The Benefits of Nature Play

Nature Play Week is just around the corner. From April 6-16 Nature Play Week is encouraging all kids to have every opportunity to experience, love and look after nature.

Nature Play QLD is dedicated to ensuring every Queensland child has a childhood that includes outdoor play. Providing a connection to nature that supports:

• children’s physical and mental health
• resilience
• creativity
• emotional intelligence
• ensures a healthy relationship with nature that will last a lifetime.

“Nature play is when children are provided with the opportunity to engage in unstructured play activities in outdoor settings where natural elements feature, such as logs, rocks and water, as opposed to conventional manufactured play equipment. It is when children create their own play using natural features,” says Associate Professor Janet Dyment from the School of Education at the University of Tasmania.

Changes in the way we live in the last 30 years has seen our society become more sedentary and reliant on technology. The increased use of devices and higher population density in urban areas mean that there is less safe space for children to explore in an unstructured manner and less time for outdoor play.

According to research from the OMO Dirt is Good Survey which had over 1,000 Australian children respond- 85% of children admitted to spending less than two hours playing outside. This is more than a third less than previous generations. When asked what they value most about their play time, Aussie primary school kids ranked their iPad or games console (32%) as the things that they enjoy most about their day.

The creation of simple play opportunities in the natural environment encourages kids and parents to see the natural environment as a place to enjoy, play, imagine, relax and explore. Over the ten-day celebration of nature try to set aside time with your little one to spend some time outdoors. Simple and memorable ways to engage in nature play with your little one includes:

• Lie under a tree and look up at the sky through the leaves
• Create a nature treasure basket to explore with a stick, pine cone, a rock and a feather
• Have an outdoor picnic with your friends
• Plant a seed or bulb together and watch it grow
• Collect natural treasures to create a collage
• Make music with a seed pod shaker
• Throw a ball outside with your friends
• Have outdoor nap time under a shady tree
• Wash your toys such as trucks and dolls outside with water
• Watch and experiment with different objects in water as they float or sink- try this with flowers- the colours and textures will delight little ones
• Discuss with an adult about what you can see, hear and feel outside
• Try ‘baby yoga’ at your favourite tree or spot on the grass
• Stack large flat pebbles
• Go for a walk around your neighbourhood and see if you can identify the types of trees and animals that you find along the way

(Adapted from https://natureplayqld.org.au/nature-play-ideas 2022)

A growing body of evidence suggests that from backyards to parks; from the beach to the bush, kids do better outside! Playing outdoors is one of the best ways for children to play and explore, getting them out into the sunshine and helping them develop motor skills, coordination and confidence. Children instinctively play outdoors, they love being in the sunshine, they love being active which stimulates their minds and bodies.

Getting your kids involved in Nature Play doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming, it can be as simple as a visit to the local park where the kids can roam free. Nature Play Week is a great place to get started. We look forward to hearing what adventures you and your little one have.