Playing outdoors is very important for children, not only to help them stay active and healthy but also to create those treasured childhood memories. We need to encourage an adventurous spirit and create imaginative and safe opportunities for them to get out there. Cath Prisk Director of Play England, a Uk wide charitable organization who promote outdoor play for children said “It’s a sad reality that many kids don’t get outside to play every day anymore.”180mins of activity per day is expected for toddlers so with Autumn upon us, get the rainproof suits and wellies on and enjoy the wonderful space we have around us. According to research modern day children play half as much as their parents did when they were young. In 1970’s/80s children enjoyed 2hrs of outside play each day in the week and 9hrs at weekends but now its 1hr each day in the week and less than 5hrs at the weekend.Try these seasonal outdoor activities:
- What’s the time Mrs Witch
- Pirate Treasure hunt (take a magnifiying glass and binoculars) :– decorate an egg box for the treasure chest, make a list of things to find:- leaf for an eye patch; sticks for a sword fight; shiny leaves and petal heads for gold, something heavy to anchor the ship, hook shaped twig, find a birds nest as a lookout, a feather from the pirates parrot, fallen twigs that indicate x marks the spot
- Spooky Halloween bingo; make a list of Halloween items and tick off as you go. Listen for rustling leaves, hear an owl hooting, spot a spider, feel a web, hear a creeking tree, hear snapping twigs, find a skeleton leaf, listen to the howling the windPebble/shell art on the beach, e.g. a pumpkin, witches broom or catHedge row hunt: find berries, a bee, flowers, a butterfly, a changing coloured leaf, thorns, a spider
- Count the trees: get your toddler to hug 10 trees and count as they go along
- Leaf jumping and scuffing
- Scavenger hunt for an Autumn collage
- Puddle jumping
The beauty of the outdoors is it’s free, try Tehidy or Godolphin WoodsWritten by Katie Evans Preschool Fitness Specialist (Healthy Young Hearts)