Active Learning Strategies & Fun Outdoor Activities For Kids

The changing of the seasons each fall means incredible foliage, the return of snuggly sweaters, pumpkin-spiced everything, and best of all, an opportunity for children to spend time outside learning about all things Autumn!

Summer is here! The kids are out of school and you want to keep them busy, but where do you start? Our Summer Activity Roundup is full of ideas to keep your kids busy moving, learning, and exploring this summer.

With spring officially here, it’s the perfect time for families to get out and move. Before you know it, summer will be here with its busy schedules and long, sunny days. Make the most of the spring months by incorporating active learning into your schedule, with these fun outdoor active learning activities

We all need to think “safety” when it comes to dressing for winter activities – to keep us warm and dry and stay visible when it gets dark since there are fewer hours of daylight. Here are some simple tips to help keep you and your family safe while you’re outside having fun this winter.

Presented by Hannaford Snack Pals. Watch as April Byron, a nutritionist at Hannaford, walks you through how to combine different food groups to make a healthy snack!

One of the best tools to get your kids moving is music that inspires them to dance! In the classroom, at home, in the yard, on the trail, wherever – here is a great winter playlist to help you and your kids move, learn and explore.

This easy-to-make Vegetable Soup recipe is ripped straight from the pages of our Guide to Active Outdoor Learning for Pre-K, and is a great way to warm up when the weather is chilly! Let the kids do all the heavy lifting!

WinterKids is offering a virtual training to go alongside the WinterKids Preschool Guide to Outdoor Active Learning, aligned to Maine Early Learning Development Standards with 8 weeks of study that include active, outdoor lessons for preschoolers.

Download, print, and cut these 8 autumn fun puzzles for preschoolers. In addition to the benefits of working on a puzzle, these can be great for vocabulary development and may spark an interest in getting outside!

The seasons are changing, and Mother Nature is putting on a show, but you’ve got to get outside in order to see it! We’ve put together a fall playlist with 18 songs that will help inspire your kids to move, learn and explore! These songs are great for backyard play, dancing in the living room and more! Enjoy!

This “Blizzard Snack” is ripped straight from the pages of our Guide to Outdoor Active Learning, and is a great way to beat the heat with a healthy treat this summer! Let the kids do all the heavy lifting, and just make sure there’s an adult present to turn on the blender.

Looking for something new to liven up these long summer days? We’ve put together a summer playlist with 52 songs that will help inspire your kids to move, learn and explore! These songs are great for backyard play, dancing in the living room and more! Enjoy!

These fruit & veggie “sushi” roll-ups are fun to make, and even more fun to eat! Whether you have adventurous or picky eaters, this is a great way to get them to try a little something new, along with something already familiar. Making this healthy snack together is fun for the whole family!

Animal Action Cards are a fun and simple way to incorporate nature-based learning with movement. We’ve included 15 animals in this set of action cards – just a few of the many animals that you can find during spring in our Maine wetlands. We hope this activity also sparks an interest in exploring wetlands and learning more about these important habitats.

These banana popsicles are easy to make and require just three ingredients. They’re a fun, delicious, and healthy treat that kids of any age can make for themselves!

Winter may be over, but outdoor learning happens in all seasons. WinterKids has launched a virtual training to go alongside our Preschool Guide to Outdoor Active Learning (GOAL) and for a limited time, teachers can get both the training and the GOAL binder for FREE.

Print, laminate, and cut these 9 customizable spring recreation picture puzzles for preschoolers. In addition to the benefits of working on a puzzle, these can be great for vocabulary development and may spark an interest in getting outside!

Our WinterKids Spring Playlist includes music for moving, learning, and exploring throughout the spring season. This playlist is great for backyard play, dancing in the living room, road tripping, yoga, and more! Enjoy!

In this nature-based art activity, students will learn more about trees, then choose something they love about winter in Maine and illustrate it on their tree cookie! 

In this activity, students will conduct an experiment in order to find which solid melts the fastest: snow or ice. Many thanks to the 2nd Grade teachers at Helen Thompson School in West Gardiner, Maine for sharing this great activity guide during the 2020 WinterKids Winter Games!

In this activity, students make volcanoes with snow and a few other ingredients. While creating their volcanoes, they will explore the states of matter – including solids, liquids, and gasses! Thank you to the wonderful teams of teachers from: Glenburn Elementary in Glenburn, Maine, Bay Ridge Elementary in Cutler, Maine, and Dr. Levesque Elementary in Frenchville, Maine, that contributed to this activity during the 2020 WinterKids Winter Games!