agency, and any necessary training and materials are provided by them. Many citizen science programs, like the Feeder Watch initiative, require no training and you simply sign up online.
Do Leaf Rubbings
Leaf rubbings are fun and a great way to learn more about trees and plants. When doing rubbings, you can take the opportunity to learn about the different kinds of leaves and how they are distinguished from each other. You can also learn to identify specific trees and label your leaf rubbings.
Climb Trees
Kids love climbing trees and there’s no better place than the woods! Teach your child how to climb safely by checking the limbs before putting their weight on them, never climb on dead branches, and don’t go places they can’t easily come back down from.
Keep a Nature Journal
If your children enjoy drawing, have them keep a nature journal. Each time you venture into the woods, encourage your kids to draw anything they want. Remember, nature journals are about observation and recording your finds, not about art, so make sure your child knows that they don’t have to create beautiful drawings. Keeping a nature journal has several benefits.
- Developing observation skills
- Learning to identify plants and animals
- Recording discoveries (Label each picture
- Keeping memories (get in the habit of recording the date and location)
Play Follow the Leader
This is a great game to play while hiking. It helps kids keep their minds off of the monotony and their tired legs. It’s also a fun break from free-play time if people are starting to get grumpy or bored.
Climb on Rocks
Kids love to climb on rocks! Just keep them sized appropriately and wear good shoes. While rocks and boulders are great for scrambling and climbing, rock slides can be dangerous and unstable so make sure you choose a safe location.
Play Pretend
If your kids love playing pretend, there’s no better place than the woods. Whether they like playing war, house, or pretending that they’re witches performing magic spells, everything is more fun in a new location. Free play in the woods is wonderful for kids’ development and imagination.
Practice Their Ninja Moves
Ninja moves are better in the woods! With logs to walk down, rocks to jump off, and creeks to leap over, the woods are like one big obstacle course.
Play Capture the Flag
Capture the flag is a great game for playing in the woods if you can take enough people to form teams. When you play in the woods, you can each build secret forts, use camouflage to hide your bases, and use strategy to play. It’s much better than playing in the backyard or an open field.