Benefits of music in early childhood education
Music helps children to develop their social, physical and communication skills. Discover more about the benefits of music in early childhood education.
Being outdoors is essential for young children’s development. It’s a rich environment full of stimulating experiences for all five senses, from fragrant flowers to the sound of birdsong, to the rich and varied textures of different plants.
At Partou it’s our priority to provide daily access to outdoor space in all our nurseries, with a variety of exciting outdoor sensory activities for preschoolers. But there’s lots you can do to make the most of the great outdoors away from nursery, too. Here are some outdoor sensory play ideas, to support your child’s development at home.
Stop for a moment and sniff the air. There’s so much that our sense of smell can tell us about our environment! Different smells can be deeply evocative of time and place. This can help children recall past events and experiences.
You can help your child to distinguish between different smells, with sensory activities such as smell walks. What do you smell as you walk through freshly cut grass? Is someone having a barbecue – how can you tell? How do these smells make you feel?
Alternatively, it can be a lot of fun just to compare the smell of different flowers and herbs in your garden or local park. Alternatively you can grow different plants and flowers in your house (herbs are nice easy ones) you can do smelling activities at home too. The most wonderful part of this experience is getting your child to plant them and look after them themselves. This gives children a great insight into the life cycle and scientific thinking. You are able to introduce rich new vocabulary, and most importantly, give them an opportunity to look after something else. Responsibility is a great skill for children to learn and they beam with joy at being awarded the trust with a task.
Toddlers and preschoolers are usually in their element outside. However, there are lots of games and activities that you can do together, to make the most of the great outdoors.
Whatever you see, hear, touch, taste or smell, use adjectives to describe the sensations. Is that leaf soft or scratchy? Does that flower smell sweet?
Our senses are tools to help us make sense of the world around us. So sensory play is the perfect way for toddlers and preschoolers to explore different sensations and what they mean.
At Partou, we routinely incorporate sensory activities into children’s outdoor play. Activities include:
Music helps children to develop their social, physical and communication skills. Discover more about the benefits of music in early childhood education.
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