As the weather gets warmer, it’s great fun to combine outdoor activities with creativity! Use these fun nature-based activities to encourage your little artist while having fun in the sun.
These ideas also can be used when time is short. Use your outdoor time to gather supplies from nature. Back at home, get your kiddo engaged in an art project, leaving you free to stay on schedule with your grown-up responsibilities
Nature Collage
My first suggestion is to make a nature collage. You and your little one can go on a walk with your handy dandy grocery sack. Walk through a local park or nature reserve and gather all types of flowers, leaves, twigs, blades of grass, pieces of bark, anything that would be easy to glue down.
This is a great chance to also name the items your child is gravitating toward. Discuss the texture or the color. If your schedule is tight, just take those items home to create the collage.
Or, with more time, find a nice bench or picnic table to work at. Just bring along some construction paper and glue to the park.
You might need to help your little one glue down the items. You can also try putting glueon the paperfirst and having your little one add the items.
Nature Bracelets
A similar idea also happens to be my favorite outdoor activity: Nature bracelets. I find that this activity is one kiddos really gravitate towards because it creates wearable art. Little ones LOVE to show off their latest project.
For this activity, you can use masking tape or clear packing tape. We love cheap and simple activities!
Before setting off on a walk, just wrap the masking tape, sticky side out, around your little one’s wrist. Then, as you walk together, pick flowers, leaves, weeds, even dirt if that’s what they want, and stick it to the tape. Eventually when all of the tape is covered, your kiddo has a brand new fancy bracelet to show off the whole way home.
If they don’t want to be done yet, do another! You can wrap tape around their other wrist or even go for making an anklet. Or you can put tape on your own wrist so they can make one for you!
Mud Painting
This is a fun but messy activity best completed outside. If your kiddo has an easel for painting, it would come in handy here! Together the two of you can dig up some dirt. Your little one can practice getting the dirt into their little hand shovel and depositing it into abowl or bucket. From there, just add water!
Kiddo can mix the dirt and water to create “paint.” From there, it’s all them! Sit back and enjoy watching your little artist come to life.
Another fun addition would be to have a few flowers or blades of grass that they can stick into the mud on the paper for an extra cool effect. Warning, Kiddo will probably need a bath after this activity.
A Mixed-Up Classic
A classic suggestion for outdoor artistic activities is, of course, sidewalk chalk. No matter the age, chalk can keep a little one engaged. However, you can mix it up a little bit and keep things interesting: Try making paint with the chalk!
Crush up the chalk in a bowl or bucket and add water to create chalk paint. Your kiddo can use a brush or fingers to apply the paint to the sidewalk.
Don’t Stress!
Getting outside and keeping our babies entertained can feel like a lot of pressure. I hope these suggestions take a little bit of weight off and that you and your kiddo are able to enjoy some sunshine together.
Sophie Hamel is a freelance writer and works as a crisis responder. Her son is three years old.
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