Spending Time Outdoors with Children During a Pandemic

May 26, 2020

With social distancing in place now and for the foreseeable future due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still many ways for parents and children to get a healthy dose of nature while still practicing good social distancing.

Nature exploration can happen in your own yard. Children can find twigs, leaves, pinecones, rocks, and flowers, and they try to identify the kind of tree or flower they came from, and design patterns with their findings.

Go for a bike ride in your neighborhood as a family. It’s a great way to get fresh air and sunshine while also staying physically active.

Explore walking and hiking trails and take advantage of the beautiful mild weather to get outside, away from people and things.

Let children play in the rain. They will draw a deeper connection to the joy, wonder, and power of nature. It builds motor skills and heightens their senses with the scents, sounds, feel, and taste of the rain.

Kick or throw a ball around with your toddlers and preschoolers. You can use things you find around the house to play a makeshift game of soccer or bowling in the yard. Kids will love the creativity!

Even infants and toddlers can play and learn in nature. They can crinkle dry leaves, feel the texture of shrubs and trees, breathe in the scents of flowers and freshly cut grass, grab and feel soil with their hands and toes, listen to birds chirping and singing, and play in puddles.

Challenge older children. Stay engaged with the outdoors as a family. Take advantage of this time to bond over activities everyone enjoys.

Call us today at 410.312.5233 for more information about our programs.