Being outdoors among the birds, insects, plants and puddles gives your child endless hours of interesting things to do and study. Taking a nature walk with your young child has so many benefits! Being outdoors helps with important developmental things, like improving attention span and increasing creativity. It gives your child a chance to use his "outdoor voice" without getting in trouble. It gives you and your child physical exercise. Plus, the natural benefits of fresh air and sunshine give you both a healthy physical and emotional boost. Did you know that a nature walk is the perfect time to help strengthen your child's language skills? It's true. Learn more about the different ways you can incorporate language learning into your nature walks.
First and Most Importantly, Be Present
As a parent, you should be right there with the child, marveling over a wildflower, wondering about a birdsong, examining the sky for cloud-shapes. Spending time with your child helps them feel secure and free to play, imagine, and learn. Spending time outdoors with your child also lets your little one know that you think it is important to get fresh air and exercise. If it's important enough for you to take time to be outdoors, they will also learn to make it a priority. When you are spending quality time with your child (and not tuning out your child while you look at your phone), you have a connection with your child. It's this type of connection that makes you perfect for teaching your child language skills. You know the right times and right approaches to best reach your child. No one knows your child like you do! Take advantage of that fact.
Provide Plenty of Free Time, and Watch for Opportunities to Play Language Games
Although some trips outdoors might be only a few minutes, make sure there are times when your child can explore nature unhindered for long periods of time. You don't need to hike a 5-mile trail. Your nature walk could be a meander around the neighborhood park. Allow your child to get bored outdoors! A bored child soon finds ways to amuse himself. Boredom also provides an opportunity for you to step in and introduce something in another language. For example, if your child is learning the names of colors in Spanish, you can begin a game where you find objects that are rojo.
Explore Different Scenery
Take your child to different outdoor locations. Walk a nature trail in a wooded area. Visit a beach. Spend time on a farm. Sail toy boats in a small stream. Travel to the mountains or the plains. Go sledding in the winter, or play in the yard with umbrellas while it's raining. Don't leave out the beautiful night sky! A safe adventure in the dark, catching fireflies or running around with flashlights, could be one of your child's favorite memories. Nature has many faces; go out and meet them! When you are finished exploring, ask your child to tell you what she saw. Encourage her to use vocabulary words from the language she is learning. After some practice, this exercise becomes easier and helps your child focus. You might be amazed by what she notices, and you might also be amazed by the words she remembers!
Take Your Meals Outdoors
Nothing says fun like a picnic! Make a special occasion of the first picnic of the year, and then continue to eat out as often as possible. Picnics can be enjoyed on a blanket in the backyard, on your front porch, at a park, or even in the back of your pickup truck. Be sure to pack plenty of water and healthy snacks; fresh air and exercise works up a little one's appetite! As you set out the food, point to each item and say its name in the language you are teaching. Have your child repeat it. Keep up the fun by being lighthearted. If you come to something particularly delicious, rub your tummy and call it "All mine!" Your child will probably know you're teasing, and you can share the joke again later.
Take Books and Toys Outdoors
Do you and your child share special times reading books together? Many special things you do indoors can also be done outdoors. Pack some picture books written in the language you are studying. When you are taking a rest from your nature walk, you can enjoy the book together, perhaps sitting on a low branch in a tree. Other small toys can be brought along in a bag, too. Bring a favorite stuffed animal or doll and have your child be a tour guide to it, using words from the language you are learning.
Find a Special Place to Call Your Own
Your home is your special indoor place, but you can have a special outdoor place, too. This could be a spot under the big oak tree at your favorite park. It could be a picnic table that you return to again and again. Maybe it's a big rock that your child loves to sit on. Whatever it is, it's a special part of the outdoor world that your child claims as his own. Possession and familiarity with just a small part of nature really helps your child feel comfortable outdoors, and he'll want to return again and again. When you're at your special spot, make sure you notice certain things about it, using the vocabulary you're learning. Reinforcing these words will really help your child connect the real object to the word.
Remember that language is a natural part of our lives. It grows out of our everyday habits and conversations like flowers grow out of the ground. Extending your child's language skills into the natural world should not be difficult or feel unnatural. In fact, it may be the perfect way to grow enthusiasm and love for your child's second language. If you would like to know more about Little Pim's natural immersive method of teaching languages, please contact us.
Photo by James Wheeler on Unsplash