Fun-filled Outdoor Adventures: Toddler-Friendly Activities to Explore Nature 

Outdoor activities are necessary to keep children healthy and better learners. It is not merely a perception, but various studies have proved this ideology and the benefits of outdoor engagement on the mental and physical development of children, especially toddlers. A recent study by the American Academy of Pediatricians has shared an interesting finding in this regard. As per their report, children who indulge in outdoor play enjoy better physical health, display positive behavior, positively engage in learning, and demonstrate better mental health than those children who stay indoors. This is extremely important in this era, where children are glued to screens and prefer to stay connected to screens instead of going outdoors. To make them internalize their love for outdoors, you need to plan exciting outdoor adventures for young children that connect them to nature. Because more than playing, children can explore nature when they go outdoors which is essential for their positive mental development. It inhibits a love for nature and sensitivity that turns them into environmentally responsible citizens when they grow up.  

Whether you are a parent, teacher, or caregiver, it is your responsibility to plan engaging outdoor activities for toddlers in nature, so that they can build an inherent love for nature and the environment.  

• Nature collection: One of the creative outdoor fun for toddlers in natural environments is to collect what nature gives you. The concept is straightforward. You can take a bucket or basket with you when you go outdoors and collect nature items that interest you. The items can be anything from dried leaves to nut shells, pebbles to rocks, sticks to colorful flowers, and even butterflies. Kids find it extremely exciting to collect items that seem interesting and beautiful. Later you can keep this collection in your home, for instance you can decorate the pebbles and rocks in your garden, flowers in a vase, nutshells (like pinecone shells), and dried leaves in a bowl as a potpourri. This way kids get to appreciate the beauty and worthiness of natural collection and feel closer to nature.  

When kids are drawn to the worthiness of nature then it flourishes their wondrous soul and imaginative power. It also internalizes the interest in studying nature and develops an inherent feeling of learning. This habit makes them better learners.  

Nature collection is very entertaining, and you can always find something interesting. But when you plan a nature collection activity, make sure that you follow the desired protocol. Some places permit you to collect natural items such as parks, gardens, and beaches. But at some places, there are restrictions on picking up the items so while planning this activity make sure that you keep in mind this essential requirement and then make the visit.
 

• Bird Watching: Bird watching is another interesting activity that can keep toddlers entertained and sharpen their sensory organs as well. Bird watching is an activity that you can plan with family members to assist the toddlers. Such family-friendly nature exploration for toddlers can become a nice memory along with a chance to develop a love for nature.  

Bird watching helps toddlers learn about the birds residing in your region and their specialties. Toddlers can witness the beauty of varied species of birds and can develop an inherent quest to learn more about them. Of course, birds do not stay still for you to observe so it is a good idea to keep binoculars with you to witness birds more closely where you can appreciate them. Bird watching keeps you close to nature because you keep an eye on bushes, trees, grass, and branches to witness your feathered friends.  

Toddlers also enjoy listening to the delicate sounds and songs of birds. To maintain your toddler’s interest in bird watching, plan this activity regularly, and while on the activity keep your toddlers engaged by asking them constantly what they are seeing, and hearing and how beautiful they found the birds. Such nature-inspired toddler adventures for family bonding can lead them to internalize their love for bird watching. Once they develop an inherent inclination to birds then you can adopt some pet birds or can even install a bird nest or bird feeder on your lawn or terrace.  

• Aquatic adventures: One of the finest interactive toddler activities in natural settings is to explore aquatic environments where you can witness a bunch of attractive creatures that they have never seen before.  

Aquatic environments are naturally soothing and soulful. To explore aquatic nature, you can take the toddlers to beaches, sea view parks, boating, and even to artificially designed facilities where sea-life creatures are kept. Toddlers can explore the different species of aquatic creatures along with their natural inhabitants,  

Nature travel adventures: Planning nature-based adventures for toddler exploration is a great idea to keep toddlers entertained and interested in nature at the same time. By nature travel, we refer to fun activities like river rafting, hiking, rock climbing, and hot springs visit. At such activities, the toddlers enjoy the experience along with exploring natural phenomena.  

• Scavenger hunt: Planning scavenger hunts is one of the most unforgettable outdoor experiences for toddlers. Such activities keep the toddlers engaged and maintain their interest without boring them. Solving different levels of hunting with hints that point towards nature and collecting natural items can introduce them to nature in a fun way. Kids always appreciate such physical activities that have a purpose (completion of the hunt in this case). Such interactive activities help to internalize the love of nature among kids.  
• Sit spots: If you just want to introduce your toddlers to nature then finding a good sit spot is the perfect way to start. Without burdening them with any knowledge about nature you can simply take a football for outdoor play. Such outdoor play ideas for toddlers in nature can go a long way in familiarizing toddlers with nature. They will enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and natural beauty. Even sitting in the natural environment can develop a deep bond with the serenity of nature that your toddlers will appreciate eventually. There are various sit spots that you can explore. There are parks and gardens with free public access. You can take your toddlers to any nearby park where you can sit and relax while your toddler can observe the surroundings.  

Once they get acquainted with the environment then you can start educating them gradually about nature. The most important education regarding nature is to develop an environmental friendly attitude among toddlers. You can plan various activities to emphasize the importance of the environment and nature. These eco-friendly toddler activities for nature discovery can go a long way in making your kids environmentally responsible citizens once they grow up.  

Conclusion: As a parent, caregiver, or teacher, it is your responsibility to plan fun-filled outdoor adventures that can bring the kids closer to nature and the environment. As a parent or caregiver, it is best to plan these activities by yourself by taking kids to sit spots, nature collections, aquatic explorations, travel adventures, and bird watching. But if you are too busy or have no idea how to plan these activities then the best you can do is to enroll them in any leading ICSE School in Bangalore that focuses on such activities. You can consider pre-primary admissions at Sherwood High for such activities. The Sherwood High extracurricular activities are aimed at educating toddlers by providing them the opportunity to explore nature along with outdoor fun.