Little Outdoor Explorers

If you’ve ever read one of my blog posts, you’ll know that I talk a lot about scene setting for children. Whether it’s about food choices (Setting the scene for healthy eating ) or outdoor play (Back to basics with nature), spending time setting the scene for play can lead to more powerful and engrossing play for a child, which also happens to be a wonderful way to learn!

Being in a space where they are able to explore, can be so deeply engrossing for a child. Viewing your child as an explorer can help you create a scene for discovery, wonder and creativity. Viewing yourself as a creator/protector of space to explore can allow you to feel more relaxed when with your child. You don’t need to know everything and do everything for them. Channel your effort into setting up space and then you can joyfully “be” with your child, rather than having pressure to “do” for them. You might even be able to relax for a moment, or have a joyful adventure of your own.

Here are some ideas to help create a scene for your little outdoor explorer. These are simply starting points. Find an access point that is comfortable for you and discover where your little outdoor explorer takes the play! (Spoiler alert - this may be COMPLETELY different from anything you’ve ever considered before).

Just start digging

How many times have you tried to get your child to do a new activity, or “teach” them to hold something, or copy you…and they simply refuse? And on the flip side, how many times have you started digging or doing some other activity and they just want to join in and help you? Why not tap into your child’s natural curiosity?

When I set up for a First Steps in Nature session. I will often be engaged in an activity when families arrive, and they join in various ways. Some choose to eat first and observe the scene, some choose to get straight into muddy play, and others choose to wander around the space first, before coming to join other children, later in the session. My aim is to be creating spaces that are engaging for each child. So often I just start digging and a child will join me. Sometimes they dig alongside me, sometimes they want to use the spade I have in my hands. Generally things flow comfortably from there.

It really can be as simple as finding a space outdoors, getting a digging tool and starting to dig. Place a container or cup close by, get some water and let the magic happen.

Trial different ideas/tools/activities

A great starting point is by using whatever containers/toys/utensils you already own. Have a look in your kitchen drawers and cupboards and see what can be taken outside. Maybe there’s an old trowel or a suitable paint brush in the shed. Find a patch of dirt or grass where exploration can happen. Even if you have a tiny garden, you can still use a pot with some dirt to dig.

Add in toy animals or dinosaurs, cars or dolls, blocks of wood, things with wheels…whatever it is that can captivate your child’s attention and is ok to get dirty.

Trial different outdoor spaces. Sand, beach, park, trees, cubby houses or rivers. Which environments are the most interesting for your child and your family?

Repeat, repeat, repeat

If I was to take a photo every week, you would see similar things - digging holes, muddy puddles and water being poured. But each week feels different. The children get to explore the environment in nuanced ways and the talk around what’s happening can vary greatly week to week!

Over the years, we’ve had so many different personalities and so many different favourite things. Almost all of the children love taking lids off, lifting heavy things and mixing mud. One child loved the kitchen tongs, another the teapots and another the paint brushes. Sometimes these favourites remain favourites for many years!

This repeat, repeat, repeat of the same game/movement is captivating and exciting for the child and connects in with the idea of them as an explorer of themselves and their surroundings. As an adult, you might find it boring to open and close tongs a hundred times over, but you’ve already learned about tongs. You know how to grip them and have the muscle strength to do so. You know how they work and what they can pick up. Your arms and hands know how to balance holding firmly enough so they don’t slip, but not too tight that your arm gets sore. You know that if you get your finger in the middle when you squeeze, it’s going to hurt! You can balance all of these “tong things” without thinking, so using tongs is probably not that interesting to you anymore. But a child who has only just discovered tongs, has all this excitement ahead of them! Maybe you, as their closest adult, won’t always know why your child is so captivated by a particular task or a tool/toy. Watching your child’s play through a lens of them as a “little explorer” means there’s no need to step in and move them towards something else instead, just because you don’t know why they’re so interested. (you can always step in if there’s a safety concern…more about that below).

Take some time to observe

Taking time to observe your child in play can help build your understanding of them, and your connection with them. See what they love when they’re in that explorer space. Notice what motivates them and what they regularly gravitate towards. Maybe they love pouring and will chatter to themselves and pour endlessly. Maybe they love big, heavy work and gravitate towards strong movements. Maybe they love swinging or spinning. Once you have an idea, leave some things outside (in safe ways!) that they can access. Have an easel and paper, or a mud kitchen space with pots and pans and spoons.

Be aware that their loves can change! Just as you find a reliable activity or joy, your child can move on. Part of the observation could also be about yourself. Do you want to keep doing the painting activity that your child is not interested in? Perhaps you could find time to mindfully enjoy activities that captivate you too.

Step in if needed

I thought it worth noting that allowing child-led exploration doesn’t mean adults ignoring or neglecting the child. There is a nuanced difference between allowing a child to lead their play and ignoring the child. When you view your child through the lens of “little explorer” and your adult role through the lens of “scene setter and protector-of-space”, this can help you learn when to step in and when to sit back. As with all things child-related, this can be challenging, but understanding boundaries is an important part of growing up in a family/community.

It’s clearly harmful for a child if they want to explore running wildly but you are near a road, for example. Or if one child wants to pick up and throw big rocks when children or property are close by and will be harmed. I don’t know any parent who wouldn’t step in in these scenarios! What about the more subtle things…like your child pouring mud on another child? or wanting to hit a tree with a stick?

When your child is pushing your boundaries, see whether you can find another way to channel the energy or drive underlying the behaviour. This also serves to validate that their feelings and ideas are ok, but this behaviour, as a way of expressing said feelings/ideas, is not. Gently move them towards what they can do rather than fighting about what they can’t or shouldn’t do.

Remember that anything new can be challenging. You might be ready to go ahead and explore and be excited about what you’ve created for your child, but they are not in the mood for this kind of play. Maybe they are hungry, or tired, sick or teething, (these are the big ones with children!). Maybe you are tired and hungry! If you set the scene, but they’re not interested, then come back another time. Cuddles and stories on the couch, a warm bath or a walk in the pram could be what’s needed instead. Setting up a space for your child to be an intrepid explorer is about connection. It’s about building a nurturing relationship with your child and with the world around you both.

Good luck on your outdoor exploring adventures!