8 Outdoor Family Activities on a Budget

Children are naturally curious and love doing activities. We’ve probably all experienced a child that has a mountain of gifts but then plays all day with the packaging. And why not? Children learn through play. I’ve found that a great way to engage children is to engage them in simple yet enjoyable outdoor family activities.

Social media can lead us to believe that a perfect day out is unachievable. It really isn’t. In fact I don’t believe in the word perfect. It creates an image of what something “should” look like and if anything falls short it’s considered a failure. I’d rather think of days as opportunities to count memories. If one of those memories is me slipping in some mud and getting dirty. I’m fine with that as long as we all laughed and enjoyed the time together.

Here are a few activities to do with the kids when you just want to get out the house and have fun.

Nature Trail

I do tend to plan ahead a little. Choose a suitable area where there might be suitable plants and animals to excite the kids. If there will be ducks I might take a bag of seed so the kids can feed them. I have a set of clipboards in my backpack and I print a nature trail sheet for the kids. Give them a pencil and they try to find what they can. For my kids it’s the excitement of holding a clipboard. They feel very professional and it captures their interest. The great thing is, they can be used time and time again with a fresh printable each time. Why not check out my printable nature trails.

Cloud Spotting

You don’t have to go far for this. If you have mobility issues or are isolating you can sit on your balcony or on your lawn. If you are on a day out it can be a good activity to do to slow down the pace of the day and have a rest. Cloud Spotting can be as simple as what shapes do you see. If you want to up the ante, learning different cloud types and naming then can also be fun. You never know, your little one might be a weather enthusiast.

Picnic at the park

Picnics are a fun way to get healthy food into the kids whilst giving them a chance to play. You may run the risk of an ice cream van turning up though so be prepared with some cash. My local park has a football pitch next to it. I sometimes pack a ball into my bag, but I’ve also got a compact kite too so the kids have a varied experience when we go to the park. I also have a tradition of “park drinks”. These are Capri-sun pouches (Amazon link). I can’t afford for the kids to drink them all the time. My kids know that they can only drink them on outings. They only get one and then it’s their water bottle. It just makes the time a little more special.

Bike Ride

I am extremely fortunate to live in an area with lots of countryside and bike trails. They are often family friendly and wide enough to accommodate slow riders and walkers. The expense here is the bike. If you’ve got one it’s a nice cheap day out and builds in some great exercise. Remember to stay safe and wear safety equipment such as a well fitted helmet.

Walking

Little legs can get very tired very quickly. You could set a challenge to walk so many steps but I find having a goal works better. I can’t walk too far with my little ones. So I create milestones for them.e.g we are going to play around the “big tree” or the “rope swings”. Knowing there is something fun at the end helps. Especially if you are trying to avoid complaints. Although if you do get tired, draw their attention to something in the footpath edge, such as a pretty flower or interesting mushroom. To the child it’s another adventure, but it also provides a rest break. We all need to slow down sometimes. This is an outdoor family activity that can be enjoyed at any time of the year. It is a personal favourite of mine.

Geocaching

It is possible to Geocache for free, but there are a limited number of Caches available on the free version. The wonders of geocaching deserves a post all by itself. Searching for land treasure can be so much fun. For little ones try to plan a walk with some medium sized Caches as there are usually more items inside rather than the micros which are just a log. Always take a pencil to sign your name too. If this is something you’re interested in you can download the app for free and see if it’s something you want to incorporate into your weekend activities.

Gardening

This is a passion to be nurtured in children. Some, children like planting seeds. Others enjoy the watering. My daughter in particular likes the harvesting, so I need to stop her from digging up any plant as soon as it shows green above ground. Harvesting is very rewarding though. I like to plant salad crops which can be harvested throughout summer. It promotes healthy eating and gives enough excitement until the bigger crops are ready.

Build a Bug Den

You’ve probably seen bee and bug hotels in garden centres. It’s a good thing to be encouraging invertebrates as they bring birds and other species into your garden and local area. You don’t need to spend a fortune though. You can build a Bug Den with some logs, layered with branches and smaller twigs on top. The idea is to create pockets of different sizes. Insects are very particular about the size of the holes they tend to nest in. Having a bit of variety in your bug den will make a difference. You can place this at the side of your garden. Afterwards, enjoy a drink and watch to see if you can see any bees or other insects going in to make a home.

Suggest Some Outdoors Family Activities

I’d love to hear from any readers who have other fun filled ideas that they do with their kids. It really is great to share. Subscribe to my newsletter for updates and promotions on my products.