10 Outdoor Activity Ideas for Families

While community playgrounds and backyard sliding boards offer hours of entertainment for our children, greater adventure awaits those who are willing to lace up their trail shoes and head to the woods. Today, we’ll explore 10 creative and inexpensive outdoor activity ideas for families.

A local community park, nature conservancy, or State Park can be a great resource for instilling an appreciation for the natural world in our children. Teaching kids to connect with wildlife develops a passion that can extend into adulthood.

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Creative Outdoor Activity Ideas for Families

Here are ten creative outdoor activity ideas for families to help your kids enjoy nature:

1. Wildflower Identification

Many people are intimidated by the idea of wildflower identification; however, we don’t need to be certified botanists to embark on the adventure of identifying wildflowers. Simply heading to the woods with a good wildflower identification book and carrying a notebook and pen to record your findings can create excitement in children.

Most local libraries have books and pamphlets for the region’s local species of wildflowers. Searching for both rare and common flowers can provide a fun incentive for hitting the trail. The National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers comes in region-specific editions. This thorough resource has helped wildflower enthusiasts identify vegetation for decades.

If you’d rather use your phone, check out this site: 9 Best Free Plant Identification Apps.

2. Wildflower Photo Searches

For a wildflower photo adventure, simply take a camera (or your phone) to the woods. Take close-up pictures of wildflowers and return home to use an online resource to identify each species. For an added twist, create your own wildflower identification booklet by printing your photos and creating a booklet with species names. A helpful online wildflower identification site is MyWildflowers.com.

3. Creature Searches

Searching for wildflowers is exciting, but searching for crawling creatures provides added suspense. Something about a minuscule creature crawling through the dirt makes these excursions entirely captivating. Toads, salamanders, newts, frogs, turtles, and insects can be found in many small pieces of wooded terrain.

While capturing these creatures for long-term viewing violates humane regulations, watching them in their natural habitats is fascinating. A checklist of potential creatures is a captivating scavenger hunt for children of any age.

4. Fishing

A pond of bluegills or a bubbling trout stream can offer hours of entertainment. If fish are sparse, searching for crayfish, building dams, and skipping stones are favorite pastimes. For a helpful guide to a successful fishing trip, check out The Beginner’s Guide to Fishing.

Here are a few more outdoor activity ideas for your family:

5. Hiking

6. Camping (see 11 Days on the Road below for ideas and inspiration)

7. Rock Climbing

8. Obstacle Courses (set up in the woods by creative parents)

9. Scavenger Hunts (see the free guide below)

10. Geocaching (Visit Geocaching.com)

Enjoying the wonders of nature with our children is a natural way to relieve stress, increase wonder, and slow the pace of our hurried lives. Enjoy the adventure. For more outdoor fun ideas, join me right here for 6 creative ways to connect with others and even offer hospitality outside.

Find More Outdoor Activity Ideas Here:

If you would like to spend more time in nature with your kids but aren’t sure where to begin, I’ve been busy coming up with creative ways to get our family outside, and these activities have been life-giving for our little family! I’ve put together a free toolkit filled with printable nature scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, treasure hunts, and much more, all for your family’s enjoyment. Click here, and I’ll send you this free resource: Hours of Outdoor Fun!

Considering a Camping Road Trip?

Additionally, our family enjoys traveling throughout the country and camping in wild places. We invite you to join us on a recent 11-day road trip from Pennsylvania to Wyoming. Download the eBook detailing our trip for just 3.98 right here! Let’s hit the road!