8 matching activities — all with full instructions, safety notes, and ways to adapt.
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Nature Colour Walk
Ages 3–920 minEasyOutdoorOutdoor
During an outdoor walk, children look for natural colours that match their chart. This turns an ordinary walk into a focused observation exercise. Colours found in nature vary with the season, making this activity different each time it is tried.
Adult Preparation
Make a simple colour chart with coloured dots or paint swatches. Include colours likely to be found outdoors — green, brown, grey, yellow, white, orange, red. Adults should assess the outdoor area for safety before the walk.
Steps
1Give the child their colour chart at the start of the walk.
2Point to one colour and ask them to watch for it as you walk.
3When a match is spotted, point to it on the chart.
4Collect fallen leaves or stones only — do not pick living plants.
5At the end of the walk, lay out any collected items and compare them to the chart.
Children can practise: Colour recognition in natural settings, observation, and early awareness of seasonal change.
You will need
A simple homemade colour chart (coloured dots on card or paper)
Optional: a small bag for collecting fallen leaves, petals, or pebbles
Make it easier
Focus on two or three colours only. Walk slowly and point out colours together.
Try next
Try to find every colour on the chart. Draw the most interesting colour match found. Compare the chart results from two different walks.
Safety note
Adult supervision is required outdoors. Stay away from roads, water, and areas with unknown plants. Do not pick or eat any berries, seeds, or plants — even if they look familiar. Wash hands after collecting any natural items. Check the area for uneven ground, insects, and other local hazards.
Cleanup
Return any collected items to the outdoor space where possible, or compost safely. Wash hands after handling natural materials.
An obstacle path lets children design and move through a short physical challenge using whatever is available in the outdoor space. The route can be changed each time, making repeated attempts feel different. Children often enjoy setting up the course as much as completing it.
Adult Preparation
Check the outdoor area for hazards before setting up. Ensure all equipment is stable. Keep the course low and simple — avoid anything requiring jumping from height or climbing above waist level without support.
Steps
1Together, lay out five to eight obstacles across the outdoor space.
2Walk the course together first, deciding what to do at each point — hop, crawl under, balance across, go around.
3The child completes the course from start to finish.
4Change one or two obstacles and try again.
5Invite the child to design their own course for the adult to try.
Children can practise: Gross motor coordination, spatial awareness, planning, and persistence.
You will need
Flat outdoor space
Items from around the home: hula hoops, chalk, old tyres, low step, rope, small cones or stones as markers
Make it easier
Use fewer obstacles. Walk the course side by side rather than racing. Focus on one movement type per session.
Try next
Time the course with a simple countdown. Try completing it backwards. Invent new rules for each obstacle.
Safety note
Adult supervision is required. Avoid wet, slippery, or uneven surfaces. Do not include obstacles that require climbing above knee height without proper support. Ensure no sharp edges or unstable items are included. Children should wear appropriate footwear. Stop if the course becomes too slippery after rain.
Cleanup
Return all equipment to storage. Check the outdoor area for any items left behind.
On a sunny day, children trace their own shadow or the shadow of an object onto the ground with chalk. This is a simple way to observe how shadows are formed and how they shift through the day. Two tracings made an hour apart can show visible movement.
Adult Preparation
Choose a paved area where chalk marks are acceptable. Check the surface is dry and safe for standing on.
Steps
1Ask the child to stand still in a sunny spot.
2Trace around their shadow with chalk.
3Write the time beside the outline.
4Return to the same spot an hour or so later and trace the shadow again.
5Compare the two outlines.
Children can practise: Observation, early understanding of light direction, and a first encounter with how time changes natural conditions.
You will need
Chalk (for pavement or concrete)
Sunny outdoor space
Optional: watch or clock for observing shadow movement
Make it easier
Simply trace the shadow of a short object — a toy, a cup — rather than a person. This is easier to keep still.
Try next
Make three or four tracings across the day. Predict where the shadow will be before looking. Try shadows at different times of year.
Safety note
Adult supervision is recommended outdoors. Avoid looking directly at the sun. Ensure children are protected from sun exposure — appropriate clothing, shade breaks, and sun cream where needed. Keep sessions short in very hot or bright conditions.
Cleanup
Chalk washes away in rain. On dry days, rinse chalk marks with water if preferred.
Fallen leaves offer a collection of natural shapes, textures, and sizes for comparison. Children gather leaves, arrange them by size or shape, and look closely at the details of each one. Leaf rubbings are an optional extension that creates a lasting record of the collection.
Adult Preparation
Check the outdoor area is safe. Ensure children will only collect fallen leaves and not pick from plants.
Steps
1Collect a variety of fallen leaves from the ground.
2Lay them out on a flat surface.
3Look at the differences — size, colour, edge shape, number of points, surface texture.
4Sort them into groups of your own choosing.
5Optional: place a leaf under paper and rub a crayon over the top to make a leaf rubbing.
Children can practise: Observation, sorting, early botanical vocabulary, and fine motor practice through rubbing.
You will need
A collection of fallen leaves
Paper
Crayons or pencils for rubbings (optional)
Make it easier
Focus only on size — big leaves and small leaves.
Try next
Make a leaf collection book by pressing leaves between paper and storing in a folder. Try to identify tree types from leaf shapes using a simple field guide.
Safety note
Wash hands after handling leaves and outdoor materials. Wear gloves or supervise closely if a child has sensitive skin or plant allergies. Do not collect from unknown plants or plants with berries. Adult should check all collected leaves before the child handles them.
Cleanup
Return leaves to the outdoor space or compost. Wash hands thoroughly.
A walk outdoors focuses on touching and noticing textures — tree bark, brick walls, grass, a smooth paving stone, a rough wall. Children record what they find by drawing or ticking, building a personal record of textures in the nearby environment.
Adult Preparation
Make the recording sheet in advance. Check the outdoor route for safety. Identify a few textures along the route to point out if needed.
Steps
1Set off on the walk with the recording sheet.
2When a surface is noticed, stop and touch it carefully.
3Decide which column it belongs in.
4Draw or tick the matching column.
5Continue along the route.
Children can practise: Tactile awareness, observation, and simple data recording.
You will need
A simple recording sheet with "smooth," "rough," "bumpy," and "soft" columns
Crayons
Optional: magnifying glass
Make it easier
Use only two categories — smooth and rough.
Try next
Compare textures from two different locations. Collect rubbings from different surfaces on the walk.
Safety note
Adult must check all surfaces before the child touches them. Avoid surfaces with sharp edges, animal droppings, mould, broken glass, or unknown substances. Wash hands after the walk. Check for insect hazards on outdoor surfaces.
Cleanup
Wash hands after the walk. Store the recording sheet for comparison on another occasion.
Children lie on a blanket or sit outside and watch moving clouds, describing what shapes they see and what the clouds remind them of. There is no correct answer — the activity is entirely based on personal observation and imagination.
Adult Preparation
Choose a safe outdoor space with an open view of the sky. Place a blanket or mat if lying down. Apply appropriate sun protection if needed.
Steps
1Settle comfortably in the outdoor space.
2Look up at the clouds.
3Take turns pointing out a cloud and describing what it looks like.
4Follow a cloud as it changes shape.
5Optional: draw a cloud shape afterwards.
Children can practise: Observation, imaginative description, and relaxed outdoor engagement.
You will need
A comfortable outdoor space
Optional: paper and crayons for drawing clouds afterwards
Make it easier
Simply point and say "I see a cloud that looks like a ..." without pressure for detail.
Try next
Try to predict in which direction a cloud will move. Photograph or sketch a cloud and return to look at it ten minutes later.
Safety note
Do not look directly at the sun. Lie in shade if needed. Apply sun cream and wear a hat in bright conditions. Ensure the outdoor surface is dry and safe for sitting or lying on. Supervise children near outdoor areas with hazards.
Children fold paper aeroplanes using different designs and observe how far each one travels. Rather than competing, the focus is on noticing what affects the distance and whether different folds or launching angles change the result. This turns a simple craft into a genuine observation exercise.
Adult Preparation
Show two or three simple folding methods, or let children try their own designs. Ensure the throwing space is clear of people.
Steps
1Fold two different paper aeroplanes using different designs.
2Launch each from the same starting spot.
3Mark or note where each lands.
4Discuss what might have affected the distance.
5Try adjusting the fold or the throwing angle and observe again.
Children can practise: Observation, early cause-and-effect thinking, and fine-motor practice through folding.
You will need
Several sheets of paper
A flat outdoor or indoor space
Optional: a ruler or string for measuring
Make it easier
Use a simple one-fold design. Focus on the throwing rather than comparing distances.
Try next
Measure the distances and record them on a simple chart. Add a small paper clip to the nose and notice whether this changes the flight.
Safety note
Paper aeroplanes should not be thrown at people. Launch toward an open space only. Supervise younger children in outdoor spaces. Do not use outdoors near roads or open water.
Cleanup
Collect and recycle all paper aeroplanes. Pick up any that land in planted areas.
Children spend time in an outdoor space with a simple notebook, recording what they observe — insects on the ground, a bird passing overhead, the colour of bark, the sound of wind. A nature journal has no correct entries. Its value is in the attention it encourages.
Adult Preparation
Create a simple journal by folding and stapling paper, or use a small notebook. Go outside together and give the child time to settle before starting.
Steps
1Find a comfortable outdoor spot.
2Spend a moment sitting quietly and observing.
3Choose one thing to draw or write about.
4Add a note about what time of day it is, what the weather is like.
5Return to the same spot on another day and notice what has changed.
Children can practise: Sustained observation, descriptive writing or drawing, and a connection to the nearby natural environment.
You will need
A small notebook or folded paper pages stapled together
Pencil and crayons
Make it easier
Draw one thing only. The adult writes a label if the child wishes.
Try next
Visit the same spot across different seasons. Try drawing from memory after moving away from the object.
Safety note
Adult supervision is required outdoors. Do not collect or touch unknown plants, insects, or animal remains. Wash hands after the session.