Click here to read 23+ Simple Nature Activities for Kids to Create, Explore & Learn on Hands On As We Grow®
These nature activities for preschoolers are ways to put the oomph in getting outside with your kids! Explore, find new things in nature, get creative in how you use it and just have fun!
Getting kids outside and into nature seems to be harder and harder these days. It seems to be that more and more, we are scared to let our preschoolers be outside, watch this video I shared on Facebook to see what I mean.
I want to make being outside super fun for my kids. We have a nice big back yard with woods that my kids can run and explore in. It’s amazing to watch their creativity! And I truly want to cultivate that even more.
Nature Activities for Kids to Be Creative!
- Make colorful mandalas with nature. This idea from Krokotak is gorgeous and easily created with paint and natural items.
- You can also turn rocks and drift wood into a beautiful namesake piece of art with this alphabet name rocks nature activity for preschooler kids to make.
- Put together a nature wind catcher. Grab some items from the front yard or a nature walk, then tie everything up. These would look nice in a tree or hanging on the back porch.
- Paint a branch together. Create walking sticks using a large stick and paints. Add in some other decorations for even more possibilities.
- Make nature faces like Make and Takes. Kids can be creative and create self portraits with natural items, or maybe portraits of their friends and family.
- Another perfect nature activity for preschoolers that is especially great for fall is our fun leaf people nature craft.
- Create zentangle rocks. KC Edventures shares this idea, which is perfect for rock collections.
- Weave with nature. Just grab some sticks, twine, and leaves or flowers. The Chaos and the Clutter also shares how to she assembled the weaving frames.
- Paint with nature in this activity for kids! Use items found in nature to create paintbrushes. Then let the kids create their masterpieces.
- Blow dandelions to create paintings. Teach Preschool used dandelions, paint, and paper to explore how the wind scatters seeds.
- Create nature suncatchers.
- Or similarly, you can try this nature suncatcher windchimes activity for kids!
- Get outside and create art! What can you make from nature?
- Grab some scissors and let your kids make leaf confetti that you can easily glue onto a sheet of paper to make a nature clipping collage out of your activity.
Find lots of ways to get creative and have fun using real flowers here!
Explore Science With These Nature Activities
- Play a nature memory game from Rhythms of Play. The game can easily be made using bits of nature from a walk around the neighborhood.
- Explore what sinks and floats. For this activity just put together a tub of water, then let kids determine what nature items float and sink.
- Investigate pond water. Go exploring and scoop up some pond water like Stir the Wonder did. Bring it home and see what the little scientists observe.
- Test water absorption. Send the kids on a nature hunt and let then explore which bits absorb water.
- Grab some dirt, cups and a meat thermometer for this super cool earth science experiment that’s the perfect nature activity for curious preschoolers.
- Make a roly poly habitat. Fantastic Fun and Learning put together a terrarium just for local roly polys. Let the kids make their own versions with insects from the yard.
Nature Activities That Will Create a Love of Math! (Yes, Math!)
- Rub leaves and find matches!
- Play NurtureStore’s color matching game. All you need is chalk, along with nature items from the backyard or the garden for this kids outdoor activity.
- Use paint swatches to find all the shades of green (or brown) in nature!
- Count and number pine cones. Grab some chalk and write numbers along the sidewalk like Fun-A-Day did. Then let the kids count out pine cones (or any other nature objects) to match the numbers.
- Along the same lines, go on a leaf counting hunt!
- Explore tally marks with sticks. Teach the kids about using tally marks in this activity using nature items from the backyard, like Educators’ Spin On It.
- Create nature patterns like Coffee Cups and Crayons. These patterns can be made anywhere – in the backyard, on the sidewalk, or on the back porch. Just grab some leaves, sticks, and stones to get started.
- Find examples of symmetry in nature. Buggy and Buddy suggests taking a photo walk around the neighborhood. Then break out the mirror to test symmetry in the pictures.
- Gather a variety of flowers and categorize them based on how many petals they have with our counting flower petals nature activity for kids
What activities do you love to do with natural things found outdoors?
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