Backyard Bird Watching with Preschoolers

Watching birds in your own backyard, or outdoor play space, is a fun and easy way to engage preschoolers in learning to make observations. 
Here are some tips, resources, and photos to inspire the creation of your own bird watching invitation. 

Invite Your Feathered Friends

Set up an environment that is sure to attract a variety of feathered visitors! 
Bird shelters, bird baths, and feeders are all a great way to encourage birds to visit often.  
Be sure to plant plenty of native plants to attract local birds, try this tool from the  Audubon Society to find native plants in your area. 

Community Member Kathy M. shared this photo; she set out feeders for a variety of birds including hummingbirds. 

Sheena W.  set out a simple bird house, and DIY bird feeder among her flowers to encourage visitors. 

Sometimes it can be as simple as assigning a quiet space for bird watching. Hanging a sign, like this one from the PKPF Camping Dramatic Play Pack, let's others know this is a quiet space for observation. 

Add Some Hands-On Learning

Make some DIY Bird Feeders to encourage birds to visit long and often. This tutorial is simple and sure to be a hit with your preschoolers. 

Turn your bird watching into a scavenger hunt!
Keep a list in your backyard or take it along on other outdoor adventures to see how many birds on the list you can find. 

Be sure to have plenty of children's books all about birds available for research. 
Member Laurie P. set up this lovely invitation to learn more about birds with a poster, books, and a collection of bird treasures to explore. 

Search for New Birds

Try to identify as many local birds as you can. The Audubon Society is a wonderful resource for identifying local birdlife and ways to support them, find one in your area here. 
While visiting their website be sure to visit the kids section and grab the app to easily identify birds on the go!

After you learn about the birds in your area branch out and learn about more birds all around the world. 

This bingo style game, included in my Birds Activity Pack, is a fun way to talk about birds from a variety of environments. 
Try pairing this game with an online search for birds or cut up an extra set and place in a sensory bin like the one below for your preschooler to discover. 

Set up a sensory bin with bird seed and a variety of bird themed items like this one from our friends over at Erica's 
Hide bird images for your preschooler to find and identify. 

Get a Closer Look

Visit a local animal or bird sanctuary to see a wide variety of birds. 
Sheena W shared this image of a white peacock her preschoolers loved while visiting Bearizona. 

Be on the lookout for birding events in your area. Here is a search tool to find birding events, be sure to check out the live cam section on allaboutbirds.org while visiting.

Find a bird cam to get an up-close look at bird life in action! 
Many zoos and wildlife protection organizations have these cameras set up. 
Always be available for your preschooler to answer questions and provide support when these wild creatures behave unpredictably! 
Here is a collection of links to live cams featuring bald eagles on the eagles.org website. 

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Keep the Bird Fun Going

I hope you found some inspiration to explore birds in a variety of ways starting in your own backyard. 
Keep your little bird lover engaged in a variety of learning activities while captivating their interest with these other ideas.

Preschool Books about Birds
Free Feed the Bird Math Activity
Bird Theme Preschool Activity Ideas
DIY Bird Feeder

Birds Preschool Activity Pack

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Spring Fine Motor Sand Sweeping Mats

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Scavenger Hunt Lists for Around the House

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