One of the easiest ways to get kids excited about the outdoors is to give them something to watch — and a yard full of birds delivers every single day.
The good news is you don’t need a big space or a lot of money to make your yard more bird-friendly. A feeder here, a native plant there, and a little water go a long way. Here are some of the most kid-friendly ideas on how to attract birds to your yard this summer.
How to Attract Birds to Your Yard
Put Up a Feeder (and Let Kids Manage It)
A bird feeder is the classic starting point for a reason – it works. The secret to making it a real kid activity is to give them ownership of it. Let them fill it, keep a running list of which birds visit, and notice what happens when it runs out.
What to fill it with:
- Sunflower seeds attract the widest variety of birds, including cardinals, chickadees, nuthatches, and finches.
- Thistle (nyjer) seed is the goldfinch’s favorite — if you want to see those brilliant yellow birds up close, this is how.
- Suet cakes are a favorite of woodpeckers, especially in summer when they’re feeding nestlings that need high-protein food.
Place your feeder where kids can watch it from a window, ideally within 10 feet of the glass (close enough that birds won’t build up speed if they do accidentally fly toward it) or more than 30 feet away. We carry birdseed and feeders at all our Meadows Farms locations if you need a starting point.
Make a Pinecone Bird Feeder
This is one of the most satisfying nature crafts there is. It’s simple enough for young kids, and something they can actually put to use in the garden.
What you need:
- Large pinecones
- Peanut butter (or sunflower butter for a nut-free version)
- Birdseed
- String or twine
How to make it:
- Tie a long piece of string or twine to the top of the pinecone.
- Roll or spread peanut butter all over the pinecone, getting it into all the crevices.
- Roll the coated pinecone in birdseed until it’s well covered.
- Hang it outside from a branch or shepherd’s hook and watch who shows up.
Add a Birdbath
Birds need water for drinking and bathing, especially in the heat of a Virginia summer. A birdbath is often more effective than a feeder at drawing in a wide variety of species, including birds that don’t eat seeds at all.
Kids love birdbaths because the activity is so visible. Watching a robin splash around or a family of sparrows crowd the edge is a delightful addition to the day.
A few tips:
- Keep the water shallow, no more than 2 inches deep. Many birds are cautious about deep water.
- Change the water every day or two to keep it fresh. Standing water can attract mosquitoes.
- Add a few small rocks for birds to stand on while they drink.
- A dripper or small fountain adds movement to the water, which birds find irresistible.
Plant Native Plants That Birds Love
If you’re wondering how to attract birds to your yard over the long run, this is the most lasting strategy. It works year-round, long after the feeders are put away for the season.
Native plants feed birds in two ways: directly, through berries, seeds, and nectar, and indirectly, by hosting the caterpillars and insects that birds (especially nestlings) depend on for protein. Non-native ornamentals often can’t do either.
Some of our favorite native Virginia plants for attracting birds:
- Coneflower (Echinacea): Goldfinches and chickadees love the seed heads in late summer and fall. Leave them standing through winter. We have several great coneflower varieties that work well in Virginia gardens.
- Sunflowers: Plant them in a sunny spot and step back. By late summer, you’ll have a steady stream of finches and sparrows.
- Scarlet Beebalm: Hummingbirds go crazy for it. Bees and butterflies love it too, so it does double duty as a pollinator plant.
- Virginia Sweetspire: A beautiful native shrub that provides shelter, nesting cover, and nectar for pollinators. Stunning fall color, too.
- Berry-producing natives like Partridge-berry and Common Winterberry give birds food through fall and winter when other sources run low.
Not sure what will work in your specific yard? Our staff at any Meadows Farms location can help you pick the right plants for your sun, soil, and space. We have an excellent native plant section and love helping families get started.
Let Part of the Yard Stay Wild
One of the easiest things you can do for birds costs absolutely nothing: stop tidying up a corner of your yard.
Leave a brush pile. Let some leaf litter sit. Keep hollow stems standing through winter. These “messy” spots are where birds forage for insects, where they find nesting material, and where they shelter when the weather turns. Ground-feeding birds like towhees, thrushes, and sparrows actively prefer yards with a little natural debris.
It’s also a great way to explain to kids that nature has its own way of taking care of itself and that sometimes helping means getting out of the way.
Common Birds You Can Attract in Virginia
One of the best parts of creating a bird-friendly yard is discovering just how many different species may stop by throughout the year. If you live in Virginia, these are some of the most common backyard birds you’re likely to see.
Northern Cardinal
Virginia’s state bird is a year-round favorite. Males are bright red with a black face, while females are a softer tan with touches of red. Cardinals are frequent visitors to feeders stocked with sunflower seeds and appreciate shrubs that provide shelter.
Carolina Chickadee
Small, energetic, and easy to recognize by their black cap and white cheeks, Carolina Chickadees visit feeders regularly and love sunflower seeds, peanuts, and suet. They’re often among the first birds to investigate a newly filled feeder.
Eastern Bluebird
These colorful birds thrive in open yards with scattered trees. Bluebirds are attracted to native berry-producing shrubs and mealworms and often nest in bluebird boxes placed in open areas.
American Goldfinch
Bright yellow during the summer months, American Goldfinches love thistle (nyjer) seed and sunflower plants. If you leave coneflower seed heads standing into fall, you may find goldfinches feeding on them long after the flowers have faded.
Blue Jay
Known for their brilliant blue feathers and unmistakable calls, Blue Jays enjoy peanuts, sunflower seeds, and acorns. They’re intelligent birds that often cache food for later, making them entertaining visitors for kids to observe.
Downy Woodpecker
The smallest woodpecker in North America is a common backyard visitor, especially where suet feeders are available. They also help control insects by foraging along tree trunks and branches.
Mourning Dove
These gentle gray birds are frequent visitors to backyard feeding areas, where they prefer to eat seeds scattered on the ground beneath feeders. Their soft, cooing calls are a familiar sound throughout Virginia.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
During spring and summer, these tiny birds can often be seen darting between flowers. Plant nectar-rich native flowers like scarlet beebalm or cardinal flower, or hang a hummingbird feeder to encourage regular visits.
No matter where you live in Virginia, creating a welcoming habitat with food, fresh water, native plants, and shelter can help attract many of these beautiful birds to your yard year after year.
Keep a Bird Journal
Once you’ve set up a feeder or planted a few bird-friendly plants, help your kids start a bird journal. All it takes is a notebook and something to write or draw with.
Encourage them to record:
- Which birds did they see, and when
- What the bird was doing (eating, singing, chasing another bird)
- What the weather was like
- Any new birds they hadn’t seen before
Over time, they’ll start to notice patterns: which birds show up in summer versus fall, which ones visit at different times of day, which plants seem to attract the most activity. It turns a passive hobby into an active one.
Come Make a Bird Kite With Us
If your kids are fired up about birds this summer, we’d love to see them at our free Kids Craft: Make a Bird Kite event on Saturday, August 9, at Meadows Farms. They’ll make their own bird kite to take home and fly, inspired by real Virginia backyard birds like the cardinal, bluebird, chickadee, and goldfinch.
And if you want to try the kite at home first, our How to Make a Bird Kite post has full step-by-step instructions for six different Virginia birds.
Check our events calendar for more kids’ crafts and workshops happening all summer long at locations across Virginia, Maryland, and DC.