In this list of our favorite educational outdoor activities for homeschool we breakdown our favorite activities with suggestions on how to take advantage of the natural learning opportunities they present.
Educational Outdoor Activities for Homeschool in the Warmer Months
Rollerskate
Rollerskating is a great way to build confidence because it forces you to use your core muscles for stabilization which ultimately leads to better posture. Skating can also be nice for apartment dwellers who don’t have a ton of storage space to keep larger pieces of outdoor equipment.
Bike Ride
We are a family of cyclists and I could dedicate an entire post to why we love bicycling around our city. We commute around NYC on our bright orange, RadPower e-bike that I endearingly think of as the minivan of e-bikes because of how solid it is.
Bicycling is as much a means of travel as it is a sport. I will never forget my son’s face the first time he realized he was riding on two wheels by himself. The pride and confidence he had in that moment was everything.
Cycling as a family gives you the opportunity to teach kids about geography, mapping skills and character building. When I’m biking with my son I let him take the lead and direct me as to how to get home. While stopped at a cross street I’ll ask my son questions like: what is this street called?, do we go left or right here?, are we going North or South?, what landmarks do you recognize?
When teaching kids to bicycle on shared trails or on the roads teaching bicycle safety is critical and you can build that into character development. Things like alerting a fellow cyclist when you’re about to pass, how to safely maneuver around car or pedestrian traffic, going slow near pedestrians so you don’t hit anyone, and stopping to help other cyclists when you see someone who might need help. If you’re new to cycling I strongly recommend taking a bicycle safety class or an intro to cycling class as a family. It can be a great way to make sure everyone stays safe on the road together.
Play catch or Frisbee
Playing catch or Frisbee is one of the simplest educational outdoor activities for homeschool that you can do. It gets kids moving and helps them develop motor skills which have been linked to stronger performance in mathematics. Here’s a great article that goes into more detail on the link between playing catch, more skills, and mathematics.
Go for a run together, race, or do stairs
The park near our home is built on a hill and one option to get to the top of the hill is several large sets of. stairs. My son and I will often race each other up the stairs or run around together in one of the fields nearby.
I’ve also found the stairs very useful in teaching my son how to count by 2’s and 5’s. As he goes up the stairs he counts every second or fifth stair out loud. He’s a kinetic learner and being able to count his physical steps has helped make this concept stick.
Playground
Letting kids play freely on the playground is important for motor skills and social skills. They learn to take risks in a safe, controlled environment. Playgrounds can also be a great space for developing social skills and making new friends.
Swim
Swimming is an essential life skill that every child should learn. Drowning is a leading cause of death among kids. The earlier you start with swim lessons the better. As a form of exercise swimming is great for the heart and lungs, easy on the joints, and can increase stamina and flexibility.
Yoga
Whether you do yoga with your kid at home, in the park, or in a class yoga is a great way to build strength, flexibility, and bodily awareness. A core part of yoga is mindfulness. Being able to stay present and focused is a skill that is rapidly declining as kids spend more and more time looking at screens. Teaching yoga as a meditative practice can counter some of the negative effects of all that screen time.
To get started here’s a list of kid’s yoga channels on YouTube that we recommend:
Go With Yoyo—Fitness Fun for Kids
Scavenger hunt
There are so many blogs posts, printables and other free resources on how to do a nature based scavenger hunt with kids. Here and here are two great resources to get you started. If you search online you will find many more. A scavenger hunt can be both a fun and educational outdoor activity for homeschool kids.
Picnic
We love picnics and we do them often and everywhere. One of the best things about living in NYC are all the public parks and green spaces. And we take full advantage.
Spontaneous picnics are always okay. If you do decide to plan ahead, get the kids involved in planning the menu and helping to pack. My son and I love to make a spread of finger foods or sometimes pop into a local deli for takeout bagels. I also like to bring books, art supplies, or other academic materials and do some of our homeschool work outside when the weather is nice.
Educational Outdoor Activities for Homeschool in the Colder Months
Ice Skating
Ice skating is a challenging sport that can teach kids endurance, flexibility, and what it means to achieve something difficult. It’s a sport that forces you to focus and endure in order to see the benefits. And focus and endurance are life lessons that kids can carry with them as they grow and face other challenges. Here’s a great article on why kids should learn to ice skate that goes into more detail on the many benefits of this sport.
Sledding
Sledding is just fun. Sure it’s also a great way to get outside on cold, wintery days and burn some energy. But who doesn’t love sledding down a big hill covered in fresh powder?
Snow Shoveling
Snow shoveling isn’t exactly a sport but it does burn energy, teach endurance, and give kids some responsibility.
Build a Snowman
This is one of the activities my son always look forward to as we wait for the first big snow of the season. Building a snowman can be collaborative or competitive and it’s always creative.
Creative Outdoor Activities for Homeschool
Chalk
We love chalk and keep a bucket of it by the front door. Chalk is easy to grab and go when you want to take learning outside. You can do math either by writing out arithmetic on the pavement or by setting up games like hop-scotch to practice counting by 1’s, 2’s, etc. Here’s a great article with more ideas to do chalk based math games.
Nature walk and Journal
Nature walks and journaling is an important part of our homeschool routine and science curriculum. As part of my son’s science curriculum we use this Nature Connection book. Typically we’ll bring the book, my son’s nature journal (simple notebook), and his art bag which has glue, colored pencils and scissors.
As part of our morning basket my son keeps a a daily record of observations. I encourage him to sketch the cloud patterns, color his drawing to capture the color of the sky, and note any signs of the changing seasons. We also take this time to write down the day of the week and the month.
Photoshoot
While you can use your phone’s camera, I prefer to do this activity with an actual camera that my son can walk around with and I don’t have to worry about. I have an old digital camera that we use for photo shoots. We’ll bring the camera and take pictures on our nature walks or day trips. Then when we get home we print the pictures and glue them into my son’s daily activity journal.
Since I know nothing about photography, when my son showed a strong interest I turned to the internet. Here’s a great list of photography books, both instructional and inspirational, to help your budding photographer refine their talent.
Build a bird feeder and hang it outside
We stealthily hang bird feeders on the trees on our city block since we don’t have a yard. It’s so much fun to walk down the street and see birds snacking on the feeders we put up for them. Here and here are two great instructions sets on how to make bird feeders.
Day Trips and Extended Outdoor Time
This section focuses on educational outdoor activities for homeschool that are longer trips or that involve a bit more planning.
Volunteer on a farm, go WOOOF, or pick-your-own
I am a huge fan of programs like WOOOF and Workaway. We wrote an in-depth article on how to do a work exchange with kids to get an idea of logistics and help you make a realistic plan for your family.
My best advice is to start small. Start by volunteering once a week or month on a local farm where you can slowly get comfortable and build relationships. Doing a work exchange can be an incredibly rewarding experience for the whole family. Take the time to plan it well and talk through details with your hosts to ensure the experience lives up to your expectations.
Camping
As a single parent who has done several camping trips with just my son and me, starting when he was a toddler, I know firsthand that camping takes planning. The more you camp the easier it gets.
Just as with WWOOFing, I recommend you start small. Start with one night away somewhere nearby or even in your own backyard. To get my son comfortable with camping when he was little I would set the tent up in our backyard and we’d do movie nights in the tent.
Foraging
Foraging is a great skill to have and can teach kids to be resourceful. Obviously the most important thing with foraging is not to poison yourself by eating something you shouldn’t. I have an app on my phone that I always use to double check plants before we pick them. The app connects to the camera on my phone and identifies the plant based on a picture. I love using this app and have used it successfully across the U.S.
The app I use is Seek by INaturalist. I’ve been using it regularly for about two years and have never eaten something that made me sick. For more options here’s an entire list of apps that will help you safely forage.
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