Fun outdoor activities to do with children in spring

With the weather finally turning a corner, spring is the best time to step away from screens and rediscover life beyond a Wi-Fi signal. In this blog, we explore a range of fun outdoor activities you can enjoy with your children, all within the comfort of your very own new build garden.

Why encourage outdoor play?

Currently, children in the UK are spending an average of over six hours a day staring at screens, and 1 in 4 parents say their children show little to no interest in going outdoors, yet the benefits of playing in the garden are like no other.

Time spent in the fresh air and being physically active is strongly linked with lower levels of stress and depression, while even a quick 15-minute burst outdoors can help reduce sluggishness and refocus the mind.

1. Grow your own veggie patch

Growing your own vegetables is a great way to teach your little ones where food comes from.

Not only does this hands-on activity encourage children to spend more time outdoors, it also teaches valuable life skills, from understanding how plants grow to learning patience.

Put them in charge of daily watering so they get to see the first green shoots pop up and realise they grew something themselves. For the best results, consider setting up a raised bed in a sunny spot, and start with easy-to-grow options like tomatoes, carrots, potatoes or lettuce. You can also turn it into a creative project by letting your children paint signs for the patch or decorate the boarders with bright colours.

2. Planting a family flower garden

If you’d rather have colour than carrots, why not add a flower garden and make it a family gardening tradition to head to the garden centre so everyone can pick a few of their own plants. This way, the garden becomes a collection of everyone’s favourites rather than just a chore to manage.

Plus, as children learn to dig and plant, they naturally pick up useful skills without even realising they are learning anything at all. And when they see the flowers they chose blooming in the sun, they’ll be much more likely to want to spend time in the garden.

Choose sun loving plants like sunflowers to encourage competition to see whose plant gets the tallest or choose pansies which are sturdy enough to handle enthusiastic watering from a toddler.

3. Paint your own garden gnomes

After spending time planting and caring for their vegetables and flowers, children may naturally want to feel like their hard work is being looked after. So why not introduce some DIY garden gnomes to keep watch? You can easily pick up plain gnomes from most craft shops or online stores, then just hand over some brushes and let them add a splash of colour.

Let your children paint and personalise them however they like, perhaps adding glitter and using outdoor-friendly paints so they don’t wash away in the first April shower that comes along.

4. Wildlife spotting adventure

A wildlife spotting scavenger hunt is a brilliant way to turn time in your new build garden into an exciting adventure. Create your own checklist of things for them to find, such as a bird’s nest, ladybird, squirrels, daffodils or a specific type of leaf.

Then hand over a list, a pen, and perhaps even a pair of binoculars or a camera and watch as they set off on their very own mini expedition. You can even add textures to the list, like something fuzzy or soft, and offer a small reward like an ice cream for a completed list to keep them motivated.

5. Create a garden canvas

One of our favourite and low-cost garden activities for children is to create a nature-inspired canvas. Give your children a plain canvas and some glue, then let them gather materials from your garden like fallen leaves, sticks, moss, and colourful petals.

Encourage them to paint the canvas blue first to make a sky, then glue the materials on to build a 3D scene of whatever they like or create a self-portrait, using grass for hair or even a bug hotel scene using small stones. It’s a fun, but sometimes messy, way to look at the garden differently.  

Make lasting memories in your Jelson garden

At Jelson Homes, our new build gardens are designed to be practical, usable spaces where the whole family can spend time together.

If you’re looking for a new home where you can really make the most of the outdoors, explore our new build developments in Leicestershire and the wider East Midlands region here.

FAQ: Outdoor activities with the kids

What are the easiest plants to grow if you have no gardening experience? 

If you’re looking for quick results, choose marigolds, lavender or sunflowers. These plants are resilient, fast-growing and forgiving of inconsistent watering or poor spoil.

How to keep children from getting bored outside? 

The trick is to give them a specific "mission" rather than just telling them to go out and play. If you give them a magnifying glass and a list of bugs to find, or a bucket and a task to collect the smoothest stones they can find, they may stay focused for much longer.

What garden visitors should you look out for in spring?  

Spring is a busy time for birds building nests and bees looking for their first meal of the year. You can hang a simple bird feeder near a window so the kids can watch the action from inside if it is a bit chilly.

How can you use the garden for a bit of quiet time?  

Outdoor activities don't always have to be about running around or digging. You can set up a "reading corner" by throwing a few old blankets and cushions under a shady tree or try “cloud spotting” to see who can find the best shape in the sky.