Little HiPP Explorers Outdoor Sensory Activities
Toddler | Development |We’re big on nature. And we’re big on adventures too. That’s why we’ve partnered with our friends at the National Trust to create Little HiPP Explorers. It’s in support of their plan to plant twenty million tiny saplings by 2030. And it’s a fun packed way for you to help your own little explorer discover the natural world around them.
So, ready for your first adventure?
Whether they’re in a baby sling, buggy or big enough to toddle, the great outdoors is even greater with your little one. They find wonder in everything; fallen leaves, puddles, spider webs, sticks, stones and wiggly worms. But best of all, as parents, we get to enjoy the magic of their discoveries, right by their side.
Introducing your little one to all that nature has to offer is a great way to stimulate their senses. Sight, sound, smell and touch all help them to make sense of their surroundings.
There’s so much to see and feel with those curious little fingers. Colours. Shapes. Textures. They can’t resist picking up ‘treasure’, poking it, or turning it over and over in their tiny hands for a closer look, squish or scrunch.
Little things like listening out for sounds – birdsong or perhaps a snapping twig – can spark conversation (“who made that sound?”) or send you off on an unexpected adventure (“let’s see where that noise came from...”)
While different scents can help them recognise and associate smells with different places, things or seasons; like cut grass in summer, wildflowers in a meadow, or manure in a stable.
Sensory play is incredibly important for brain development, helping to build nerve connections in the brain’s pathways. It helps support cognitive growth, speech development, social interaction and gross motor skills. So, if you need an excuse to get out and go wild, there’s no better reason!
Here’s a couple of ideas for easy nature play ideas to spark your little one’s senses:
Texture tray (6m+)
Gather a touch-tingling array of nature’s weird and wonderful textures – rough and knobbly pinecones, smooth leaves, tickly feathers, cold pebbles – and pop them on a tray for your little explorer to investigate. Handling objects is great for developing fine motor skills and all of nature’s amazing textures will help your little one learn about the world around them. (It goes without saying, but make sure to supervise your little explorer while they handle small objects!)
Colour buckets (18m+)
For little explorers that are a little more worldly wise, how about an exploration of nature’s brilliant rainbow? Gather some coloured bowls or buckets and encourage your little one to fill them with coloured objects from nature. A dandelion in the yellow bucket, a sprig of berries in the red bucket, an acorn in the brown bucket, you get the idea! (Remember to keep a close eye on your little explorer to keep their treasures in the buckets, and not in mouths!).
Source:
1. https://www.educationalplaycare.com/blog/sensory-play-important-development/
