First and foremost, always apply sunblock, even if the sun is not out. Sun exposure is fine, in moderation, just like everything else in life. When I bring Christopher outdoors once a day for an activity, he seems to nap better and his mood is always better.
There is so much to do outside and you do not need toys. Nature provides all the tools you need for your toddler to have fun and promote creativity.
Playing outdoors lets them create their own activities and helps approach the world differently. It also helps them create their own SELF. Montessori's perspective was that all children must create themselves & they do so using the material they find in the world around them. This could be as simple as a coconut or a rock! As parents, we should prepare the environment and let the child explore.
PRACTICAL LIFE SKILLS:
Practical life in Montessori is a purposeful activity, which provides the essence of fine and gross motor control and coordination. Practical life activities further independence, concentration & responsibility. The exercises in practical life touch two essential areas of development: care of self, and care of the environment.
Today's activity incorporated Practical Life Skills:
Collecting
Sorting
Preparing
Make up a game. I had to do some yard work today so instead of doing it while Christopher was napping, I decided to incorporate an environment for him to practice life skills. I prepared the environment with a few buckets and utilized what mother nature left on the lawn. Coconuts! There were coconuts all over the yard that had to be picked up. I prepared two buckets. One bucket was for the large coconuts and one bucket for the smaller coconuts. I then explained to him what we were going to do. His face lit up with excitement. He watched me first drop the coconuts into the different buckets. He instantly started to copy me. He did not understand fully the difference between the large and small buckets, but this is something that we will work on. Every time he picked up a coconut I would tell him if it was small or large so he will eventually understand. At 16 months, toddlers love to imitate. This is the stage of imitation and exploring. Of course, he felt so proud that he was mastering this task in his own way. It took a little bit longer, but at least he was able to help.
Sources
6 reasons children need to play outside
Claire McCarthy
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/6-reasons-children-need-to-play-outside-2018052213880Why Kids Need to Spend Time in Nature
Danielle Cohen is a freelance journalist in New York City.
https://childmind.org/article/why-kids-need-to-spend-time-in-nature/
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