I grew up in a small country town in NSW where there wasn’t much to do except play outdoors. We’d spend hours wandering through the bush, climbing trees, and diving into all sorts of adventures along with a fair amount of risky play. As a family, we loved exploring the bushwalks in nearby National and State parks.
When I became a parent living in a city, I didn’t want distance or location to take away from that connection with nature I had growing up. I also wanted my children to see that nature isn’t just something you have to leave the city to experience, it’s right here, woven into our everyday surroundings.
That’s why our local bush playgroup, Eco Explorers, has been such a wonderful discovery. In this blog post i'm going to share what bush playgroup is, our experience, along with helpful links for you to discover bush playgroups in your area.
What is a bush playgroup?
Bush playgroups are outdoor gatherings where children with their families come together to explore, play, and connect amongst nature. Bush playgroups give children the freedom to get messy, take risks, and build a relationship with the natural world, all while parents and carers share the experience too.
Unlike traditional playgroups that are usually held indoors, a bush playgroup takes place entirely outside, whether in a local park, reserve, or bushland. The idea is simple: give children the freedom to explore nature through unstructured play, guided activities, and community connection.
Our playgroup follows a gentle, flexible structure, centred around a nature focused theme. Each session weaves in age-appropriate environmental learning through songs, stories, crafts, and a walk.
Different play stations are set up for the children to enjoy, like a mud kitchen with plenty of water play, magnifying glasses and binoculars to observe nature up close, painting, drawing and crafting, and much more. Children are encouraged to get muddy, climb trees, build cubbies, collect sticks, or simply sit quietly and watch the insects, birds, and plants around them.
Play is child-led and open-ended, nurturing creativity, resilience, and problem-solving skills. The bush setting also supports physical development as children balance on logs, scramble over rocks, and run freely through open spaces. Sessions usually run for 1.5 to 2 hours and are guided by an experienced educator. Our much-loved facilitator puts so much care and effort into each session and has made our experience at bush playgroup magical.
Because parents and carers stay, it’s also a wonderful way for us grown-ups to spend time outdoors, connect with others, and share the joy of being in nature alongside our children.
When children grow out of playgroup they can transition onto bush kinder. Bush kinder builds on bush playgroup by offering a more structured, nature-based early learning program that extends children’s outdoor exploration into their preschool years.
Whether you’re based in the city like me or living regionally, bush playgroups are for everyone. They’re becoming increasingly popular across Australia, and as you’ll see in the list below, they’re popping up everywhere. Some of the groups below offer Bush Kinder and Bush Kids Forest School programs too.
Bush Playgroups Across Australia
Eco Explorers – Melbourne & surrounds (VIC)
Nature Crew – Melbourne (VIC)
Wild Child Nature Play – Berwick, Casey & Surrounds (VIC)
The Bush Circle – Noosa Hinterland (QLD)
Bush Playgroup Trevallyn – Trevallyn (lutruwita/TAS)
Free to Be Bush Play – Hobart & surrounds (lutruwita/TAS)
There are many, many more bush playgroups and I'd love to add them to this list. So if you know of any, please let me know in the comments or via my contact page.
If you are interested in general playgroups check out Playgroup Australia. They help families find local playgroups where kids can play and parents can connect. Use the website to search for groups near you or learn how to start one.
*In the UK, Europe, and the US, bush play groups are often known as forest schools or forest playgroups.
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