TrailFoxThe outdoor ideas app for parents of small, energetic people
Burn off little-legs energy in 20 minutes — no planning, no craft cupboard
TrailFox suggests the right outdoor activity for right now. Tell it how much energy the kids have and where you are — garden, park, street or woods — and off you go. Free, no ads, made in the UK.
Hundreds of activities free · No subscriptions, ever
Try it now — no app needed
This is exactly how TrailFox works. Pick two things:
Your activity appears here…
- 🦊 Free on iOS & Android
- 🚫 No ads, no tracking
- 💳 No subscriptions
- 🇬🇧 Made in the UK
You know they need to get outside.
You're just out of ideas.
It's 3pm, it's nearly the witching hour, and "go and play" isn't landing. Pinterest wants you to laminate something. The craft box wants an hour of setup and a hoover afterwards. TrailFox skips all of that: open the app, pick an idea, and be outside before anyone has time to protest.
How TrailFox works
Thirty seconds from "I'm bored" to boots on. Here's the whole thing:
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Pick their energy
Running on empty, a few wiggles, or bouncing off the walls — TrailFox matches the activity to the child in front of you, not the child in a catalogue.
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Pick your place
Garden, park, street or trail. Every idea works with what's actually outside your door — no drive to a forest school required.
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Go do it
Clear, short instructions written for real life with children. Phone back in pocket, everyone outside, energy burned.
Two taps: energy + place
Your adventure, dealt
Ideas that fit your space
Hundreds of outdoor activities, free
Written for gardens, parks, streets and trails — a taste of what's inside:
- 🐌 Snail Trail WatchFind a snail, become its film crew. Surprisingly gripping.
- 🥾 Muddy Footprint TrailTrack prints in the mud, then invent the animal that made them.
- 🏹 Lay a Secret TrailTwig arrows for someone to follow. Classic scouting, toddler-sized.
- 💎 Treasure TrailA pocket-sized treasure hunt using whatever the park provides.
- 🍄 Toadstool Tiptoe TrailAn autumn fungi hunt — eyes only, no touching.
- ❄️ Frosty Morning ExplorerFirst frost turns the garden into a crunchy new planet.
- 🌌 Night ExplorersTorches on. The garden after dark is a different country.
- 🏖️ Sandy Footprint TrailBeach edition: prints, trails and small detectives.
Keep a family nature journal
The bug under the log. The first conker of autumn. The den that took all afternoon. Add photos and notes as you go, record who spotted what and which sense they used, and stick a sticker on it.
- A profile for each of your explorers, so it feels like theirs
- Photos and notes synced safely across your devices
- A growing record of your family's time outdoors — lovely to look back on together
Themed packs for when you want more
The free library is huge. When a season turns or an obsession strikes — minibeasts, mud, rockpools, the dark — themed packs add a fresh set of ideas. Each is a small one-time purchase. No subscriptions, ever.
Questions parents actually ask
Is TrailFox really free?
Yes. The core of TrailFox is completely free: hundreds of activity ideas, the energy and place picker, explorer profiles and the nature journal. Themed activity packs are optional one-time purchases — there are no subscriptions and no ads.
What ages is TrailFox for?
The sweet spot is roughly 2 to 7 — toddlers up to early primary. Activities are written so younger children can join in with help, and the Wild Skills pack stretches things for ages 7 to 12.
Isn't an app just more screen time?
TrailFox is designed to be glanced at, not stared at. You spend about 30 seconds picking an activity, then the phone goes back in your pocket and everyone goes outside. There is nothing in the app for children to scroll or watch.
Do I need any equipment or craft supplies?
No. Activities use what is already outside — sticks, puddles, leaves, lampposts. At most you might want wellies and a coat that can get muddy.
Does TrailFox work outside the UK?
Yes. TrailFox is written in the UK with British gardens, parks, streets and woodland in mind, but the activities work anywhere you can step outside.
Is TrailFox on iPhone and Android?
Yes, TrailFox is free to download on both the App Store for iPhone and Google Play for Android.
Ideas to try this week
Free write-ups from the TrailFox blog. No app needed, no craft cupboard, no laminator.
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Seasonal
Things to Do With Conkers: 12 Games Beyond the Fight
Your pockets are full of them again. Twelve hunts, races and counting games for under-fives, plus what to do when the shine goes.
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Seasonal
Autumn Activities for Toddlers: Conkers, Crunch & Fungi
Britain's most collectable season, turned into a field guide: conker season, the crunch, fungi safaris and first-frost missions.
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Seasonal
Halloween Nature Activities for Kids: 15 Spooky Outdoor Ideas
Torch walks, bat missions, web hunts and pumpkin trails. The real October is far spookier than anything sold in a bag, and it is free.
Also worth a look: when they flatly refuse to go out, park games beyond the playground, outdoor activities for 4 year olds, rainy day ideas and a day in the woods.
Get outside, get curious
Download TrailFox free and let it do the thinking. The mud is optional but strongly encouraged.
Smaller cub at home too?
CubTrack is our baby tracker for the newborn years — feeds, naps, nappies and growth, kept calm and simple, with the same promise as TrailFox: no ads, no subscriptions. Read more at cubtrack.co.uk.