Being outside and connecting with nature is good for us – so encourage the kids to explore the outdoors this summer

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Now that the school summer holidays have arrived, many parents and carers will be looking for ways to keep children occupied over the next few weeks.

Getting the kids outdoors and spending time in nature is one easy – and often free – activity. Studies have shown that access to green spaces can improve our mental and physical wellbeing – and contact with nature has many health benefits, including reducing stress, helping to prevent disease, minimising asthma symptoms, and helping to maintain a healthy weight.

Photo by Andre Taissin on Unsplash

Encouraging children to connect with the natural world boosts their physical, social and intellectual development. And it could be good for our environment too – when young people grow up with an appreciation for nature, they're more likely to care for the environment as adults.

Here are some ideas for getting kids outdoors and connecting with nature.

Go on a scavenger hunt

Turn a walk into a treasure hunt by getting youngsters to look out for natural items along the way. For very young children this could be really simple: find a leaf, a flower, something pink, a bird, a fircone, and so on.

Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash

For older children, create a more challenging scavenger hunt by introducing different species to look out for, such as oak leaf, robin, peacock butterfly, dandelion clock, and foxglove. This is an ideal opportunity for children to learn more about the natural world.

Scavenger hunts encourage children to use and develop their observation skills. When hunting for treasures, they pay more attention to their surroundings and notice things they may have missed otherwise. So a scavenger hunt is a good way to help kids increase their awareness of the environment, while learning about the natural world.

Create a bee and butterfly garden

Nectar-rich flowers can be a lifeline for bees, bumblebees, butterflies, moths and other pollinators. Lavender, sedums, hebes, borage, verbena bonariensis and scabious are all good choices. Or sow quick-growing annuals such as night-scented stocks and cornflowers.

Getting kids outdoors

Photo by Ben Wicks on Unsplash

You don't need a lot of space – growing two or three plants or sowing some seeds in a large patio pot can create a mini feeding station for pollinators. Tending the bee and butterfly garden helps children learn about the growing conditions needed for plants, which is part of the science curriculum taught in schools.

Buy wildflower seeds for sowing in August*

Count butterflies

Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count runs from Friday 12 July until Sunday 4 August 2024, and is a great way to get children looking out for these beautiful insects. This citizen science survey is easy to take part in – just spend 15 minutes looking out for butterflies or moths in a garden, park, woodland, field, or near a hedgerow. Record the species you see then submit your results.

Six-spot burnet moth

Red admiral butterfly

Choose a still, sunny day for your survey to increase your chance of spotting a range of species – look out for red admirals, peacocks, tortoiseshells, commas and painted ladies. For more information, and to download a useful identification chart, visit the Big Butterfly Count website.

Missed the Big Butterfly Count? It's still fun to spot and identify these beautiful insects, and many will be around well into autumn.

Grow your own

Getting kids to grow their own vegetables can bring lots of benefits. It encourages them to engage with nature and the seasons, and knowing how to grow your own food is a useful skill to have. Children also learn about healthy eating habits, and may be more willing to try vegetables they've grown themselves. And home-grown veg can be produced without the use of nasty chemicals.

To get kids growing, provide them with their own little patch to tend. Fast-growing seeds are best and there are lots of different vegetables that can be sown in July and harvested within two or three months. Dwarf beans, salad leaves, radishes, pak choi and peas can all be sown in summer.

You don't need a huge garden to get kids growing. Many vegetables can be grown in containers – and some, such as salad leaves and pea shoots, can even be grown in pots on a sunny windowsill.

Create natural art

Gather leaves, petals, pebbles, pinecones, sticks and grass from the garden (remember to leave plenty of flowers for pollinators!), and create an artwork on a table, patio or lawn. Mandala-style patterns work well: start your pattern off from a central point, and build up a circle with symmetrical rings of petals and leaves. When you've finished, take a photo or make a sketch of your creation.

Make seed bombs

You can make seed bombs by combining wildflower seeds with compost, clay powder (available from craft shops, or use clay soil) and water. Put a cup of seeds, five cups of compost and two cups of clay powder into a large bowl, bucket or flowerpot. Add a little bit of water and mix everything together with your hands, adding more water until the mixture sticks together and can be formed into small balls. Then launch your 'bombs' at bare soil in the garden. This is a fun, messy activity that children should love (remember to wash hands afterwards!)

Take part in an event

The Wildlife Trust has a range of nature-themed events running throughout the summer, and many are aimed at children and families – from hunting for minibeasts to learning about wildflowers. Search on the website for events near you.

Photo by Nellie Adamyan on Unsplash

Or visit a National Trust property for family-friendly activities, including nature trails, birdwatching and orienteering. Check the National Trust website for locations, dates and times.

And English Heritage is offering Summer Explorer Quests for children – a fun way to explore historic grounds and beautiful gardens in properties across the country. The quests are included with the price of admission – and becoming a member of English Heritage* gives free admission to more than 400 properties across the UK.

For more inspiration for getting kids outside and engaging with nature, visit the Wildlife Watch website. This is a useful resource with lots of ideas for things to make, as well as downloadable colouring and identification sheets.

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