Cool, crisp fall days are getting closer, and it’s the perfect time to get outside with your kiddos for nature walks or hikes. Some of these nature walk activities work well with a tracker sheet. To make this portable, take the side of a cereal or Amazon box and tape some paper on it for a DIY clipboard in a pinch.
Here are a few nature walk activities to keep your littles engaged so they stay excited and interested in the adventure rather than being bored and complaining:
Scavenger Hunt
Create a list of items to search for on your walk. You can brainstorm this ahead of time or use the first few minutes to come up with the items you’ll be searching for. There are tons of ways to keep track of this. Track it on your phone or a physical list. For younger kiddos or visual learners, there are many cute templates online that have a checklist of pictures. You can turn it into a challenge with a time limit on completing the set. Or have them tally how many of the items you see and find out at the end what the most common items were.
Nature Bracelet
Take tape and wrap it around your kiddo’s wrist, sticky side out, so it attaches to itself. Along the walk, they can find small items and stick them to the bracelet, creating a collage of the things they find.
Color Search
At the beginning of the walk, pick a few colors to search for along the way. Call out the colors and show each other the items as you find them. You could specifically look at leaf colors or plants on the ground. You could try to complete the rainbow or add a particular, less common challenge color. If your kiddos would like to keep track, this is another easy template to find online or make at home and bring out with you.
Nature Bingo
Think of this one as a combination of a scavenger hunt and bingo. As you walk, your kids will mark off the items that they find until someone gets bingo. Again, there are templates online already filled out, or you can brainstorm your own with your kids, the items to search for. This creativity allows it to be as easy or as challenging as you think your kids would enjoy.
Rock Search
If you have littles that love rocks, this is the perfect time to highlight that interest. Look for rocks that are cool shapes, shaped like other things, or interesting colors. Before you try this one, decide if the rocks are staying on the ground or if they’re coming with you. A fun way to keep the rock carrying at a minimum is to challenge them to find the coolest rock. They can only carry 1 or 2 rocks. If they see a new one that they like, they have to decide if they want to trade out what they’re already carrying for this new rock or keep looking for a better one.
Evidence of Animals
This is a great one for detail-oriented kiddos. You can look for animals that you see on the walk, like birds, squirrels, snakes, rabbits, etc. Or you can look for tracks, droppings, or nests. This is an easy one to do without a tracker. But they also can write it down, check it off, or take pictures.
Shapes Hunt
If you’ve ever looked up at the clouds trying to find pictures in them, this is the same idea. Look for rocks shaped like hearts, tree branches making triangles, circles on tree trunks, or color patches on leaves making shapes. You can also look for things that form letters. N, V, M, W, L, or E (just to name a few) could be hiding in tree branches.
The possibilities are endless! There’s a ton of great templates online, or you can take this opportunity to flex your creative muscle and collaborate with your littles. Comment on which activity you think your kiddos would enjoy and try it out on your next walk!
