One of my favourite things about spending time with my son outdoors is its calming effect on him—and me! Here are 10 outdoor activities that can be calming for children.
Spending too much time indoors can affect children’s ability to regulate their emotional responses to stress. We all need an outlet for our energy, especially children. Here are 10 outdoor activities to calm children. Spending time with children outdoors can have a calming effect on them and you.
Get kids outdoors!
A straightforward and effective way to improve emotional regulation skills is simply by going outside together. Outdoor activities can be incredibly calming. So many positives come from being in nature and engaging with it. It can calm even the most restless children. Outside provides space for them to run, play, and take risks in a safe environment.
What are the benefits of getting outdoors with children?
- Outdoor activities are a great way to release built-up energy healthily.
- Time outdoors raises Vitamin D levels, proven to help reduce depression and anxiety.
- Symptoms of ADHD have been shown to improve for many children after spending time in nature.
- It offers time away from busy routines and everyday life, which can be very calming for children.
Outdoor activities to calm children
1. Go for a nature walk
Walking through nature is the easiest way to enjoy an outdoor activity together. You can do this in virtually any space. We love to visit local parks and try out different trails. Take a nature hunt checklist with you. Or take a bag and collect interesting bits of nature, such as leaves, twigs, and pinecones.
2. Paint rocks
Painting rocks is a brilliant way to be mindful with children and create something beautiful from nature. Children love collecting rocks of different shapes and sizes, so it’s fun to use their natural curiosity to hunt down some unique rocks, take them home and paint them together. We love painting different characters on each rock and making stories from the stones.
This is a great way to use all of that fantastic childhood imagination! You can go one step further and hide them in a local area for others to find on their nature adventures.
3. Make shadow art
We love this shadow art activity because it is a simple way for your child to improve their focus, which can then lower their anxiety. You only need paper, a pencil or crayon, toy figures (we find animals and dinosaurs work well), and a sunny day!
4. Sort nature into colours
Another really easy activity is to spend time outside with your child gathering leaves and flowers and sorting them into different colour groups.
This is also a fun way to create nature collages. All you need is glue and paper. See what you can create together!
5. Stargaze
Stargazing is one of our favourite outdoor activities for calming children and connecting with them. You can have meaningful conversations while spotting the stars. These moments of calm and mindfulness teach skills to last a lifetime.
You can download great free apps online that name and explain the stars, planets, and constellations you are looking at. These are fantastic tools for further learning and something we love to use, especially on camping trips.
You can now get some fantastic value telescopes for under £100, which will allow you and your children to view stars, planets and the moon in much more detail.
6. Have a campfire
Practically, campfires teach fire safety and fire-lighting skills and offer a calming space using the natural environment.
This is a great therapeutic tool as you are creating a welcoming, cosy, and safe setting for children to express themselves and connect with the people around them. They are a lovely way to spend time as a family, be open with each other, tell a story or two, and toast marshmallows.
Learn about the best wood to use on a fire pit here.
7. Make a mess in a mud kitchen
Mud kitchens are brilliant tools for guiding imaginative play. Children can experiment with ideas and stories and explore different textures and consistencies freely.
Playing in the mud and dirt and taking part in an activity they wouldn’t normally do can be very therapeutic and calming for children. You can buy these already made or get crafty and make your own from recycled materials.
8. Cook outdoors together
Using fire children have made themselves, preparing and cooking the food they will eat is calming and very satisfying for children.
They can discover the wonders of food changing their state through preparation and heat and feel the satisfaction of eating food they’ve worked to make. Cooking is a relaxing way to spend time together.
9. Try gardening together
Gardening is perfect for our mental health. Giving children the opportunity to learn how to grow and care for plants is a great way to provide them with responsibility.
It’s a great way to be in the moment; it will help them feel calm and grounded.
10. Our personal favourite, head to the beach!
We are so lucky to live close to the beach; whenever things get a little too much, we grab a bucket and a spade and head to the beach to rock pool, play, paddle, and watch the sunset.
In the Winter, we wrap up and take in the sea air. It’s hard not to feel calm and at peace at the beach, but we find that the change in scenery works wonders for children to feel calmer.
Hopefully, this article has given you a few ideas and a lot of inspiration! In the comments, let us know your favourite outdoor activities to calm children. We love to hear from you.
