Nature Play in the Park for 3-4-Year-Olds
Nature Play in the Park is a free nature-based outdoor learning program for 3-4 year olds. It fosters curiosity, creativity, and important thinking and learning skills through super fun nature play activities – we may be biased but we say it’s even better than a nature playgroup!
Nature Play in the Park for 3-4 Year Olds
As research consistently demonstrates that time spent in nature is associated with better overall child health, increased physical activity, better sleep and mental well-being, our Nature Play in the Park program has been thoughtfully designed to encourage families to enjoy playful time in nature together.
What Happens at Nature Play in the Park?
The Nature Play in the Park program involves a free, one hour session per week for eight weeks, held in a local park. At each session children and their caregivers:
- Engage in fun, open-ended playful activities outdoors, including nature walks, treasure hunts, sensory play and imaginary play; and
- Enjoy creative experiences, such as making boats and potions from natural elements and singing together; and
- Get involved with simple food preparation, including making rainbow fruit kebabs, guacamole and salad wraps or ‘fun’ sandwiches.
To help caregivers get the most out of the park sessions, we also provide a 10–15 minute weekly podcast introducing the upcoming activities and how they relate to the program’s core themes of outdoor play, healthy eating, physical activity, and child development.
We encourage those attending to engage with this material before they attend each week as the material has been designed to help caregivers make the most of the program with their child. Registered families receive this content via email each week.
Why Nature Play in the Park?
Nature Play in the Park invites preschoolers to become more connected to nature, and the sessions have been designed to promote positive changes in the key areas of physical activity, emotional wellbeing, behavioural development and nutrition.
Each session has been created in consultation with a qualified teacher and nutritionist and is delivered by Nature Play WA staff.
Beyond having lots of fun engaging in nature with all of their senses, the 3-4 year old attendees are also supported to develop communication skills, greater independence, risk assessment and safety skills (what’s safe to explore) and a whole list of lifelong learning skills, such as persistence, resilience, problem solving and confidence.
But don’t just take our word for it! Check out what some of our previous participants have had to say.
I saw my daughter grow in confidence and express herself more and more throughout the activities each week.
[Nature Play in the Park is] a fun, positive program that celebrates the things we have around us that we can use to play and reminds us adults to play even when there is no obvious setting for it; because kids see play everywhere.
I would absolutely recommend the program to other families. I recommended it through the term and would again in a heartbeat. It’s wonderful for children’s development and also amazing for parents to learn and be inspired with different play strategies and ideas. We miss it already!
See Nature Play in the Park in action at the City of Vincent
Here’s a peek into what a weekly session involves;
Where to Find Nature Play in the Park
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Frequently Asked Questions
Want to know more?
For Local Government representatives interested in having Nature Play in the Park delivered at a local park for their residents, please contact Sarah McGowan, Strategic Business Manager, for more information via sarah@natureplaywa.org.au
