Exploring Nature Through Sight: 5 Visual Activities for Kids

Updated for 2025: Spring Sensory Celebration This year, we’re reintroducing Exploring Nature with Your Senses: Hearing as part of our Spring Sensory Celebration! Throughout the season, we invite families to explore the outdoors using all five senses—starting with sound. Nature is full of melodies, rhythms, and whispers waiting to be heard. Whether it’s the chirp of a bird, the rustle of the wind, or the splash of raindrops, each sound deepens our connection to the world around us. So, let’s slow down, listen closely, and experience the wonders of nature through sound. Exploring Nature Through Hearing Listening to nature can ease the stresses of daily life and help us feel more connected to the outdoors. From the calls of birds to the rustling of wind on a blustery day, the buzzing of cicadas, or the rush of water after a rainstorm—nature is alive with sound. Even in urban settings, if you take a moment to pause, you’ll notice the subtle sounds of nature all around you. So, step outside with your children and explore the soundscape of the natural world together! While wandering through nature, we use our senses to take in our surroundings. We smell flowers, touch tree bark, listen to bird calls, see details (like an ant trail on a tree), and even taste some of the natural objects we encounter (think berries or edible flowers). While investigating nature in this way comes naturally to most children, sometimes we forget to allow them the time and space they need to do it. We share five different ways to explore each of the five senses with your children! So get outside as a family, slow down, and explore nature with your senses together! Photo Credit: Ashley Schneider Five ways to slow down and experience sounds in nature together: Find five sounds. Find a comfy spot, or at least a spot free of sharp rocks and pokey plants, and lie down. Close your eyes and put a fist in the air. Now listen carefully to the nature around you and put a finger up each time you hear a new nature sound. Once all five figures are raised, sit up, wait for everyone else to finish, and then share what you heard.   Listen to bird calls. Listen to the birds around you as you sit for a picnic or hike a favorite trail. If you want, spend time trying to match the bird calls to the bird, or try to count the number of different birds you hear. There is no wrong way to listen to the sounds of birds, even if it is just listening to them and nothing more.   Hear your footsteps. As you walk through nature, listen to the sounds of your footsteps. Do you hear the crackle of dried fall leaves, the snapping of twigs, the splashing of water, or the crunch of snow? There is a different sound for every season or ground cover—and the sounds even change depending on your footwear.   Listen like an animal. Find a quiet place in nature where you won’t be disturbed. Close your eyes and pretend you are an animal listening for survival. Are you a prey animal (rabbit, squirrel, deer) listening for danger? Are you a predator animal (fox, wolf, owl) listening for movement? What do you hear? A human talking? A squirrel chattering? A dog barking? How would your animal react to those sounds? This is a great way to teach kids about how animals use sound in their daily lives. What’s That Sound? For this game, gather some common nature objects—sticks, dried leaves, rocks, sand, water, acorns, pinecones, etc. Please place them in a box or behind your back where your children can’t see them. Can they guess what made the sound? Have your kids close their eyes (or wear a blindfold), then make a noise with one of the objects: Tap two rocks together Crinkle fall leaves Shake a few acorns in your hand Rub two pinecones together This game helps kids develop active listening skills and increases their awareness of the sounds around them. Keep Exploring! Want to engage even more senses? Check out our other posts on exploring nature through smell, taste, touch, and sight!  📢 Join the Spring Sensory Celebration! We’d love to see how your family is exploring nature through sound. Share your outdoor sound adventures using #SpringSensory and tag @WeAreOutGrown! About OutGrown OutGrown is a national nonprofit working to ensure that every family, especially those with babies and young children, can experience the benefits of time outside. Since our grassroots beginning in 2013, we have supported more than 300,000 families with the help of thousands of volunteers across the country. We believe nature belongs to all of us from the very beginning. That means creating opportunities, removing barriers, and supporting families in finding their way outdoors, whether that starts with a stroller walk, a community outing, or a quiet moment under the sky. You can learn more and explore our programs at WeAreOutGrown.org. Editor’s Note Thank you for reading. At OutGrown, we believe content should offer more than information. It should create a connection, support real-life caregiving, and reflect how families grow together through nature. Everything we share is made with care by our team and volunteer community. If this piece inspired you or helped you feel more confident in your outdoor journey, we invite you to support our work by donating today. Your contributions help us keep resources free and accessible to all families. Please remember that the experiences and tips shared in this article are for general information only. They are not a substitute for professional medical, mental health, or safety advice. Always consult with a qualified provider if you have specific concerns or questions. We are glad you are here. We are growing something meaningful together  

Updated for 2025: Spring Sensory Celebration As we step into a new season, we’re refreshing this post with new insights and activities for our Spring Sensory Celebration! This annual initiative encourages families to slow down and experience nature with all five senses. Whether you’re a longtime follower of OutGrown or discovering us for the first time, we hope these ideas inspire fresh ways to explore the outdoors with your little ones. While wandering through nature, we take in our surroundings using our senses. We smell flowers, touch tree bark, listen to bird calls, see details (like an ant trail on a tree), and even taste some of the natural objects we come across (think berries or edible flowers). And, while investigating nature in this way comes naturally to most children, sometimes we forget to allow children the time and space they need to do it. As part of OutGrown’s Spring Sensory Celebration, we’re sharing simple, engaging ways to activate each of the five senses outdoors with young children. Photo Credit: Michelle Pearl Gee Exploring Nature by Touch Touch is one of our most immediate ways of experiencing the world. Every moment outside offers a chance to notice new textures and sensations, from the sun's warmth to the rough bark of a tree under our fingertips. Though we take almost all of our touch sensations for granted and do not think much about them, one minute outside can feel like this: You touch the doorknob to let yourself outside and immediately feel the warm air and a slight breeze on your skin. You step outside, and your bare feet feel the warm cement ground. You walk toward your front yard and brush your arm up against a bush. You touch some flowers right before your feet touch the cooler grass. You take a moment to relish the feeling of the grass before you sit down and feel the soft ground under your body and maybe a slight itchy feeling on your legs. We often take these sensations for granted, but when we slow down and focus, we can turn everyday outdoor moments into a mindful, sensory-rich experience. But, if we slow down outside, practice a little mindfulness, and think about each feeling as it touches our body, it can shift any outdoor experiences greatly. Five ways to slow down and experience the sense of touch in nature: Create a touch box. A touch box is a fun, hands-on guessing game that helps kids explore nature through feel alone. Gather natural objects, such as pinecones, feathers, and smooth stones, place them in a box, and have kids guess each item by touch. You gather some simple natural items and put them inside a box. Don’t let your children see what is in the box and have them guess what nature item it is based on touch alone. You can put one item in at a time (good for younger children) or all at once to make it more challenging. Walk barefoot in nature. Our feet are packed with nerve endings, making them perfect for sensory exploration. Walk barefoot on grass, sand, or dirt, noticing how each surface feels differently. When you intentionally think about each sensation your feet feel, the whole experience of walking barefoot shifts just a bit. Find different textures in nature. Try a texture scavenger hunt! Challenge kids to find something rough, smooth, soft, bumpy, cool, or warm. You can also just have the ideas in your head and have the kids search for one at a time while you meander your favorite trail. Some examples of easy-to-find nature textures are rough, smooth, cold, warm, wet, dry, hard, soft, etc. Hug a tree. Tree-hugging isn’t just for fun; it’s a great way to explore texture and size. Notice whether the bark is rough or smooth, warm or cool, thick or thin.. Are you able to wrap your hands all the way around? Is the bark rough or smooth? Count the skin sensations. Pause for a minute and count all the sensations on your skin, the breeze, the sun, and the feeling of the ground beneath you. You’ll be amazed at how much you notice when you focus! The wind on your skin, the sun's warmth, the feeling of the ground under your body, the fly that landed on your leg, and so much more. It is hard to focus on only the sense of touch, but how many different things our skin can feel in just one minute is fantastic. Ready to explore more? Join our Spring Sensory Celebration! Share your sensory nature experiences with us using #SpringSensory, and check out our other posts on hearing, taste, smell, and sight for more ways to engage with nature.   About OutGrown OutGrown is a national nonprofit working to ensure that every family, especially those with babies and young children, can experience the benefits of time outside. Since our grassroots beginning in 2013, we have supported more than 300,000 families with the help of thousands of volunteers across the country. We believe nature belongs to all of us from the very beginning. That means creating opportunities, removing barriers, and supporting families in finding their way outdoors, whether that starts with a stroller walk, a community outing, or a quiet moment under the sky. You can learn more and explore our programs at WeAreOutGrown.org. Editor’s Note Thank you for reading. At OutGrown, we believe content should offer more than information. It should create a connection, support real-life caregiving, and reflect how families grow together through nature. Everything we share is made with care by our team and volunteer community. If this piece inspired you or helped you feel more confident in your outdoor journey, we invite you to support our work by donating today. Your contributions help us keep resources free and accessible to all families. Please remember that the experiences and tips shared in this article are for general information only. They are not a substitute for professional medical, mental health, or safety advice. Always consult with a qualified provider if you have specific concerns or questions. We are glad you are here. We are growing something meaningful together.