Outside with baby
Duration/age
Babies love to be outside. There is so much for them to experience all year around.
In spring you could show your baby flowers growing in gardens or parks. Talk with them about the colours, the size and the smell of the flowers. Brush their fingers in the petals. Listen to their babble and respond to it.
Look how pretty this rose is. It has soft, pink petals. It smells beautiful.
In summer lie under a leafy tree with your baby. Watch the shadows of the leaves and talk about what you can see. Hold your baby up and dangle their feet so they can feel the texture of the grass.
The leaves on the trees are moving in the breeze. They are making shadows on your face.
In autumn you can explore the trees as they change colour. Hold your baby up so they can see the trees. Let them play with the fallen leaves and feel the changes as they dry out.
The trees are changing now and the leaves are falling down.
In winter you can watch the sky with your baby. Look at the clouds rushing across the sky, and talk with your baby about the wind or raindrops on their face.
The wind is blowing the clouds away. You can feel the wind on your cheeks can’t you? It feels so cold.
Materials you will need
- Your baby
- The world
Skills this activity improves
Why does this matter?
As you talk with your baby and help them to see things happening outside they will be learning that words have meaning. Gradually they will begin to understand that sky means sky and tree means tree and so on. If you keep talking to your baby and using lots of different words they will build a large vocabulary. When babies are born they are capable of using the sounds from every language on earth. As you talk with your baby they are learning which sounds they need for their home language.
What does this lead to?
Confident communicators, both speaking and in writing, are able to understand and use a large number of words. Having a large vocabulary helps us to read, write, use and understand language in our everyday lives.
Language to use
- Flower, bud, petal
- Soft, scented, smell, pretty
- Pink, yellow, mauve, blue, green
- Trees, leaves, move, sway, breeze
- Sun, shadow, dappled, sunlight
- Colours, changing, turning
- Soft, crispy, crumbly
- Cool, cold, windy, rainy
- Clouds, sun, sky
Questions to use
- Can you feel the grass tickling your toes?
- Are you looking at the sky?
- Can you hear the birds singing?
Useful tips
- You might also like to take a look at the activities Baby talk and Singing with your baby.
- Keep an eye out for bees when you and your baby are outside in the garden.
- For safety information visit www.parenting.sa.gov.au
- Remember to talk to your child in your home language.
Variation by age
Birth to two year olds
- Once your baby is crawling or walking talk with them as they explore outside.
Questions to ask
- Did you see the puppy run past? Are you following him?
- Can you reach the leaves on that plant?
Language to use
- Crawl, walk, fast, slow
- Follow, watch, reach
