With the days getting shorter and weather getting colder it can become a challenge to get outdoors, but it鈥檚 the perfect time to wrap up warm and get out and about with your child.
Despite the occasional gloom, there are lots of ways that you can make the most of the late autumn and winter seasons and witness the exciting things happening outside together as the leaves turn colour and the frost settles on the ground.
It鈥檚 a perfect opportunity for some language learning!
Download and print a free adventure checklist below!
Why is the outdoors so great for language learning?
Janet Cooper is a speech and language therapist. She explains how an outdoor walk can benefit your child and how to make the most of your adventure鈥
鈥淭he outdoors gives us a chance to use our senses - sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. As the outdoors is ever-changing this leads to opportunities to introduce new vocabulary and experiences.
鈥淏y engaging the five senses in language learning, you create an immersive experience that goes beyond just memorising vocabulary and grammar rules.
鈥Multisensory (using all the senses) learning allows for a deeper understanding of the language you experience. For most children new language can be more easily learnt and remembered when it links to an experience that engages the senses.
鈥Concept words such as 'cold', 'wet' and 'sharp' are much easier to understand from a real activity than from a picture.
鈥淔or some children the unpredictable can be a challenge, so if your child needs a more structured routine, plan ahead for an outdoor adventure. Talk about what you might see, hear, smell and feel.
鈥淚ntroduce some of the key words before you set off and, if possible, show photographs and pictures to identify some of the key words you may come across.
鈥Take a few photographs while you are out so that you can look back on the outdoor experience and talk about what you did afterwards. This will really help build memory and reinforce the language you have used.鈥
What to spot
Spotting and naming things is a fun and interactive way for you to introduce your child to the new things that they are seeing around them.
On your morning stroll or evening walk, you and your child can use your senses to explore the world.
To give you an idea of the types of things to spot during your adventure, here is a checklist that you can use and some prompts to help introduce your child to new words.
Can you and your child tick off everything before spring?
As you spot things, remember all of the senses: Help your child think about what they can see, hear, smell and touch.
Always be careful before touching plants you don鈥檛 recognise!
Birds
1. Crows
2. Magpies
3. Robins
4. Blackbirds
5. Ducks
6. Geese
Sentences to introduce new word connections:
"Look at the bird鈥檚 feathers."
"How do you think they would feel - smooth or rough? Soft or hard?"
"Look at the bird鈥檚 wings. He flaps his wings to make him fly."
"Look at the bird鈥檚 beak. What food do you think he will eat?"
"Can you hear the bird chirping or quacking?"
"Look at the birds flying in the sky."
Minibeasts
7. Worms
8. Snails
9. Spiders
10. Woodlice
Sentences to introduce new word connections:
"Isn鈥檛 it small?"
"This worm is long."
"Is the snail slimy?"
"Look at the wiggly worm!"
"The woodlouse runs quickly. The snail moves slowly."
11. Squirrels
Sentences to introduce new word connections:
"Look at the furry squirrel!"
"It has a bushy tail."
"That squirrel is very quick!"
"Squirrels can climb trees."
"See how they jump and scamper along."
Trees
12. Trees without leaves
13. Trees with leaves
Sentences to introduce new word connections:
That鈥檚 a tall tree! Which is the tallest tree? Which is the smallest?
The bark on the tree trunk looks very rough!
14. Green leaves
15. Red leaves
16. Yellow leaves
Sentences to introduce new word connections:
"Aren鈥檛 the leaves colourful!"
"These leaves look very small!"
17. Pine cones
18. Acorns
19. Conkers
Sentences to introduce new word connections:
"This pine cone feels spiky."
"The skin of this conker is smooth."
A winter world
20. A stone or pebble
Sentences to introduce new word connections:
"Doesn鈥檛 this pebble feel smooth?"
"Look at the grey rock!"
"This stone is very hard."
21. Frost on grass or walls
Sentences to introduce new word connections:
"Can you feel the frost on the grass? Isn鈥檛 it cold! Look how it melts when you touch it."
22. Puddles
Sentences to introduce new word connections:
"Can you hear the splashing when we walk through the puddles?"
"Shall we jump in the next puddle?"
"Can you hear the raindrops hitting this puddle?"
23. Rain clouds
Sentences to introduce new word connections:
"Those clouds look very grey! They are floating across the sky."
"I think those are rain clouds, shall we put on a coat?"
24. Mud
Sentences to introduce new word connections:
"All the rain has made the ground very wet and muddy!"
"Be careful! The mud is slippy! It makes a squelchy sound when you tread in it."
25. Sunsets
Sentences to introduce new word connections:
"Look at the colours in the sky - red, orange, blue, yellow."
"Watch the sun dropping down."
"It is disappearing."
"Soon it will be dark until the sun comes back again in the morning.
26. Stars
Sentences to introduce new word connections:
"Can you see the stars twinkling in the sky?"
"There are lots of stars."
"Look at the patterns they make."
"They are very shiny and bright."
27. The moon
Sentences to introduce new word connections:
"The moon is shining tonight!"
"It is bright."
"Look at the shape (round, big or small depending on when you are looking)."
Tips for your adventure
Take the time to point out and name all the interesting things you can see, touch, hear or smell. Follow their interest as a topic of conversation, for example, if they say 鈥渂ird鈥, you can say, 鈥淵es, that鈥檚 a bird in the tree.鈥 You鈥檒l find that the more you do this, the more they learn.
To keep your little one entertained, you could turn your spotting into a classic game of I Spy.
This gets them thinking about the different characteristics of the things they see, for example, 鈥淚 Spy, with my little eye a wiggly worm鈥︹ 鈥淲orms are small and wiggly.鈥
When out and about, bring your checklist and pick out items around you that you can talk about.
There are also many sounds that鈥檒l you鈥檒l hear when you go out walking, from the whistling of the wind to the splashes of puddles and the chirping of the birds.
Together you can encourage your child to become more confident in identifying what they hear.
