Little Robin Education: 6 Simple Outdoor Activities

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Hi, I’m Jenny from Little Robin Education. My background is a bit mixed, I have a biology PhD, and then became a secondary school biology teacher. I now stay at home with my two boys, aged 1 and 3, and run my creative business Little Robin Education from my front room! I specialise in nature education for young people, and make and sell nature flashcards designed to inspire a love of the outdoors in children.

I’m here on the Hygge in the Early Years blog to give you six simple outdoor activity ideas to do with preschoolers. Some of these activities require access to outdoor space, which I know isn’t easy for everyone at this time. I will suggest an inside version for each activity in case you’re isolating.

1. Egg box colour hunt

My three year old loves painting at the moment, but sometimes it’s a bit of a struggle to get him outside. I’m hoping it’s a phase! He did really enjoy this activity though, and I made sure it was child-led.

• Get your child to choose some paint colours for the inside of an egg carton
• Mix the colours up and paint – we had a good discussion about which colours you’d need to mix to get other colours
• Head outside and look for things to match to the colours!

 We had lots of fun and we have reused the carton a few times now, finding new flowers as more start to bloom in the garden.

Indoors version: Instead of heading outside to hunt for colour matching objects, why not look around your home for objects?

2. Daffodil prints

I have a three and a half year old and a one year old, and I like to find activities that they can both do. Potato printing is such fun for everyone (including me!). We had just picked some daffodils from our garden and I felt inspired to do some printing of them.

• Cut a potato in half
• Draw a little circle on one in pencil and a flower shape on the other
• Use a knife or apple corer to carve the shape out. It really doesn’t matter if it’s not perfect, somehow prints always come out looking great. This step is best done by an adult.

The boys enjoyed painting the potatoes and stamping them on the paper, you could even use the prints to make cards to send to loved ones.

Indoors version: You could look up a picture of a daffodil instead of picking them outside.

3. Soft toy rescue

My three year old is very into Paw Patrol at the moment, so this was a great way to get him outside and role playing his favourite pups!

• Simply put a soft toy (or any toy for that matter) somewhere high up
• Get your child to problem solve to get it down

 We used a range of methods, including using sticks, throwing balls, climbing up the slide, shaking the tree and jumping.
He had lots of fun and cried when we had to go inside for dinner (typical three year old!).

Indoors version: Put the toy up on a shelf, in a cupboard, on a curtain pole. There are plenty of hard to reach places indoors too! Just make sure your little one doesn’t cause any damage and ensure you are helping them with this task at all times!

4. Sink or float

This is a lovely little activity that keeps my three year old amused for at least half an hour.

• Fill up a bucket or bowl with water
• Get your children to find natural objects to throw in
• You can extend this activity for older kids by asking lots of questions. Do you think it will sink or float? Why is it floating/sinking? What do the floating things have in common?

 Indoors version: Use household objects instead of natural objects. You could play this in the sink or bath to reduce mess!

5. Obstacle course

Obstacle courses are so good for developing spatial awareness, balance skills and problem solving. So why not follow the steps below to make your own?
⁠

• Scout your garden for objects to use, these could be sticks, bricks, paving slabs, sturdy plant pots, pieces of cardboard, rocks, logs, rope, bikes, slides, garden chairs, buckets
• Ask your kids what order to put the obstacles, get them involved!⁠
• Get them to try it out, they’ll love to see you try it too. ⁠
• Rearrange it, time them, make some rules they have to follow... hours of fun!⁠

 Indoors version: Use sofa cushions, rugs, chairs, tables, pillows and beds in your obstacle course. As with any activity like this, it’s important to be on hand to help your child if they need it!

 6. Weave a hedgehog

I’d seen a few examples of weaving onto a square piece of cardboard bound with twine, but my little ones are animal lovers, so I had to come up with an animal themed version for them!

• Cut out a simple hedgehog shape from an old cardboard box
• Wrap twine around it and tie/sellotape at the back
• Head out to the garden to look for flowers, sticks and leaves to thread between the twine.

Indoors version: Make the hedgehog but cut strips of coloured paper for your child to thread through the twine.

So there you have it, six simple ways to entertain your little ones outside (or in!) during the lockdown. I hope you enjoyed this blog post, do follow me on Instagram @little.robin.education, Facebook and check out my blog and online shop on www.littlerobineducation.com

Join our Wanderlust Child Nature Study Programme here for £5 instead of £120