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It's estimated that by the year 2050 more than half of us will be short-sighted. Spending time outdoors has been shown to reduce the risk of myopia (short-sightedness) in children.

Here are our top tips for outdoor fun for kids of all ages.

Go on a Garden Bug Hunt

How many creatures can you find hiding in your garden? Try counting how many different species you can find. Grab a magnifying glass to take a closer look – how many legs has the bug got? Is it hairy? Draw pictures of what you find and create a colourful gallery of minibeasts.

Create Patio Art

Encourage your budding Van Gough to get creative and produce a giant artwork on your patio or garden path. Use chalks to create colourful designs that will simply get washed away in the rain.

Enjoy a Bike Ride.

Whether you’re going for a ride around your local park or travelling along part of the 13,500 miles that make up the National Cycle Network, cycling is a great way to enjoy the outdoors.

Click here for more on the National Cycle Network

Cook up a Feast in a Mud Kitchen

All you need to make a basic mud kitchen are some old pots and pans, a couple of spoons, a patch of earth or bucket of mud (top soil is great) and water.

Kids can while away hours getting messy mixing up mud pies and foraging for decorative toppings.

Grow your Own

Nothing tases better than fruit and veg you’ve grown yourself so whether you sew a few cress seeds in an old yoghurt pot or create your very own garden allotment you can enjoy the tasty rewards of time spent outdoors tending to your crops.

Roll Play

Make action dice from cube-shaped cardboard boxes.

Draw or write a forfeit or action on each side of the cardboard box eg, do a roly poly, jump like a frog, run a lap of the garden, floss!

Then, roll or throw the dice and follow the action.

Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are great fun and you can play them almost anywhere. Try a colour-themed hunt and track down objects from every colour in the rainbow.

Build a Den

Whether you’re creating a den using cushions and blankets or branches and bracken den building is fun for all the family. 

Go Birdwatching

Go for a walk and see how many different types of birds you can spot. The RSPB website has a great step-by-step guide to birdwatching for beginners.  

Nature Craft

Make a self-portrait using materials you can find in your garden or local park.

Use, sticks, leaves, berries, stones, grass cuttings, feathers, conkers and moss to create your masterpiece.

Puddle Jumping

Get out whatever the weather. Pull on your wellies and go splash about in puddles.

Published: September 2021