13 easy ways to keep kids busy with nature

You don’t need a big day out to feel the benefits of nature.
No plans. No special place to go.
Nature is all around us –
in the cracks, round the corner, just outside...
And that’s where the magic is.

As we look for ways to support young people’s wellbeing, one thing is clear: access to nature matters.

The solution doesn’t have to be bigger, longer or more complicated. Because nature isn’t a destination – it’s a daily dose. Even 20 minutes a day outdoors in nature can help reduce stress and anxiety, lift our mood, and give our minds space to rest.

This summer, try setting aside a little time each day to enjoy nature together. Here are some small, simple activities to help you reset, recharge and reconnect before the new school year begins.

Sandy feet - Members of the public enjoying Kimmeridge Bay in Dorset.

1. Step outside barefoot

Take your shoes off and get your toes out. Feel the ground beneath your feet:

The cool grass in the morning
The warm ground in the sun
Sand between your toes
The damp earth after the rain

Wriggle. Squish. Tiptoe.

Notice the textures. Stay curious. And connect physically with the natural world.

A bumblebee takes off from common knapweed. Goodwood Road, Leicester, UK.

2. Stop and listen

Doing “nothing” is often exactly what we need the most. Pause together and listen out for the natural sounds of summer:

Birds calling overhead
Wind moving through trees
Grass rustling
Insects buzzing nearby
The gentle hum of everyday life blending in with nature

You’ll be surprised what you notice when you stop. A sense of calm, focus and presence.

Turn listening into a game and make nature playful and memorable? How many sounds can you hear?

A child explores the forest floor, observing leaves and natural textures in a UK woodland setting

3. Follow something small

Big adventures often start small. Pick something tiny and follow it:

An ant trail weaving across the ground or a single ant on a mission
A bumblebee buzzing from flower to flower
Leaves drifting along in the breeze
Shadows shifting as the sun moves across the sky

Explore and imagine. Let your curiosity lead the way.

A child runs through shallow coastal water at a UK beach during summer, splashing and playing near rocky cliffs

4. Make a splash

Water invites play. Wherever you find it, a puddle, a stream or the beach, there’s always fun to be had:

Jump in puddles after the rain
Splash in a stream
Watch ripples spread and chase them before they disappear
Drop sticks from a bridge and race them downstream (a classic game of Poohsticks)
Try skimming a stone – how many skips can you get?

Get messy. Get soaked. Splish, splosh, splash.

Play safe and stay close, always stick together and to shallow water.

Children lift a fallen branch in a UK woodland during a summer outdoor activity

5. Build a den

Every explorer needs a hideout.

Use whatever you can find:

Sticks
Branches
Long grass
Blankets

Gather, build, hide away.

Make it tiny. Make it big. Make it secret. Make it yours.

11-year-old girl with a newly emerged four-spotted chaser dragonfly (Libellula quadrimaculata) on her hand, pond dipping and getting close/connecting with nature. Cornwall, UK. April.

6. Go on a minibeast safari

You don’t need to travel far for wildlife.

Get low, look closely, and see what you can find in the cracks and corners. Keep your eyes peeled for:

Beetles under stones
Worms in the soil
Spiders spinning webs
Ladybirds resting on leaves

Nature is alive everywhere, even in small spaces. Take your time to really see.

Look closer. Stay longer. Don’t rush.

A hand gently holds a bramble flower (Rubus fruticosus) in the UK

7. Make nature art

Create something from what nature provides.

Leaf patterns
Stick shapes
Pebble pictures
Flower circles

Make anything. No rules. No right answer. Let your creativity flow.

Woman lying barefoot in field of daisies, enjoying nature on a summer day, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK. Soles of feet visible

8. Lie back and look up

Find a quiet spot and look at the sky. Look out for:

Clouds drifting by
Light flickering through leaves
Birds flying high

Make shapes. Make up stories. Let your mind wander.

A child carefully balances across fallen branches in the UK woodland as another child watches on

9. Balance, wobble, explore

Let movement lead the way.

Climb a low branch
Balance on a log
Step carefully along a line of stones
Jump between patches of grass or earth
Take the “long way” through a park

Stretch. Wobble. Try again.

Go at your own pace and see what feels right.

A hand with a beaded bracelet on the wrist holds small pine cones gathered from a woodland floor during a summer in the UK

10. Hunt for textures

Find as many as you can. Something:

Rough
Smooth
Soft
Prickly

Nature is something you feel, not just see.

A child touches the textured surface of a moss-covered tree in a UK woodland as they peek around the trunk

11. Discover secret spots

Every wild explorer needs a secret place.

Behind bushes
Under trees
Beside a wall
In long grass

Find a place that feels hidden. Hide, peek and pause in nature.

An adult and a child walk through a UK woodland during summer, pausing to look up at something above the tree canopy

12. Play I-spy with nature

Turn it into a game. What can you spy?

Something green
Something beginning with ‘p’
Something tall
Something small

The more you notice, the more you’ll find.

A small hand traces the textured bark of a tree in a UK woodland in summer. Exploring natural surfaces

13. Learn to identify trees

Look up. Look around. Trees are everywhere.

Some grow together. Others stand alone.

Can you spot the differences?

Are the leaves pointy or round?
Is the bark rough or smooth?
Is the tree tall and thin or wide and thick?

Is it oak, beech, maple, or sycamore?

Root down and become a tree expert this summer.