With the school holidays behind us and sunny weekends still calling, chances are your children have spent plenty of time outdoors lately. Parks, playgrounds, and open spaces are often a go-to for families, and they offer so many opportunities for learning and development through play. With a few simple ideas, you can support your child’s skills while they’re having fun (and they won’t even realise it!).
Make the most of playgrounds
Playground equipment supports a wide range of skills, from gross and fine motor development to sensory processing. Encourage your child to explore different pieces of equipment and try new ways of moving, climbing, swinging, and balancing.
Create obstacle courses together
Use the playground to design a simple obstacle course with your child. This adds purpose to their play, encourages them to try new challenges, and supports focus, sequencing, and following instructions.
Give purposeful tasks
Offering specific challenges can help children stay engaged and build attention skills. This might include finding a certain number of items (“Can you find three sticks?”), spotting colours (“Can you find four green leaves?”), or completing equipment a certain number of times or in a particular way.
Try a scavenger hunt
Before heading out, create a short list together of things to find at the park or playground. Scavenger hunts encourage problem-solving, attention, and persistence as children search for their ‘treasure’.
Turn discoveries into art
Use collected items such as leaves, sticks, feathers, or sand to create an artwork when you get home (or even at the park). This supports fine motor skills, creativity, imagination, and sensory processing through exploring different textures.
Encourage imaginative play
Parks are perfect for creative play. Children might build a fort, create a shop, pretend they’re sailing a boat, or invent a game. Imaginative play also supports communication skills, especially when playing with peers.
Sand play
Bring buckets and shovels and encourage your child to dig, build, and explore. Sand play is fantastic for sensory development, fine motor skills, and imaginative play.
Build language and communication
Try storytelling games where children act out animals, objects, or characters. You can also encourage them to describe what they see, such as the texture of tree bark or the colours of leaves around them.
Play ‘I Spy’
This classic game is a calmer activity that still supports problem-solving, attention, and communication. It’s a great way to slow things down after lots of active play.
Drawing or journalling
For older or creative children, encourage them to bring a journal or notebook to draw or write about their experience. They might sketch the environment, write a short story, or record their favourite moments from the day.
Outdoor play does not need to be complicated or highly structured to be valuable. Even small moments of purposeful play can support your child’s development across movement, communication, attention, and emotional regulation. Most importantly, it offers a meaningful opportunity to connect, slow down, and enjoy time together while learning through play.