25 Things To Do with Children in Nature Before They Turn 1 | Nature Play SA

25 Things To Do with Children in Nature Before They Turn 1 by Nature Play SA

You may think there’s not much to do with your baby outdoors if they are under 12 months old, but your baby will be mesmerised by the stimulation nature provides.

Check out these suggestions from Nature Play SA that will help you baby learn about their world outside and begin a lifelong appreciation of nature and the value of the outdoors.

25 Things to do with children in nature before they turn 1

1. Sit outside with your baby in your arms and listen to the sounds around you
2. Find a quiet place to sit or walk along the beach and listen to the sound of the waves together
3. Give your little one some tummy time on a rug outside
4. Mimic the natural sounds you hear in the trees and watch your baby’s reactions
5. Have a photo of your family taken outside in nature
6. Lie down beneath the shade of a tree and watch the movement of the leaves – nature is the original mobile!
7. Visit a national park and take a gentle stroll through nature
8. Visit a local wetland and watch the movement of waterbirds as they paddle and move about
9. Read a story or sing a lullaby beneath the shade of a tree
10. Cover your baby’s feet in cool sand at your local beach
11. Let your baby feel a gentle ocean tide wash over their feet and toes
12. Enjoy a meal or picnic in the backyard as a family
13. Find a shady spot at your local park and allow your baby to watch older children play
14. Let your baby crawl and explore the blades of grass on a lawned area
15. Find a patch of bare earth and let your baby’s feet feel the textures of the soil
16. Add water to a patch of dirt and let them explore the sensation of mud squelching in their toes and through their fingers
17. Find a smooth-barked and a rough-barked tree and let their tiny hands explore while you explain what they are experiencing
18. Find a low hanging branch with leaves and let them explore while you describe the colours, shapes, and textures
19. Collect five natural treasures (big enough not to be a choking hazard!) such as shells, seed pods, sticks/ twigs, feathers, bark and leaves and allow your little one to discover these with their hands
20. Tickle your baby’s hands, feet and face with a feather or leaf
21. Attend a local playgroup that spends time outside
22. Spend time outside with another family with young children
23. Find an uneven surface and help your child navigate their way across it
24. Splash in a puddle or tub outside
25. Build a sandpit in your backyard and spend time playing in it with pots, pans, spoons and buckets

For more information and all enquiries please visit the Nature Play SA website.

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

Image Source: photos by Play & Go

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