Young children have an immense curiosity about the natural world – the challenge is to stop them from losing it! Nurture that precious sense of wonder …….. A little empathy and enthusiasm is all you need to encourage children to appreciate wild places.
( Nature’s Playground)
Natural environments offer opportunities for adventure, which build confidence and instill bravery.
Take time to stop and explore. Rushing children along to the next thing, denies children the opportunity to make their own discoveries.
Using natural materials creatively helps us to appreciate them in new ways.
Wild places provide opportunities for quiet reflection.
Finding creatures in their natural environment encourages respect and reduces fear.
Explore all types of weather. Rain, snow, wind and sunshine offer many different experiences.
Allow children time to be immersed in their experiences and they will adapt natural materials, weaving them into their own imaginative worlds.
Sometimes nature is cruel but when children come across these things in the wild, it promotes discussion and allows them to navigate difficult concepts in a meaningful way.
Being in a natural environment offers children opportunities to develop physical skills, through climbing , negotiating space, moving on different surfaces, reaching, touching and many more.
Explore with all of your senses.
If I need a little encouragement to go outside I only need to look at the joy, concentration and contemplation on my children’s faces.
If you need further inspiration I recommend reading Nature’s Playground.
This is not a sponsored post the book mentioned is a personal recommendation only.
9 thoughts on “A Natural Playground”
Love this post.
A lovely read and one I agree with wholeheartedly. there is nothing quite like letting kids explore and understand at their own rate in nature. Thank you for sharing with me on Country Kids.
Totally agree, what lovely ideas and photographs. Have added the book to our must-read list, thanks. #countrykids
I am nodding while reading your post. So spot on. Best teacher is always experience. A child experiencing nature! #countrykids
I totally agree, allowing children their own space for exploring is the best education they can have. Great post!
Thanks everyone for your lovely comments. So good to be back on Country Kids and to find a few new blogs to read.