Outdoor Picnic Ideas for Kids: Food and Craft Activities

Posted by EYR Team on 1st Jun 2026

Having a relaxing picnic can be a great way to spend time outdoors with friends and family, and it doesn't need to be fancy or over-complicated. Children of all ages can benefit from the beautiful sunshine and spending time in nature with a few healthy snacks and simple activities to keep busy.

Whether you’re looking for delicious picnic food ideas or fun activities to bring on your next outing, we’ve got you covered.

What to consider when planning a picnic

Pack the essentials. Start with a blanket, a selection of your favourite foods and a picnic basket to carry everything in.
Choose a nice shady spot in your garden, park or play area if you plan to spend lots of time outside on a sunny day.
Decorate to set the scene. Hang up some colourful bunting and spread out a cosy blanket.

What are the benefits of an outdoor picnic?

It promotes social interaction in a fun and relaxed setting
Connects children with nature as they spend valuable time outside
Creates long-lasting memories

Picnic Food Ideas for Kids

The Tiger Who Came to Tea Picnic

Set up a picnic inspired by the classic children’s story, The Tiger Who Came to Tea, where the hungry tiger visits Sophie and her mum and eats all the cake, buns and biscuits on the table until there’s nothing left! Bring the story to life with your own menu and The Tiger Who Came To Tea Story Set, which includes interactive puppets for children to act out the scenes from the book.

Animal Pancakes

Ditch the boring sandwiches and design your own animal pancakes with healthy fruits and vegetables to introduce positive attitudes to healthy eating. If you have your own garden, this is a fantastic opportunity to encourage children to take an interest in growing their own food for sustainable and healthy living.

If you’d like the recipe, check out our blog: Animal Pancakes - Fun & Healthy Recipes for Children

Magical Fruit Wands

Roll out the Picnic Tuff Tray Mat for this tuff tray activity. No need to worry about mess as our mat is made from durable, wipe-clean material, making it a great base for easy picnic food ideas. Perfect for nurseries, schools, childminders, and home learning environments.

Stack up some fresh fruit to create adorable fruit wands for a magical snack time. If your little ones are reluctant to try new foods, this is a great way to make fruit fun! Let them pick from their favourite fruits to thread onto a wooden skewer and finish with a watermelon star.

Picnic Game Ideas for Kids

Wooden Quoits Game

The best picnic games are the ones that are easy to set up and lightweight to pack away, which is why a quiots game (also known as ring toss) is a classic. Players take turns to throw the rope rings over the sticks and score the most points while improving their hand-eye coordination.

Parachute Games

Colourful parachutes are another easy-to-carry game that can be used in a large open outdoor space. There are endless games to try, such as Changing Places, where players swap places if they share a common interest or Mushroom, where everyone pulls the parachute upwards so it fills with air and it rises up like a giant mushroom!

Spot the Minibeasts

Encourage children to keep a count of all the amazing minibeasts they can spot on their picnic outing. What kinds of insects can they find and what makes each of them unique? From their movements and habitats, there's so much to observe in nature! Print off our Minibeast Spotter download to keep count as they tick them off.

Picnic Activity Ideas

Teddy Bear Picnic

If you’re planning to go down to the woods today, have children bring along their favourite teddy bears and dolls for an extra special picnic. Set out cups and saucers and add some music to have a dance party! You can also bring extra toy clothes to change outfits and spark conversations about body parts and the differences that make us all unique.

Take a look at our wide selection of diverse dolls from around the world here.

Make Your Own Pizzas

Set out modelling clay and a Role Play Pizza Oven for children to create their own pizzas. Let them get creative with their choice of toppings as they roll, squeeze and layer their ingredients. The soft and flexible modelling clay is perfect for little hands to shape and build, and non-toxic.

Nature Frames

Take a closer look at the beautiful colours and shapes in nature with a DIY frame. It's easy to make and budget-friendly! Recycle old cardboard or paper and draw the outline of your chosen image before carefully cutting it out. Hold it up against different backgrounds to frame the art in nature.

Take Storytime Outside

After a tasty picnic, it can be a great time to sit and relax together while sharing stories. Encourage children to take turns making up their own stories, using their 5 senses for vivid descriptions that will really bring their stories to life!

Final thoughts

Leave no trace - Don’t forget to remind children to tidy up and the importance of leaving nature as we find it. Take all food scraps back with you as even biodegradable items like banana peels will disrupt fragile ecosystems.
Keep wildlife wild – Respect wildlife by observing them from a distance and avoid feeding them as this can damage their health and make them vulnerable to predators.

We'd love to hear how you enjoy your outdoor picnics. Let us know which of these activities you have tried by tagging us on social media or using the hashtag #ExploreWithEYR.