How To Encourage Pre-schoolers To Learn To Love Nature And The Outdoors

Posted by GeorgieMOE, 26 May, 2022

Children are naturally curious and the little scientist in all of them loves to explore and discover all the sights, sounds and scents around them, and no-where can these be found the most and in intensity that in the beautiful outdoors.

Nature Is The Perfect Classroom

Nature provides the perfect classroom for problem-solving, STEM activities, discovery, creativity, and experimentation, which is why we are huge on encouraging pre-schoolers to love nature and the outdoors. But how can you help to harness that passion? Below are 6 easy ways to encourage their love of outside and the MOE Products to encourage them.

1. Set The Example, Get Out More

By spending plenty of time as a family or class outdoors, your children will naturally come to love it as much as you do. Farms, parks, green spaces, gardens, beaches, forests: you name it and if it’s outside then visit as often as you can.

2. Encourage Exploration, Even If It’s Messy

Let them get dirty, create an outdoors mess, jump in puddles, kick up leaf piles and turn over logs looking for critters… all that natural exploration will lend to a definite love of nature and the outdoors.

3. Try Outdoor Sports To Engage Them

If you can why not enrol your children into some fun, action-packed outdoor sports clubs? Not only is it good for their physical wellbeing, it’s also fantastic for encouraging teamwork, co-ordination and a keenness to be outside. If you don’t have any clubs in your area that your child wants to join, then create your own outdoor sports opportunities in your local park or garden. Cricket, cycling, scootering, football, rounders… it all counts.

4. Teach Them Fun Outdoor Skills

We’re not talking full on Bear Grylls ‘surviving on worms for a week’ but teaching children age-appropriate survival skills is not only a good way to encourage a love of the outdoors, but it’s fun and useful too. Try:

Teaching them how to use a compass and map, a treasure hunt is perfect for this.
Creating campfires and toasting marshmallows, everyone loves a campfire.
Building a shelter in the form of a den or fort, extra points for making it rain proof!

5.Plant And Grow Flowers & Vegetables

Now is the perfect time of year to plant and grow things and your children will love this ongoing, STEM-focused outdoor activity. It’s also a good excuse to teach them about being self sufficient and more eco-friendly in terms of growing your own edibles.

6.Use Natural Resources For Craft Projects

Twigs, stones, leaves, mud: there are so many wonderful natural resources to collect when it comes to a fun-packed, child-led craft activity.

MOE Products To Help Them Enjoy Outdoor Learning More

Check out these fantastic products below to see how some of our handpicked range can help aid your pre-schoolers to get outside more:

Outdoor Planter Bench: Now here’s a blooming lovely product that will bring plenty of fun learning opportunities to your outside areas: our new Planter Bench Combo! Pre-schoolers will love planting their own veggies, flowers and herbs and then taking a seat while they wait for things to grow.

Wooden Tuff Tray: This versatile Early Years product can be used for non-stop creative, messy, sensory and imaginative group play activities, and makes a fantastic addition to any outdoor learning and play area for pre-schoolers. Extend the fun by creating scavenger hunts to find natural resources to add to your tuff tray set ups.

See-through Discovery Planter: An essential STEM and Nature resource that will enable children to take part in a range of learning opportunities in an interactive way, this handcrafted planter includes a clear Perspex viewing window for children to observe roots and any unexpected mini guests.

Mixing Table: Our Mixing Table is the perfect Early Years resource designed to encourage interactive play and to help with developing fine motor skills. Expect endless Montessori-inspired activities for pre-schoolers of a messy and sensory play nature and, with its two bowls, team work is also a feature of this handcrafted, outdoor essential.

Wooden Scavenger Hunt: Take your toddlers and pre-schoolers on an exciting scavenger hunt with this beautiful, hand painted, Birchwood set. Designed with Forest School activities in mind, children will be able to hone their observational skills while being on child-led adventures in nature.

Bug Box & Hotel: With summer around the corner now is the ideal time to kit your outdoor learning areas and Forest School settings out with our handcrafted, deluxe Bug Box and Hotel. Featuring five hatches that children can open and explore with, this Bug Hotel is perfect as a viewing station for all kinds of mini beasts.

Outdoor Den: Set up your very own lookout and bird watching area with our wonderful, camouflaged den. This easy to move around den also has a unique foldaway mechanism which means it can be popped up and down whenever you need it.

Garden Bird Board: You have your bird spotting den, now you need our wooden, handcrafted Garden Bird Board to go with it. Children can compare the board to what their spotting all while picking up language, communication and collaborative skills at the same time.

Buddy Bench: What better way to soak up nature than to sit on a bench with a friend and spot birds, make shapes from clouds and count leaves on trees? Pop one of our Buddy Benches into you garden or outside areas and you’ve got your very own pre-school hang out zone.

Need More Inspiration? Talk To Use Today

If you need any further advice on outdoors learning ideas or want to know more about our Forest School and outdoor range of resources, do get in touch with our friendly team today.
We’re always happy to help!

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