We know how important play is for children (and adults), especially when we are all at home. Here are some suggestions for activities that provide a bit of fun, time well-spent together, and ideas to get moving about in your garden.

Find some of our activity sheets here.

Creative activities

• Enter our art competition

We challenge you to escape into nature for a while, through art and photos, and inspire us. Show us why you #LoveYourLakes, even from afar. Share your photos, drawings and paintings with us by tagging or emailing us. Be as creative as you like – maybe recreate your favourite memory at the lakes, or paint your favourite lake. 

• Create some nature art – see what lovely patterns you can make with leaves, sticks and stones
• Do some pebble painting
• Build a rock sculpture
• Make a leaf crown
• Make a nature mandala

Get active

• Cut out some different shapes on card and add different exercises onto each one - for example, 20 star jumps or 5 press ups. Each person takes it in turns to pick a card and do the exercises, until they’re all gone – make it as challenging or as easy as you like
• Climb a tree
• Play hide and seek
• Do a family scavenger hunt – create and decorate some card shapes around the house or garden, using a different colour for each person. See who can collect all of theirs the quickest.
• Build a nature hopscotch
• Build a den

Wonderful wildlife 

• Spot animals in your garden! Spring is when nature bursts into life all around us. Your garden might be humming and buzzing with wildlife – just take a look. Minibeast hunts are fun, or maybe birds are your favourite! Here are a few species to look out for in your garden –
  • White-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lucorum)
  • Small tortoiseshell butterfly (Aglais urticae)
  • Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)

There are some great animal and plant identification sheets created by The Wildlife Trusts – find them here. 

• Springtime bingo. Create some bingo cards, choosing things you will be able to find either around the house or the garden. The first person to find everything on the card and shout bingo wins! Find plenty of inspiration online if you need it.
• Look after nature on your doorstep and create a bug house
• Identify the trees and flowers in your garden
• Try grass whistling
• Make a daisy chain
• Make a mud pie
• Fly a kite
• Make a wish with dandelion blowing!
• Do some tree or leaf rubbings
• Become a bird watcher
• Identify butterflies
• Listen for an owl hoot
• How many different footprints can you find, and can you identify who they belong to?
• Plant seeds and start a vegetable garden

Look up

• Go stargazing
• Spot shapes in the clouds