Learning Outdoors ☀️☁️🌈🌲🌸 💦
Many times we find that we don’t have much time to plan structured learning activities or even know where to start. However, we can use everyday moments such as playing outdoors as teaching opportunities. Also, regular outdoor time is always a good addition to a weekly routine.
Kids love playing outside! This is a great time for learning to meet play. You can teach them various things such as the names of objects that they see, colors, textures, opposites, counting, and even spelling (amongst a host of other things). Here are some ideas for activities you can do outside for some learning fun.
Naming Objects 🌳
Learning the names of things they can find outside: tree, grass, leaf, flower, table, chair, fence, ball....whatever they can see or feel. 🌺🌳🏀🍃🪑🪣🧹
Play a game in which they find the things you name. E.g. “Where is the tree?”. This is also good for language development.
Colors 🔴🟠🟡🟢🔵🟣
The world around us is filled with a vast array of hues and shades. Playing outdoors is a fun way to teach and build on color identification skills by asking kids to name the various colors around them. For example, “what color are the leaves?” 🌿
Color game 🌈
Ask them to find or point at items that are of a specific hue (e.g. pink). You can then move on to other colors or focus on a “color of the day”.
Opposites ☀️🌙
Many opposite concepts can be demonstrated outdoors. Kids will enjoy these hands-on activities that allow them to have fun while learning.
- Using water to observe WET vs DRY surfaces 💦
- Filling and emptying containers to show EMPTY vs FULL🚰
- Moving FAST vs SLOW 💨 🐢
- Stretching UP vs DOWN ⬆️⬇️
- Going OUTSIDE vs INSIDE 🚪
- Comparing sizes: SMALL vs BIG 🍂
Spelling & Reading ⚽️
Playing outdoors is a fun way to practice reading and spelling. Write down the names of various things you can see or do outside on pieces of paper or flash cards. For spelling activities, you can spell out the words using foam letters. The Nuby Bath Tub Alphabet Set is my personal favorite. You can also write the letters on individual pieces of paper, large rocks/stones…anything you can find with a smooth surface. For kids who are already there, this is a great way for them to practice writing letters by getting them involved in that part of the process.
Word game 🆙
Show an item/action and ask them to give you the name from a set of written words (or to spell them out). For example, ball ⚽️. Do the reverse by showing the word and asking them to do the action or point to the item. For example...run 🏃🏽🏃🏾♀️
FREE-PLAY 👟
Allow kids to explore on their own (with supervision of course). This is one of the best ways to experience the world around them. 🌳🌺🦋
The possibilities for learning while playing outdoors are endless, and will evolve as they grow. And the more you do this, the more ideas will come to mind. Also, kids will come up with their own ways to learn and discover.
🐛🍃🪨
Learning doesn’t always need to be structured or even “academic”, as long as they are gaining knowledge and having fun. You’d be surprised to see how much a child can learn at even just a few weeks old, by simply taking in the world around them. ☀️🌈
