By Cath Chell – Director of New and Exciting Stuff, Learn Well


Taking multi-sensory play outdoors


Research indicates that multi-sensory play helps children build nerve connections in their brain pathways. By involving all five senses, we are making magic happen! If we add the richness of the natural world to that magic, our children are in for a truly delightful experience. And all we have to do is open the door...


Well, maybe there is slightly more involved than the turning of a handle. Either way, the benefits for the children will always be worth your effort. Here are some of my ideas to help you incorporate multi-sensory play outdoors.


1. Natter in nature


The natural world gives us a treasure trove of opportunities to stop and stare, collect and count, watch and wonder. These experiences allow us to help children build a rich and varied vocabulary as they explore the colours, textures, smells, shapes and sizes of everything around them. When outdoors, be ready with lots of words to use. Instead of ‘big,’ try ‘huge,’ ‘enormous,’ ‘massive,’ or ‘gigantic!’. When looking at the surface of a leaf, go beyond its colour. Ask the children about texture – is it rough, smooth, coarse, bumpy, bristly, hairy, or soft?


a t u r e t o t 2. Branch into numbers


Exploring the great outdoors can help ignite curiosity, whilst allowing children to practice early math skills. Ask the little ones to collect leaves and compare their shapes and sizes. Which leaves are similar or different? Can they group them together? Then, see how many children it takes to join hands and wrap arms around a tree. Ask them to guess how tall it is – is it taller than them or their house?


s p l


“The best classroom and the richest


classroom are roofed only by the sky.” Reggio Emilia


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For more ideas and inspiration visit ypo.co.uk/littlelearners


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