Outdoor play

Time outdoors is an opportunity for your child, as well as the whole family, to have interesting experiences and adventures. Playing outdoors often means "getting dirty" - playing with mud, playing on the ground, collecting leaves, "cooking grass", writing with flowers by squeezing color out of them... Although not as clean as the usual play at home - it is much more fun!

Outdoor games tend to be less structured. The natural environment - meadows, forests - require the child to think of a way to explore it and have fun with it. This kind of encouragement is great for children. Likewise, where possible, outdoor games can include the child's participation in routines - tending the garden, yard, flowers and so on. A simple walk to a park can encourage the child to learn about safety, talk about the environment, observe and analyze people's behaviors and the like.

The first thing that comes to mind when we think of outdoor play is - significantly less restriction on moving. Even young children, who are only learning to walk or practicing the skill of walking, and even those who crawl - can get plenty of opportunities to enjoy such occasions.

For very young babies, being outside means a lot of new smells, sounds, a lot of opportunities to explore different surfaces by touch, and so on. So, have a picnic with your baby - let him/her enjoy the playing while lying on a blanket on his/her tummy, crawl on the blanket and grass, watch leaves move, rustle his/her feet through leaves, or grab leaves with his/her hands . Don't forget - in these adventures, half the joy comes from the relationship with you: talk to the baby, carry him/her, help him/her reach what he/she wants, recognize his/her interest or experience and name it, encourage the baby to talk, cuddle.