Awesome Outdoor Activities for Toddlers…in the forest!

Inspired by the sunshine today we headed out to the forest with our essentials to do some awesome outdoor activities. There’s something so peaceful about being surrounded by trees…even with two toddlers nearby!

We’re so lucky to have a lovely woodland with a little stream within walking (or piggy back) distance from our house in Wales. The ‘cwm’ it’s known as here…a small wooded valley with a small stream running along the bottom. If you want to locate a woodland near you then this website will find one for you (UK).

I thought I’d share with you some of the outdoor activities that our two love to do when they’re in the woods…

Making Music – there are so many fun things to make a noise with in the woods! Make a log from kit, fill a bottle with acorns to make shakers. Encourage them to get creative!

Nature’s Rainbow – such a lovely activity to celebrate the beauty of nature. Even Baby Boo joined in collecting dandelions and leaves! Download a free Activity Template here.

Mud, mud, glorious mud – don’t think I need to say anymore about this one (you can wash them off in the stream when they’re done)!

Den building – I loved building dens as a kid and our boys love it too. Take a simple den building kit with you (Kombat UK Lightweight Unisex Outdoor Paracord Reel available in Olive Green – 100 Metre) or just gather branches, ferns and leaves like in our photo below.

Splashing Stones –  A super simple outdoor activity but no trip involving a river is complete without some splashing! If it’s not warm outside then we use Didriksons Weatherman Kids set…they’re the only waterproofs we’ve owned that have actually kept our boys totally dry.

Hide and Seek – but a better version using walkie talkies to give clues as to where your hiding! (Top Tip…don’t hide with a one year old who can’t sit still for 2 seconds!)

Bug Hunt – A simple Bug viewerwill make this activity more hands-on for little ones.This Mad About Bugs (Ladybird Minis) will help you to identify what you find.

Colouring Stones -These Giotto Decor Materials Marker Pens  make decorating stones so easy! They’re quite pricey at £10 but they work on a range of surfaces and ours have lasted ages. We take ours to the beach to colour pebbles too!

Collecting Treasures – our biggest toddler loves collecting different stones, leaves and sticks. Give them a basket to collect their treasures.

Fairy Doors – we also use the Giotto Decor Materials Marker Pens  to draw fairy doors on pebbles too. Our boys love hiding them around the woods. They also leave the fairies some of the treasures they’ve collected too! (Saves taking them all home ?)

Climbing – we have two little climbers so whenever they’re outdoors they love practicing their superhero tricks! Let them climb trees and slopes…it’s brilliant for building core strength!

Diggers – take some toy diggers along with you and create your own building site. We love doing this when we want to avoid the summer crowds at the seaside!

Balancing – Fallen trees make excellent balance beams…just check they’re safe first (stable and strong). Forests are perfect natural playgrounds for practicing motor skills as they tend to have uneven terrain and soft ground if they fall!

Outdoor adventures are always more fun when you plan ahead and bring along a few items to make everyone a little more comfortable. Here’s my checklist of 10 Outdoor Adventure Essentials.

We hope you love these activities as much as we do!

Amy

xxx