Your children may or may not tend to need an invitation to play with nature but after a few busy days away sometimes creating a calm activity with nature may suit you and your children’s needs.
There are many invitation to play ideas, using nature in your backyard. Here are a few options:
Invitation to play ideas using natural materials
Set one up an invitation to play yourself
Setting up your own invitation to play with nature area is pretty simple. Keep it simple and collect some natural materials together and lay them out on a table with some craft accessories like glue, string, and paint. This space won’t take much set up and the kids will be drawn to it straight away. You never know what they’ll create.
Build a nature-filled garden
The best form of play, in my opinion, is when it just happens. Spending time adding nature to your garden creates a space where nature play can happen over and over again. After the initial plantings, you won’t need to set anything up as nature will do it all for you. Here are some simple additions to think about when creating your nature-filled garden:
- Plant lot of flora with different textures, colours, and smells.
- Add bush tucker, edible plants, and trees
- Don’t forget some water. This could be a simple pond or a more extravagant trickling creek.
Provide nature play stations
There are so many opportunities to create a backyard space that allows plenty of invitations to play with nature. Here’s just a few but you can find more on my nature play spaces Pinterest Board.
- Nature Weave – This backyard nature weave is stunning and can be used any time you need mindful, calm kids.
- Mud Kitchen – a mud kitchen is a perfect invitation to play idea. So mud and glorious to play with.Â
- Nature Craft Play Space – set up a space that allows children to craft using natural materials. It’s very easy to set up.Â
Nature is so versatile and I want my children to think creatively and use it in a variety of ways. Â So, I intend to play with nature alongside my children more often. I believe modeling creativity can help build creativity.
Do you ever make a craft or play alongside your children? Do you think your play helps build their creativity?
More invitation to play ideas using natural materials
Nice post. I like your process not product approach!
Thanks Mary. From someone who was product approach a lot, I’ve had to learn to let go of the control because that’s how they will be creative thinkers. It’s been hard though. I just have to practice!
Very cute. I think one of the best ways to help kids with their creativity is to play next to them. Perfect idea.
Thanks Tammy. I think it lets us get creative also. We don’t get that much of a chance anymore so it’s great for us too!