There’s nothing better than a freebie! That word “free” always catches the eye – as a little girl it was the first word I learnt to read at the supermarket. But, what about nature’s free gifts?  Do we notice these as much and how can we use them to help our Children learn?

Perhaps we don’t spot them as they might not be as obvious – there’s no “buy one, get one free” stickers in nature, although in reality nature’s special offers are far better value as they feed not only our body and mind but our wellbeing too. So, hand-in-hand with our children let’s explore nature’s treasure basket and discover the free and found resources in the natural world that provide valuable Learning and development experiences.

You may be aware of the Early Years Foundation Stage that is used in early years provision to promote children’s learning and development.  This incorporates seven areas of learning that nature’s free and found resources can support.  The list is endless – below are just a few suggestions for you to try.

• Personal, social and emotional development

As a child there’s nothing quite like making a den – big enough for them and their friends or small enough to be a house for a mouse.  After collecting all their materials together (some great problem-solving skills needed there) den building can really build your child’s self-confidence as they set and achieve their goals.  It can also help them to connect with others as they work together, developing social skills and learning how to compromise and negotiate.  There’s nothing better after building a den than sitting inside and feeling good about your achievement.

• Physical development

What about making your own obstacle course together to help your child develop  their gross motor skills as they jump in puddles, climb over fallen trees, and run through long swishy grass.  Don’t forget those fine motor skills too by picking up treasures along the way like leaves, petals and sticks. Or maybe they could make some delicious squishy mud pies that are mixed with stick whisks and “cooked” in a tree trunk oven for the fairies and pixies?

• Communication and language

Being outdoors gives our children the opportunity to listen to the sounds that are unique to the outdoors.  They might be noisy like leaves on a tree in the wind or a quiet like the sound of waves in a seashell held to their ear.   The outdoor also presents an ideal opportunity for children to learn new words when they describe the colours and names of the leaves they collected from the ground in autumn. Or what about making a journey stick together (a stick,  decorated with leaves, feathers, or other items collected from your walk) of your adventures that can prompt the retelling of the story when you return home?

• Literacy

We want our children to develop a lifelong love of books so what about making your own using what you can find when you are out and about?  This could inspire your own unique stories that are special to you and your children.  Perhaps a stone with a hole through it that was once on a giant’s necklace or the seaweed from a mermaid’s hair.

• Mathematics

Resources from nature can be used in so many ways to support maths – counting and bundling sticks, sorting pebbles by colour and size, looking for patterns or making a sundial from a stick and watching and talking about the passing of time

• Understanding the world

Interacting with and exploring the sight, sound, touch, smell and taste of nature helps our children to connect to and understand the world around them. Experimenting with the resources they find and using these for making potions and perfumes, for example, can help children understand the properties of materials and helps to build their knowledge. 

• Expressive arts and design

Nature provides some of the best craft materials. Rather than buying resources, try using leaves, flowers and sticks or making your own paint with mud or confetti with a hole punch and some leaves.

Next time you and your child are outside, take a different look at the natural world and ask yourselves is it just a stick or is it a wand, a fishing pole, a horse, a stirring spoon…

Family Corner, the Early Years Alliance’s family arm, includes a range of ideas, information and advice on how you can support your child’s learning at-home. For more details, please visit

Family Corner | Features and tips about your child’s development