In our increasingly digital world, kids are constantly processing and navigating streams of information. While the digital age has opened up information sharing, communication and broken down geographical barriers, it has also led to a decline in mindfulness. With entertainment at our fingertips, constant notifications and the pull of social media, living in the present can be challenging!

One of the most powerful ways to reconnect with the present is by putting technology aside and venturing into the great outdoors. Nature offers the ideal backdrop for mindfulness, inviting kids to engage their senses in a dynamic and ever-changing world.

Enjoying the outdoors can increase focus and concentration, foster emotional regulation, heighten sensory awareness and build strong connections to the outside world!

Improves concentration and focus

When kids engage in nature activities, they practice focusing their attention! They get an opportunity to break from digital distractions and overstimulation, ultimately reducing stress and promoting memory retention and concentration.

A great way to incorporate nature while boosting your kid’s focus and concentration is by encouraging them to keep a nature journal or sketchbook, which encourages observation of natural surroundings and its intricate details.

HomeLearners Network (HLN) offers awesome journaling and sketching activities. In Nature Sketchbook, kids will hand-bind their own book and use watercolour and sketching techniques, poetry, and mixed media to explore nature! They’ll also dive into topics like land stewardship, sanctuary and ecology.

In Plant Sketching & Facts, kids will explore the unique characteristics of plants, herbs and flowers while practicing their sketching skills.

Encourages emotional balance 

Being outdoors is naturally calming and reduces stress and anxiety. Nature also promotes well-being. The combination of fresh air, sunlight and physical activity supports the production of serotonin and dopamine and lowers the stress hormone cortisol!

Promoting mindful nature walks is a great way to encourage kids to slow down and connect with their emotions.

In Nature Mandalas, kids combine nature exploration and creativity! They’ll dive into the calming world of mandalas by designing their own using sticks, leaves, flowers, pinecones and more!

Similarly, in Create a Nature Suncatcher, kids will use natural materials to design a work of art that brings the beauty of the outdoors into their home!

Awakens their senses

When kids practice mindfulness in nature, they gain heightened sensory awareness by using all their senses and can appreciate an array of sensory stimuli.

Changes in colours through the seasons or watching clouds alter their shapes are examples of visual stimuli. Feeling differences in soils and barks, smelling flowers or the earth after it rains, and hearing the songs of different birds are great examples of having their other senses awakened.

A wonderful way to encourage kids to use their senses in nature is by picking a favourite outdoor spot to visit. This allows them to observe daily and seasonal changes. You can also ask meaningful questions about what they observe to help bring awareness to what they see, smell, hear and feel.

In Metazooa and Metaflora Club, kids work as a team to guess plants and animals using taxonomy and research skills. Taxonomy teaches kids to recognize patterns and relationships in nature, developing their ability to categorize using sensory information!

Similarly, in Mystery Animal Builders, kids get together to solve clues to guess a mystery animal.

Promotes environmental stewardship

Kids build emotional connections with the plants and animals that make up our ecosystems by connecting with the outdoors. They can also better understand their places within their ecological communities by participating in activities like picking up litter or caring for a garden.

Bees play essential roles in ecosystems as key pollinators, supporting the growth of fruits, vegetables and seeds. In Build a Bee Hotel, kids will learn how to nourish local bees by creating a safe bee shelter!

In Photosynthesis Play, kids will learn how plants make oxygen for us to breathe. They’ll conduct a science experiment using household items to see oxygen produced in a cup!

Whether exploring a hiking trail, a neighbourhood park, or their own backyard, nature offers countless opportunities for kids to slow down, observe, and connect with their surroundings.

Check out more of HomeLearners Network nature activities here!