Woodlands and Nature Trails - My Childcare Hub

Great woodland activities to do with the little ones.

Full of life and natural living woodlands give children the chance to get active and explore.

Here are some activities to consider:

Go on a hunt. Search for different shaped leaves, seeds, flowers, birds, insects and even animals.
Make a collection. Select twigs, pebbles, pine cones and seeds to make a collage when you get home.
Take crayons and paper to do bark rubbings.
Climb on fallen logs or up trees if they a dry and safe. Make sure children have sensible footwear, so that they are not likely to slip.
Walk along fallen logs and test your balancing skills.
If there is a bridge or a river/stream, have a game of Pooh Sticks. this is where two people thrown their sticks into the water to see whose stick gets carried the quickest by the waters current. make sure you can tell the sticks apart.
Play hide and seek in between the tree trunks.
Hug a tree and see the one with the thinest or widest trunk.
Count the rings of a cut trunk to work out the trees age. one ring per year.
Explore – set your child/children a challenge to find something – the first one to bring back an acorn, pinecorn etc.
Take a camera and take pictures of the new things you spot.
Play I spy, to see how many things you notice in the woods. s for squirrel, b for berries etc.
Build a den
Bird Spot
Search for footprints or animal tracks
Use a compass
Make a treasure map.
Feel a tree – place a blindfold on your child and let them feel a tree, then guide them away, remove the blindfold and ask them to find which tree they felt.
Use sticks to tap on hollow trunks and living tree trunks, listen to the sound they make.
Take a sketch pad and draw a picture of the woods.