These tips for a toddler safe nature walk will allow your child to explore the wonders of nature, without getting into trouble!

Everything in the list is safe if they happen to pop it in their mouths, and it’s a great outdoor activity to help your family enjoy some fresh air together!

If your kids are anything like mine then you are probably outside a lot. Seriously, I’m pretty sure this kid would live outside if I could stand it! 🙂

Since we are already going to be outside anyway, I wanted to make sure we had some educational and fun things to do!

Tips For A Toddler Safe Nature Walk

Now, we are already passed the “I need to put everything in my mouth” stage with our child, but just in case, I wanted to make sure that everything we were “hunting” for was going to be totally safe!

So here are all the fun items that I know are safe to encourage my son to find. Just grab a little bag and let your kids go to town on these objects!

Rocks

This one may be a little obvious, but rocks are every where! They might even get to dig in the dirt a little to retrieve a big one. Just make sure that any rocks they are playing with are larger than a golf ball, you don’t want them to choke!

Sticks

This is another obvious, but fun option! My sweet baby likes to use his like a sword already! And he’s only 18 months old! I mean, where do they learn this stuff? Oh yeah… their fathers 🙂

Leaves

Just make sure that they are picking up leaves from trees like oak, maple, or birch.

NOTE: These leaves can make you sick in large quantities, but they are not poisonous!

NOTE 2: Make sure that if you are in an area with snakes, you are checking leaf piles before letting your child reach into them… they might be hiding a not so fun surprise.

Acorns

These little treats are magical for kids! They can be turned into flour (yes really) and used in this amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe… or they can be used for all sorts of craft projects!

Pine Cones

Just like the acorns, pine cones are not only fun to find and pickup, they are great for crafts and decorating too!

Make sure you kill any bugs inside the pinecones before you bring them inside!

Things you Don’t Pick Up

Another great way to have a safe nature hunt is by finding things that you don’t need to pick up…

Animals

See if you can help your child spot a bird, a squirrel, a dog, or a cat. This may be a little difficult if you have a very young child, as they tend to have a hard time finding things in the distance, but keep at it!

Clouds

My husband and I actually do this all the time ourselves, and it’s so fun! Just grab a blanket, lay on your back with your kids, and check out the amazing patterns that you can see in the clouds!

With older kids you can ask them what they see. With younger kids you might be able to find shapes that they can recognize.

Adding Colors and Numbers

Another fun twist you can add to this nature hunt is to specify numbers and colors!

For example: Find 4 acorns or find a red leaf.

This is a great way to get more “bang for your buck” out of this experience! Plus, it just adds another layer of teaching opportunities.

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