Forest School Summer Activities: A Full Day of Outdoor Learning & Nature Play

Forest School Resources for a Summer of Adventure

Looking for forest school summer activities that will keep your child active, engaged, and learning throughout the holidays?

Summer offers the perfect opportunity to swap screens for sunshine and discover the incredible learning opportunities that exist right outside your door. Whether you're heading to your local woodland, spending time in the garden, visiting a park, or creating your own mini forest school at home, outdoor play encourages curiosity, confidence, creativity, and wellbeing.

At Learning SPACE, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to learn through play. For children with autism, ADHD, sensory processing differences, or additional needs, nature provides a calm, flexible environment where learning happens naturally through exploration and discovery.

In this guide, we've planned a full day of forest school-inspired activities that parents can enjoy during the summer holidays. Along the way, we'll also highlight useful forest school resources that make outdoor learning even more enjoyable.

Plum Surfside Sand & Water Table

Why Forest School Activities Are So Beneficial

Forest School isn't simply about playing outdoors - it's an educational approach that encourages children to develop confidence, resilience, independence, communication skills, and problem-solving through child-led exploration.

Outdoor learning also supports:

• Physical development
• Emotional wellbeing
• Sensory regulation
• Creativity
• Language development
• Social skills
• Confidence and resilience
• Gross and fine motor skills

For neurodivergent children, spending time in nature can also help reduce sensory overload while providing opportunities for movement, exploration, and self-regulation.

Start the Day with Outdoor Story Time

Every great adventure starts with a story.

Choose your child's favourite picture book and take it outside. Whether you're sitting beneath a tree, in a garden den, or on a picnic blanket, reading outdoors instantly creates a different learning experience.

Once you've finished reading, encourage your child to become part of the story.

Ask questions like:

• Can you build the character's home?
• Can you find objects from the story?
• What sounds can you hear?
• Can you act out your favourite scene?

Taking stories beyond the classroom helps children strengthen comprehension, communication, imagination, and confidence while making reading feel exciting.

Tree Hugger Benches

Nature Treasure Hunt

One of the easiest forest school activities requires almost no preparation.

Create a simple nature checklist and encourage children to find:

• A feather
• A smooth stone
• Different shaped leaves
• Pinecones
• Flowers
• Tree bark
• Something soft
• Something rough
• Something that smells nice

This activity encourages observation, language development, and early science skills while keeping children active.

For younger children or children with additional needs, visual checklists can make the activity even more accessible.

Cool Down with Sensory Messy Play

Summer is the perfect time for messy play outdoors.

Children naturally explore through their senses, and outdoor messy play allows them to experiment freely without worrying about the mess indoors.

Try creating:

• Mud kitchens
• Water play stations
• Sand and water mixing
• Nature soup

Sensory play helps develop:

• Fine motor skills
• Creativity
• Language
• Emotional regulation

For many autistic children, messy play can also provide calming sensory experiences when introduced at their own pace.

Plum Discovery Forest Water Run

Learn About the Seasons Through Nature

Although it's summer, every outdoor adventure offers opportunities to learn about seasonal change.

Talk about:

• Why leaves are green
• Different insects you can spot
• Summer flowers
• Birds and their habitats
• Weather patterns
• Plant life cycles

Collect natural objects and create seasonal displays when you get home.

This encourages curiosity while introducing early STEM learning in a fun and meaningful way.

Physical Play That Builds Confidence

Forest school activities naturally encourage movement.

Rather than organised sports, children develop physical skills through exploration.

Try activities such as:

• Log balancing
• Obstacle courses
• Nature climbing
• Carrying natural materials
• Wheelbarrow races
• Nature yoga

These activities support:

• Gross motor development
• Balance
• Coordination
• Core strength
• Spatial awareness
• Confidence

Children often don't even realise they're developing important physical skills because they're simply having fun.

Build a Nature Den

One of the most popular forest school activities is den building.

Using sticks, branches, leaves, blankets, or tarpaulins, children can work together to create their own outdoor hideaway.

Den building develops:

• Teamwork
• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Creativity
• Engineering skills
• Perseverance

Once complete, the den becomes the perfect place for reading, relaxing, or enjoying lunch.

Enjoy a Calm, Shaded Quiet Time

After an active morning, children often benefit from a period of calm.

Find a shaded space beneath a tree or canopy and encourage quiet activities like:

• Drawing nature
• Listening to birds
• Mindful breathing
• Looking at clouds
• Reading books
• Nature journaling

These peaceful moments help children regulate before moving on to more active play again.

For children with sensory needs, having access to a quiet retreat can make outdoor adventures far more enjoyable.

Classic Rafiki Outdoor Archway Den

Get Creative With Crafts

Nature provides endless craft materials.

Collect fallen treasures to create:

• Leaf crowns
• Nature bracelets
• Stick picture frames
• Pebble art
• Nature collages
• Leaf printing
• Woodland animals

These activities encourage creativity while strengthening fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Outdoor Learning Through Play

Some of the best learning happens when children don't even realise they're learning.

Outdoor play naturally develops:

• Maths through counting leaves and stones
• Science through observing wildlife
• Literacy through storytelling
• Communication through imaginative play
• Art through nature crafts
• Geography through exploring habitats

Forest school encourages children to ask questions, investigate, and discover answers independently.

Keep Outdoor Resources Organised

Having the right outdoor storage makes spontaneous outdoor learning much easier.

Store frequently used items together, including:

• Magnifying glasses
• Nature journals
• Buckets
• Water toys
• Gardening tools
• Bug viewers
• Outdoor games
• Messy play equipment

Easy access means children are more likely to choose outdoor play independently throughout the summer.

Outdoor Rainbow House

Forest School Supports Every Child

One of the greatest strengths of forest school is that every child can participate in their own way.

Children with autism, ADHD, sensory processing differences, or additional learning needs often thrive in outdoor environments because nature offers freedom, flexibility, movement, and fewer pressures than structured indoor settings.

There is no single "right" way to explore nature.

Some children may enjoy climbing and running.

Others may prefer quietly collecting leaves, watching insects, or simply listening to birdsong.

Every experience is valuable.

Make This Summer One to Remember

The summer holidays provide the perfect opportunity to slow down, spend time together, and rediscover the joy of learning through nature.

You don't need a woodland on your doorstep to enjoy forest school-inspired activities. A local park, your garden, or even a small outdoor space can become a place of discovery, creativity, and adventure.

At Learning SPACE, we're passionate about helping every child reach their full potential through play, exploration, and inclusive learning. Our carefully selected range of forest school resources, sensory toys, outdoor learning equipment, and educational products supports children of all abilities to enjoy meaningful experiences in nature.

Whether you're planning one afternoon outside or a whole summer of adventures, the right resources can help create memories that last a lifetime.

So pack a picnic, grab your favourite storybook, head outdoors, and let nature become your child's classroom this summer.