10 Ways to Build Crucial Development Skills with Nature-Based Play!
Jeannette Kahn (Founder, Co-Owner), SLP & Developmental Consultant PHCA
Did you know that “the average American child spends seven minutes a day in unstructured play which is a 50% decline over 20 years?” University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research.
Being outside contributes to improved mental health, decreased anxiety, increased attention skills and improved social skills. Within the gateway communities Buttonloops serves including: Lynn, Peabody, Malden, Revere and Salem, this outdoor access becomes “critical for development according to Unicef.”
SO, LET’S GET THESE KIDS OUTSIDE.
Here’s our all time favorite top 10 tips on weaving in development and outdoor play this summer!
Place acorns (good for a raking grasp) or small twigs or pebbles (to work on a pincer grasp) in a bucket to align with the dump and fill stage or count to ten, twenty, thirty or by groups of two at older stages to build math skills!
Compare and contrast two leaves. What types of descriptive words can you help your child weave into their vocabulary? These analytical skills are essential for critical thinking development…just in case your five-year-old isn’t already a few steps ahead of you!
Sit quietly in nature and count how many birds you can hear in a two-minute time frame. Your child’s kindergarten teacher will love you.
Build motor skills for an overhand grasp by climbing a tree. I know, I know, it’s dangerous, but it is also so important for us to teach our children to take SMART risks. That means deep breaths and masking the fear in our eyes when they push the safety boundary (just a little!).
Build balance and agility by stepping from one rock to another. Do you have the next ninja warrior in training??
Use mixed media to develop a nature picture. Find a really cool leaf, glue it to a piece of paper, draw a head and paste pebbles for teeth. Viola, it’s a dragon! How many nature items can you incorporate into your picture? Hello creative genius!
Paint with leaves, pinecones, twigs, and then observe the difference that each item makes. Can your child grasp one of these items with his fingers, roll the objective over to his other palm or even hold the object between his toes and paint? Now that’s core stability at it’s finest!
See if you can account for each color of the rainbow on a nature hike.
Use science and engineering to build a fairy house. What items make the most stable base, which ones are light enough to lay across the top? The possibilities are endless…
Watch animals or birds in nature and see if you can copy the movements of at least three wild critters! How would you describe these movements? Can you guess which animal your child is imitating? Rolling around in fits of laughter is encouraged ❤️
Want more fun? Complete our Facebook Challenge and earn a change to win a basket filled with our favorite books! Interested in learning more about nature deprivation and kids? Check out Richard Louv’s publication Last Child in the Woods.