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Playing outdoors is extremely beneficial for child development, as the experience promotes exploration and sensory enrichment. And fortunately, getting your little one outside doesn’t have to always mean leaving the house. If you want to keep playtime and learning close to home this spring, then here are five fun backyard activities you can do with your child this season.

What Are Some Spring Backyard Activities for Kids?

1. Plan a Picnic

Eating outdoors for a lunchtime picnic can be a great way to take a break from the dining room. Plan a meal full of nutritional snacks that your kids can help prepare. Once it’s time to eat, lay out a blanket in the backyard and enjoy the refreshing scenery. If you’re looking to work on improving the sensory elements of child development, you might even consider using picnic items for a blindfolded taste test challenge.

2. Dig Around in Sand

Sandboxes are an inexpensive and simple resource that can deliver hours of fun in the backyard. In addition to enhancing sensory skills, playing with sand helps kids get more familiar with the concept of physical space. Lifting and pushing sand can also help children develop many different muscle groups they’ll need to improve their overall coordination.  

3. Break Out the Chalk

child development-Cottleville-St.Charles-MOIf you have concrete pavement outside, turn it into a surface for sidewalk chalk. For general creative encouragement, let your child use the chalk independently and ask questions about what their illustrations mean.  It can also be a great way to write the alphabet, draw shapes, or learn early math concepts.  

4. Unleash Imagination With Boxes  

When you have empty shipping boxes lying around the house, consider bringing them out to the backyard before tossing them in the recycling bin. These simple resources can serve as a blank canvas for your child’s imagination. Whether they envision themselves flying a spaceship or playing in a fort, kids will use the cardboard boxes to imagine many different, exciting worlds.

5. Build a Bird Feeder

Bird feeders are an easy, affordable craft for kids to make at home. To start, evenly coat a toilet paper roll with honey and then roll it in a dish of birdseed until it’s covered. Loop and tie a long string through the tube and hang the finished feeder from a tree branch. Have your kids watch for hungry birds so they can identify different species and learn about the natural world.

 

When your kids need a space to play, learn, and grow outside of the home, Great Beginnings offers a wide range of child development programs. Providing early childhood education in Cottleville and St. Charles, MO, this experienced staff is committed to creating immersive, hands-on learning experiences that help little ones socialize, have fun, and prepare for kindergarten. To learn more about their preschool education offerings, visit this child learning center online. For questions about enrollment, call 636-447-4212 to reach the Cottleville location or (636) 724-5048 to reach the St. Charles location.   

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