The benefits of teaching your child about nature

Once upon a time, when we were kids, we got home from school, grabbed a bite to eat and headed back outside to go and play. Today, kids are engrossed by their screens, spending much of their time indoors on games consoles and phones when they could be outdoors, exploring the wonders that nature has to offer. Exploring and learning about nature is a vital part of a child’s development. It can help to shape their character, making them bolder, more confident and providing them with an array of skills.

At nursery settings, like Kiddi Caru , children will have time to play outdoors together, developing their social interaction skills and learning to collaborate. So, what are you waiting for? Get the wellies out and unleash your kids into the great outdoors – there are a multitude of benefits to teaching your child about nature and this article will list a few!

Creative benefits

Whether they’re climbing up trees to escape an evil villain, or finding the best stick to use as a wand to become a powerful wizard, nature can provide endless inspiration for imaginative play. Playing outdoors will require your child to be resourceful, in order to entertain themselves.

What’s more, your child’s creative experience outdoors could be further explored by using natural elements that they find in arts and crafts. Your child could collect leaves, twigs or shells (if you have access to a beach) and later use these to create an artistic masterpiece! What’s more, whilst collecting your natural supplies, you could teach your child all about the seasons, finding leaves in autumn and explaining why trees lose them.

Environmental benefits

It’s crucial that we promote habits in our day-to-day lives that we wish for our children to learn from and follow. Your child might not understand the importance of placing recyclables into the correct bins, so it’s important that you make a conscious effort to teach them why we do this.

To supplement your child’s understanding of the effect that our actions can have on our environment, teaching them about nature will help them to respect their surroundings. Why not explore your garden or local park for insects! If you’re lucky enough to spot a honey bee you could explain the pollination process and teach them about the role that bees play in our eco-system.

Health benefits

If you make a conscious effort to teach your child the value of leading a balanced and healthy lifestyle, by promoting exercise and a well-rounded diet, you should also implement nature and time spent outdoors. Spending time in nature can have an array of health benefits, including gaining Vitamin D from the sun, which will aid your child’s growth, strengthening their bones, teeth and muscles.

Immersing your child in their natural surroundings will not only benefit them physically, but also mentally. It has been proven to improve your mood, confidence and stress to name a few and promoting a good psychological well-being from a young age can have life-long mental health benefits for your child.

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Time spent together outdoors, exploring nature is time well spent. Not only can it aid your child’s development, providing them with a wealth of skills and knowledge of the world around them, it’s a great excuse to spend more time together, having fun. Although the great outdoors is a wonderful place for kids to figure things out for themselves, don’t be afraid to join in, have some fun and make some long-lasting memories together.