BABIES AND OUTDOOR PLAY

Friday 30 July 2021

Many practitioners are unsure how to entertain babies outside but actually, I think it is very simple.  Give them chance to just be.... allow them time to explore their surroundings, feel different textures and have the freedom of no walls.  Babies spend a huge amount of time watching and the outdoors ignites senses so naturally.  Trees, grasses, flowers and clouds all have movement and all provide experiences that are so good for well being and calmness. Fresh Air as we know, is great to help us sleep and the physical development gained whilst playing outside enables the body to grow strong using both fine motor and gross motor skills.

At Kamelia Kids our babies have their own garden space, the wooden fence allows them to pull themselves up and watch those crazy toddlers zoom around on bikes, the beautiful buddleia bush, full of purple flowers attracts both butterflies and bees and the soft tarmac is a good surface to practice walking.  We are fortunate to have shaded canopies and we use tuff trays to promote invitations to play in sand and water. Guttering is great at providing "ready, steady, Go!" games with balls and cars and a firm favourite is the musical instruments, which many babies love, especially when we sing together.  

All of the rooms took part in the Wildlife Trusts annual challenge, named 30dayswild and  the babies enjoyed snack outside. Tables were dragged outside, decorated with cups of wild flowers from our Sensory/Well Being garden and a healthy snack was enjoyed. A lovely experience for everyone involved. NCT says "Children who gain knowledge and appreciation of nature are more likely to become environmentally aware adults"  and as the seasons change, babies get used to feeling hot and cold, get wind and rain on their cheeks and are seeing first hand leaves falling and ice forming.  

During my time working in Lincolnshire at a Forest School, we took the 3 and 4 year olds to a yurt and spent the morning outside, even in December.  Children wore gloves and as they got wet were given dry ones. I remember one child got upset because they refused to wear gloves and her hands got cold.  We sat her by the log burner and gave her a warm water bottle and soon cold hands were forgotten. When we spoke to her mother later in the day we explained that she had got very cold hands because of her refusal to wear gloves and her mother replied that she had probably never experienced cold before!. 

This made me think about the importance of just being outside and what effects it has on our bodies, quite eye opening! So, there is never wrong weather , only wrong clothing, give it a go. You may see a completely different side to a child when they are given the freedom outdoors.

Sarah Camp