A tree in your backyard is a wonderful one stop place for all things fun in summer. Nature play is so versatile that it could take any direction based on the child and mood.
With an accessible small tree, it is role play galore here.
Here are 10 ways to play on/around/under a tree we would for sure be trying in the following weeks.
- Of course climb a tree
- Paint a tree trunk with foam brushes
- Simultaneously do some big leaf painting and in our case we could do some fig painting.
- Build a nest and hang it from a tree. If you can, you could carefully place on one of the tree branches.
- Pretend to be different animals on the tree. My kid’s favorite is a koala bear. She clings on to a branch and mimics the exact sound (Thanks to wild Kratts and Diego)
- Hang colorful scarves, curtains etc and make a “ tree princess party” ( Big A coined this term)
- Hang relevant stuffed animals and make an amazon rainforest. We have so many stuffed snakes, we have to do this.
- With binoculars and a magnifying glass play could range from keeping a lookout for enemies to examining the tree trunk.
- Have a picnic under the tree.
- Gather the fruits, leaves from the tree and cook under the tree. If you have a outdoor play kitchen, this would be perfect. The whole cozy area deal really excites my kids. They seem to love any kind of nooks.
We have tried a few on the list. Relevant posts to follow.