Make playtime a breeze with these 10 windy day activities to try in your early years settings. Explore wind power with these simple low-cost activities to entertain children of all ages.
Many of the ideas in this blog use recycled items to create fun projects to enjoy. From parachutes made of plastic bags and windmills made of cardboard, hands-on recycling can be a great way for children to explore how we can reuse materials in new ways.
Read on to get inspired with 10 exciting activities to take learning outdoors and make the most of windy days.
1. DIY Paper Windmill
Harness the power wind by creating a spinning windmill out of a recycled cardboard roll.
Cut a square piece of cardboard and paint both sides. Next, cut inwards from each corner towards the middle of the square, stopping around 1cm from the centre. Fold each corner to the centre and glue it down to secure to create the fans.
Glue a toothpick to a wooden dowel or skewer and add a bead to the toothpick. Next, add the fan and secure the windmill in place by adding a button to the front.
Plant your windmill in the ground to watch wind energy in action or experiment with holding your windmill with and against the wind to see how this affects the speed.
You will need: A cardboard roll, paint, glue, a wooden skewer stick, toothpick, scissors, a bead, buttons
2. Windy Day Feather Race
We can’t see the wind but we can observe its effects as it blows leaves to the ground and makes trees sway. Try this wind observation experiment with your class by asking children to drop a feather from a height and see whose feather gets carried the furthest by the wind.
Encourage children to explain what is happening. Ask them questions like, “Has the wind changed direction? What else can they see being moved by the wind? Will the feathers move if it’s not windy?”
Explore this activity further with other natural materials such as leaves in different sizes and shapes and seeds with wings (such as those from ash, sycamore and maple trees) in this open-ended group activity to promote observation in early years.
You will need: Feathers, leaves, seeds
3. Bubble Snake
Take on the challenge to see how long you can make a bubble snake using dish soap and water to blow a magical stream of bubbles in this fun outdoor sensory activity for children.
Cut an empty plastic bottle in half and secure a wipe to the end with an elastic band. Dip the wipe into food colouring and a mixture of dish soap and water to prepare your bubble snake. Once ready, blow through the top of the bottle to create a cloud of fluffy bubbles.
Have fun investigating what happens when blowing softly and then with more force. Experiment using different types of bottles with wider and thinner bases and wait for an extra strong gust of wind to see just how high ithe bubble snakes can fly!
You will need: A plastic bottle, scissors, elastic bands, wipes, food colouring, dish soap, water, a bowl
4. Plastic Bag Parachute Play
Craft mini parachutes by recycling old plastic bags and attaching them to toy figures to explore how wind resistance and wind direction work together.
Cut out a circle and push 6 holes around the outside using a pencil. Next, cut 6 equal pieces of string and thread them through each hole. Tie each string securely to the parachute and attach the ends of the string to a toy figure who will be the skydiver.
Make this a competition and experiment with different drop heights and parachute sizes for better results. Don’t forget to write down your observations and make adjustments to get the perfect drop and slowest glide to the ground.
You will need: A plastic bag, string or yarn, scissors, a toy figure
5. Paper Kite Flying
Handmade kites are easy to make with just a few basic supplies you can find in your craft box.
Cut out the shape of your kite and tape straws or sticks across the width and height of the kite to act as a frame to reinforce the kite’s structure. Next, thread string through the frame, this will be used to hold the kite up in the air so make sure to have enough for take off.
Complete your kite by adding strips of colourful ribbon to create a decorative tail and then you are ready to enjoy flying your kite in the wind. This activity will work best with a steady breeze and a little practice to find the best way to get lift-off.
You will need: Paper or card, straws or sticks, ribbons, string
6. Tin Can Windchimes
Let’s make some wind-powered noise!
Turn empty tin cans into musical windchimes by decorating them with bells, ribbons and colourful craft paper. This budget-friendly craft requires no drilling or holes. Simply, tie bells to the ends of the ribbons and secure everything together with elastic bands.
No bells? No problem. Use assorted keys, beach shells or dry wood and explore the sounds they make. Once finished, hang the windchimes on tree branches to enjoy wind-activated sounds!
You will need: An empty tin can, bells, ribbon, elastic bands, craft paper, glue
7. Sailboat Racing STEAM Challenge
If STEAM activities float your boat, set up a sailboat racing competition with help from the wind to get your boat across the finish line in this explorative group activity.
Our STEAM Boats Kit contains everything you need to assemble and customise 10 floating boats. Start by assembling your boat structure and experimenting with the foam blocks and sails to discover which design will get the best results by travelling the furthest.
You will need: STEAM Boats Kit, colouring pens and pencils
8. Wind Art Tuff Tray
Get creative with colours and our tuff tray paper pad and explore how wind can create abstract art by blowing paint across a tuff tray.
Watch as the colours run together in this process art activity for children to immerse themselves in while strengthening their creative thinking skills. Children can also experiment with making different patterns by blowing through straws to create more bursts of colour.
You will need: Watercolour paint or food colouring, a tuff tray, tuff tray paper pad, straws.
9. Plane Flying Contest
This fun engineering activity supports learning about important concepts like force and motion as children design, build and test planes that glide in the wind.
Adjust the angles of take-off and wing placement to discover how to get the furthest soar. Children can also manipulate the length of their planes and add weights to see how this affects the flight speed and distance.
Mark each flight distance from the start line until a winner is decided or take turns throwing planes to see which lands closest to a marked target.
You will need: STEAM Planes Kit, colouring pens and pencils
10. Wind Streamers
Catch the wind! Attach ribbons to sticks to create beautiful wind streamers that float in the wind as children run with them and sway them in their hands.
As children twirl their streamers, ask them questions to build their communication skills like “How many colours can you name? How high can your ribbon fly? Can you make shapes in the air with your streamer?”
This activity also encourages physical development and gross motor skills as children practice balance and flexibility through movement. Add shakers and bells to your streamers to add another level of music and dance fun.
Short on time? We have a range of dance wands, sticks and scarves to introduce at playtime for rainbow-themed windy-day fun.
We would love to know which windy day activities you plan on trying out and how you get on! Share your experiences with us on social media by tagging us or using the hashtag #ExploreWithEYR!
