With summer just around the corner, soon children will be moving from the chalkboard to the sandbox. Just in time for pool parties and picnics, here are a few ways to ease the transition of your child’s play from indoors to outdoors.
These easy tips will help you and your kids enjoy summertime fun while staying safe and still learning during play!
The weather has changed, but your child hasn’t. Pay attention to your child’s preferences. Toys they enjoy inside are similar to toys they like playing with outside. Portable toys like Little People’s Play’n Go Farm are favourites for indoors and easy for outdoor picnics or playing in the park. For little ones who like to play with dollhouses and tea sets inside, a backyard playhouse would be great for outdoor play.
Keep active! Although playing inside is great for your child’s overall development, summer is a wonderful time to add physical adventure to play. Sliding in the park, swinging and climbing on structures, throwing a ball or taking a bike ride are some activities you can add to your child’s routine. Research shows that children learn better when they have time to be physically active. This means that being active outside is not only fun, but will actually help your child’s mind!
Breathe summer air into winter toys. For those of us watching our wallets, having to buy new toys each season doesn’t help. Luckily, there are ways to adjust toys for outside play. For example, infant tummy time toys can be used on a blanket. Outside story time is always special too, so don’t forget to have books handy. Just remember to protect your child from the hot sun by using an umbrella or finding play space in the shade.
Learn more about your child by observing how they play. Knowing what interests your child, will help when planning activities that will bring excitement and joy and make playtime even more fun. You can do this by taking a picture or video of playtime. This way you can recap the day with your little ones, talk about the fun they had and also what they learned.
As always, be safe! Safety is always number one, especially when playing outdoors. It’s important for you to protect your children from the sun, pick toys that are age-appropriate and in good repair, and to make sure the play environment is safe and child-friendly.
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