March 27, 2024

Playing in Nature

As we enter the Spring season and the weather starts getting warmer, you can create opportunities to take your child outside to play in nature. Playing outside and in nature helps promote a child’s curiosity, creativity, and learning new experiences. It allows them to explore their senses while testing their limits. Outdoor play also gives children more space for bigger body movements like running faster, climbing higher, and jumping farther.

Try these fun ways to be creative while exploring in nature:

• Scavenger or teasure hunt (find items outdoors such as leaves, branches, pine cones, etc.)
• Blow bubbles and chase them
• Dig in the dirt to find worms and other insects
• Garden together (e.g., plant seeds, water plants, etc.)
• Wheeling, pushing, or pulling different toys
• Playing in sand, mud, or small amounts of water
• Find interesting rocks and paint them at home
• Walking, running, or jumping around trees, over stones, into puddles or around chalk drawings
• Create a homemade bird feeder and hang it together
• Use magnifying glass to look for bugs
• Print leaves on paper with crayons to make different patterns