Spring is almost here! For some parents, this means your kids will be outside all the time. Other kids may need some encouragement, and what better way to do this than with some new toys? Let’s look at a few interactive, learning-based nature toys to help your child get away from their screens and into the outside world!
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1) Bug Box
This is a fun option for younger kids or those who may not be as proactive about getting their hands dirty while exploring. A Bug Box will help your child learn more about the textures, shapes, and colors that can be found outside without actually needing to be outside. Your child can play an active role in finding objects they want to learn more about, or parents and older siblings can collect items for them to look at from the safety of inside. Your child will also learn more about cause-and-effect by learning what certain animals eat, what leaves are found on certain trees, and where certain nature tools can be found. This will encourage their visual tracking and object recognition skills as they peer at the details they didn’t see before. To manipulate these objects, children will learn fine motor skills and be able to tolerate a range of new textures.
2) Bird House
Kids may be just getting to the age where they are interested in other animals and taking care of them. They may be learning about feeding the cat or walking the dog, so take it one step further and teach them about birds and their nests. Your child will use their creativity to decorate this bird house, while you engage in a conversation about the project at-hand. Your child can learn about the types of birds, what they eat, and how they behave during the day and night. Children can also learn about safety, since the bird house will need to be positioned far enough off the ground to be safe from bears, cats, and dogs. Kids might also like to hear how squirrels often interact with birds!
3) Binoculars
To go along with their new bird house, your child will love their first pair of binoculars! This will allow them to focus on relaxation and emotion regulation while working on visual tracking, scanning, object discrimination, and attention to detail. Children can look at birds, different types of landscape, squirrels, animals, and anything else that can be found in nature. Your child might also like to experiment with their binoculars inside while looking at household objects up close. This can help them learn various perspectives and even use some critical thinking to guess what items are without looking outside their binoculars.
4) Butterfly Catcher Kit
Your kids can get a jump start on a popular school project -- watching butterflies grow. They can learn about cause-and-effect relationships, following directions, sequencing and organizing steps, and more, while they prepare the butterflies for their transformative journey. They can learn about the passage of time and the value of patience as they watch, wait, and maybe even record what they see! You can teach your child about time by having them mark days off on a calendar until each step is completed.
5) Wonders of Nature book
Every kid needs a great nature book to supplement all the outside play. This can be a great option if your child loves reading or if you don’t have the time or know-how to teach them about the great outdoors. Kids can take this book outside to match up items there with topics talked about in the book, or they can get their feet wet before venturing outside to explore on their own. Either way, this book is sure to stimulate your child’s imagination while encouraging learning and a sense of community with what is around them.
6) Dinosaur Block Play Set
Okay -- dinosaurs aren’t something we find in nature these days. But your kids will still love pretending! This durable wooden block set is a great toy to take outside and use in the dirt or sand to give your child a more authentic play experience. This will enhance their imaginative play while strengthening their critical thinking to create trails, scenarios, mountains, and whatever else their hearts desire.
7) Woodland Animals Masks
This is a great way to teach kids the game of charades. You can encourage them to make noises and movements to mimic some of their favorite animals -- and maybe some new ones, too. They can learn more about expressive and receptive communication while enhancing their gross motor skills at the same time. If they are too young or not interested in this game, they can always learn how to use the masks on their own (building those fine motor skills!) and learn about the animals they are impersonating. This may help them build the early skills needed to someday participate in charades or other pretend play.
8) National Geographic Geode Kit
Your young explorer will love to dig, dig, dig, and dig with this Geode Kit. This gives them a chance to build that upper body strength, coordination, fine motor skills, timing, visual discrimination, and work on their aim. Kids will love finding what’s inside, which will only add to their motivation to work harder and get to the center. This is a great solo or group activity, as kids can break into pairs and see who can uncover each of their goodies faster.
9) Frog Hatchery
For kids who prefer reptiles to insects but still want to see things grow, go with the Frog Hatchery to help them learn cause-and-effect as well as timing and following directions. They will need to learn patience and also remain organized to stick to each step and get everything done right to ensure the frogs hatch when they are meant to!
10) Nature Scavenger Hunt
With winter and self-quarantine coming to an end, your child has likely explored everything there is to see within the four walls of your home. Now encourage them to get outside and learn all there is to learn about nature with this scavenger hunt. This is a great activity for kids young and old to get connected with their roots while working together to see what they can find. This will build visual scanning skills, judgment, safety awareness, cooperation and teamwork, following directions, matching objects, and more. Scavenger hunts are a wonderful way to get your kids’ wheels turning!
11) Model Airplanes
This is a good way for kids to focus on those STEM skills, while having a great outdoor outlet to test them out in. Kids can focus on following instructions, sequencing tasks, organizing pieces, translating images into physical directions, and more. Kids can work together or alone on these projects and then head to a wide open space where they can test them out individually or even race them to the end of a nearby field. The possibilities are endless!
There are loads of screen-free options to get your kid active, engaged, and learning about nature in the most interactive way possible. Look into some of these toys to get your child’s creativity and thirst for knowledge going while building their skills in a range of areas!