Published on December 17, 2024
Without outdoor gear a must-have on children’s nursery kit list, we believe that cold weather and wintery days shouldn’t detract from the beauty of playing and learning outside and ensure that children can experience the magic of all the seasons with the appropriate guidance and supervision.
Of course, winter does bring some challenges to the forefront of outside learning and play, that need to be managed and overcome.
Having the right footwear and clothing is crucial. Winter also brings with it a need to manage slip and trip hazards, encouraging children to navigate outside spaces more carefully and with consideration for wet and icy surfaces.
With that in mind then, what activities do we facilitate and host, to make our outside nursery spaces fun and interactive during the winter months?
There’s something about messy play that children of all ages love. Mud kitchens are popping up in nursery settings, parks, pub gardens, and domestic gardens all over the UK and beyond, inviting children to experience and mix different textures and lose themselves in the creativity of using old kitchen utensils to “make” recipes outside.
An opportunity to combine time outside with learning, we love inviting children to create and help fill bird feeders to feed the birds during this winter.
This kind of activity helps children to develop a sensitivity for wildlife, introduces them to different animals, and adds some structured learning to their time outside. Not to mention it gives them a sense of responsibility which is beneficial to cognitive development.
Another opportunity to learn; collecting leaves sparks conversation about different tree types, different colours, different leaf shapes, and more. Children may be tasked with finding a selection of leaves that meet different criteria in size, shape, and colour, and can then use those leaves to create some natural artwork.
A great way of encouraging children to use their creativity and imagination, is by asking them to build a den in an outside setting or space. Not only does this help them to view materials and spaces in a different way, but it creates an activity whereby they must work together, communicate, and negotiate as a team.
Simple, effortless, but always fun. What else is there to say?!
Sometimes, the classics really are the best. Pooh sticks is a game that parents of parents used to play, requiring simply a moving body of water and a selection of different sticks.
Those nurseries that have access to a stream or river are well positioned for Pooh sticks competitions, seeing whose stick can make it to the finishing line first.
This is another activity that’s incredibly simple, yet it often unlocks intrigue and excitement that adults can only imagine.
Winter brings with it a whole host of new sights, sounds, textures, and details. Frost, icicles, and dewy greens invite children to start recognising the signs of the colder weather and what it means for the world around them.
By taking children on a winter walk, we immerse them in settings that they are familiar with – acknowledging how those settings and their features change with the different seasons.
Another way to combine winter play with learning is to take the hallmarks of the colder weather – think ice, snow, and crisp leaves – and turn them into a series of experiments.
This can form a part of teaching children about melting, freezing, what happens when you sprinkle different things onto ice and snow, and more.
Winter is a truly beautiful time of year to enjoy the great outdoors – which is why we urge parents to send their children to nursery with wellies and plenty of layers so that we can immerse them in the great outdoors for playtime and learning.
Find out more about the activity program at your child’s nursery, by reaching out to the nursery directly.
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