Getting outside with kids is important. But outdoor adventuring can be hard to start—and with kids it might seem darn near impossible. Here are 11 ideas for kid-friendly outdoor adventures that are easy, fun, inexpensive, and sure to bring out the adventurer in any kid (and maybe some adults!).
1. Geocaching
What it is: Geocaches are objects that come in different sizes and shapes, hidden all over the world by geocache users like you! Using the app you can locate an item near you, then go on a hunt to find it! Some are easy to find, while others are more difficult. Once you find a geocache, you can log your information in a book and trade knick knacks that other geocachers left behind. With over 2 million geocaches worldwide, chances are there’s one near you, making this one of our favorite kid-friendly outdoor adventures that you can do pretty much anywhere! Check out this video for more information.
Prep time: 5 – 10 minutes
Cost: Free (with smartphone); $50 – $100 for a GPS.
What you need:
- The free Geocaching App (available for Android and iOS) or a dedicated GPS like our favorite the Garmin Oregon 750t.
- A free Geocaching account.
How to do it:
- Download the Geocaching App.
- Sign up for an account.
- Find geocaches nearby and let the adventure begin!
Check out another kid-friendly activity: 11 Reasons Everyone Should Try Gym Climbing
2. Junior Naturalist
What it is: A chance for kids to observe and experience nature without any pressure or expectations. The goal is to have kids simply see what they can find in a certain small area of nature. They don’t have to know or learn names of things. They can draw, photograph, write about, or describe what they see. Another of our kid-friendly outdoor adventures that can easily be done almost anywhere.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cost: Free; with optional tools ~$25.
What you need:
- Any small piece of nature, even a tree by the sidewalk can yield great results.
- Optional tools: rope or string, magnifying glass, camera, writing and drawing materials, ruler, a small scale.
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How to do it:
- Delineate a small area, either with a physical object (like a string) or just using existing physical markers. Usually having a tree, dead log, rock pile, water source, or something like this helps to increase the number of things found.
- Kids identify as many living and nonliving things they find like bugs, animals, leaves, rocks, trash, or plants.
- Letting the child decide how they want to record or describe what they see (writing, drawing, photographing, verbally describing, etc.) is key to what makes this one of the best kid-friendly outdoor adventures.
- Note: Make sure to take this opportunity to teach Leave No Trace principles. As much as possible, the area should be left as it was found with as little disturbance to the animals and plants living there.
3. Map and compass
What it is: Everything feels more like an adventure when you’re following a compass. While a map and compass can get complicated, it’s easy even for younger kids to understand basic concepts like the cardinal directions.
Prep time: 10 – 20 minutes
Cost: $10 – $25
What you need:
- Magnetic compass (or use a free compass app).
- Map of the area.
How to do it:
- The first concept to learn is the cardinal directions (North, South, East, West). A mnemonic device like Never Eat Soggy Waffles (starting with North and going clockwise) can help them to remember. Start with teaching them the direction things in the house face, like the front door, the window in their room, etc.
- Lots of potential activities for this one. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Map your walk: Record your walk by the direction and distance you travel. It would look something like “90 steps North”, “50 steps Northwest”.
- Follow along: Buy a map of your local neighborhood or park and have your child follow the route as you go, looking for landmarks and keeping track of what direction you’re heading.
- Treasure Hunt: Create a simple treasure hunt by giving cardinal directions to landmarks (Walk North until you see the swing set; turn East and walk until you run into the parking lot, etc.) Maybe they’re finding their way home, or to a treasure you left somewhere.
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4. Audubon Bird Guide
What it is: A bird watching field guide that helps you to identify over 800 bird species. Search and filter by shape, region, and color. Includes 8 hours of high quality bird sounds.
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cost: Free (with smartphone)
What you need:
- Free Audubon Bird Guide (available on Android and iOS).
How to do it:
- Use it to identify birds while on a walk or at the park. Search for birds by regions and go on a bird hunt for local species.
- You can list and log sightings in the app to keep track of when and where you saw different types of birds.
5. Hanging a Hammock
What it is: Everyone loves hammocks. Finding the perfect hammock spot is fun and rewarding. Kids will probably need a good amount of help from adults to reach high hang spots (although climbing trees is always highly encouraged!). Use the Hammock Hang Calculator app to make things more scientific—and take the opportunity to teach various knots they could use to hang the hammock. An app like Knots 3D is fun and interactive. And once it’s done, you can read in the hammock, one of our very favorite kid-friendly outdoor adventures.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cost: ~$75 – $100 (hammock+app).
What you need:
- A hammock (preferably a highly pack able one like the ENO Singlenest).
- Two solid anchor points (trees, large rocks, poles, etc.). Make sure they’re strong!
- Hammock Hang Calculator ($1.99 for iOS).
- Knots 3D (Free, iOS and Android).
How to do it:
- Let your kids experiment with different placements. Finding the perfect anchor points that are a good distance apart can take a while. Have them use some knots from Knots 3D that they learned. When they finally get it right, hop in and relax!
- Use Hammock Hang Calculator to find out:
- How high to set your anchor points based on the size of your hammock and the distance between the points.
- Measure your hang angle.
- Learn how much tension and force are being applied to the anchor points, suspension lines, and hammock.
Ready for an epic adventure with kids? Check out: Planning a Backpacking Trip for the First Time.
6. PlantSnap
What it is: An app that uses visual recognition software to help identify plants, flowers, and trees. If your kids ever ask questions about plants, PlantSnap can help you answer, or better yet, let your kids discover on their own. This is one of our favorite independent, easy-to-use, kid-friendly outdoor apps.
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cost: $4
What you need:
- PlantSnap ($3.99 for iOS and Android)
How to do it:
- Find a plant, snap a picture, and satisfy your curiosity!
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7. Shelter Building
What it is: Using natural items like branches and leaves to build a shelter. Just like building a blanket fort at home, but outside! A great skill to know for wilderness survival but also just a fun way to let your kids creativity and imagination run wild.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cost: Free
What you need:
- Natural materials like branches, sticks, and leaves.
How to do it:
- If you want, practice building a small model at home first using twigs and leaves. You can build it for your kid’s favorite toy or stuffed animal.
- Now build one outside. You’ll need a forested area that has large branches, sticks, and leaves. Have your kid(s) experiment with different ways of creating a shelter.
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8. Night Sky App + Constellation Creation
What it is: An “augmented reality personal planetarium.” Night Sky allows you to easily identify planets, stars, satellites, and constellations. Learn about the night sky and read about constellation creation myths. Then have your kids create their own constellation and creation story using paper plates and a flashlight. One of the best low-energy and kid-friendly outdoor adventures, great for right before bed or during a camping trip!
Prep time: ~20 minutes
Cost: ~$5 – $15 (premium app features; paper plates; constellation book)
What you need:
- Night Sky app (Free or $1.99 per/month for premium)
- Paper plates
- Pen or pencils
- A flashlight or headlamp
How to do it:
- Download Night Sky and head outside to explore the stars. Have your kids see what stars and planets are visible and learn about the constellations.
- Read constellation myths or check out Child’s Introduction to The Night Sky.
- Have your kids create a constellation on a paper plate by drawing dots (think “connect the dots” drawings). They should come up with a story about how the constellation came to be.
- Poke holes in the paper plate where the “stars” of the constellation are.
- Find a dark room or area outside that has a blank wall.
- Shine a light close to the paper plate so that it shines through the holes, creating a “constellation” on the wall.
- Have your kid tell their constellation story!
Looking for that perfect gift? Check out: Outdoor Adventure Gift Buying Guide
9. Junior Cartographer
What it is: Encourage your child to imagine s/he is Magellan, exploring new lands and creating a map of what they find! Good spots include your local park, playground, or just your neighborhood. A great combination of active and creative skills, map-making is one of our favorite kid-friendly outdoor adventures.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cost: $10 (drawing materials)
What you need:
- Paper
- Pencils, markers, watercolors, or other drawing/coloring materials.
How to do it:
- Put on your best explorer outfit and head out to find unexplored lands!
- Walk around a predetermined area.
- Help your kid keep track of important landmarks and where they are in relation to each other.
- Start drawing a map of the area! Creating a map including a legend showing different types of objects like roads, paths, rivers, trees, and structures.
- For more ideas, check out these tips from National Geographic.
10. Collecting edible plants
What it is: Search your local parks and gardens for plants you can eat, make into tea, or use as spices. Many areas have naturally occurring edible plants, but make sure you can correctly identify them—using the wrong plant could be disastrous!
Prep time: ~20 minutes
Cost: Free – $12 (guidebook)
What you need:
- A guidebook like Edible Wild Plants
- An online resource like WikiHow
How to do it:
- Research your area and naturally occurring edible plants that might be near you.
- Go on a hunt for those plants! Make sure you’re allowed to harvest them before taking any.
- Cook/eat/steep, enjoy!
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11. Obstacle course building
What it is: Use whatever structures or items you have around your backyard, or use the local park, to create an obstacle course. Think American Ninja Warrior for kids (like this). Turn it into a competition if you like, or have your kid compete against their own best time.
Prep time: 15 – 60+ minutes
Cost: Free
What you need:
- Structures of any sort (play structures, trees, etc.)
- Random objects to create obstacle course challenges
How to do it:
- Find an open area with various structures (backyard, playground, or even an open field).
- Set up other obstacles using whatever objects you have on hand (for inspiration check out this article).
- Time each attempt and have them compete against their own time or against others!
