If there's one thing about toddlers and young kids—they sure are busy little people! That's why outdoor activities for kids that keep them occupied AND bring in the benefits of nature are valuable to any parent or caregiver. Here's a fun one you can do in any season.
A nature scavenger hunt for young kids gets little ones outside, exploring, and observing the wonderful world of nature. Plus, toddlers love finding things!
This activity takes just a small bit of planning on your part. But like most things, a little planning goes a long way! You're going to set up a "master key" of natural objects for your little one to find. It's important that the objects are readily available in the area you're doing your hunt in. You can add in one or two objects which might take some extra effort.
Here's what you'll need:
- Bucket
- Poster board
- Glue
Here's what you need to do:
First, go outside without your little one and gather up an assortment of natural objects. Think of small objects that your child can lift and handle but will not pose a choking hazard if they are very little and at the age when everything goes into the mouth.
Some natural objects you might find:
- leaves
- pinecones
- sticks
- flowers
- blades of grass
- bark
- acorns
- moss
Next, you can either glue each natural object to the poster board, writing its name underneath. You might need fairly strong glue such as gorilla glue or a glue gun.
Now that you have your master key set up, it's time to go outside with your little one. Show them the poster board or "master key." Explain what each object is, where it comes from, and its name.
Hand your little one a bucket and ask them to head out on their nature scavenger hunt. Show them the area they shoud search in. They should match everything on the board and keep it in the bucket. You can time them or just let them have fun on their own time.
Finally, celebrate your little naturalist's finds! They just learned about objects in nature, tuned into their local environment, and used some important observation skills!
Nature scavenger hunts come in all shapes and sizes! Check out an alternative way to lead a nature scavenger hunt for kids.
