Go outside and stop narrating
I’m headed into the woods to talk with families about how to use time in nature to nurture their toddlers speech and language skills. A quick google of the topic leads to dozens of pages describing the importance of narrating kids’ experiences and all the novelty they might experience.
I disagree.
Time in nature is a perfect opportunity to nurture the invisible and silent skills that help kids’ speech, language, and literacy skills. There are four:
Agency—the ability to make decisions that impact the world.
Curiosity—the desire to learn and know
Attention—the ability to maintain focus
Listening—paying attention to all that can be heard
Each of these vital skills benefits from uninterrupted time to engage with the wonders of the natural world. So pause, and resist the urge to narrate every move you or your child makes. Instead, wait, listen, notice, and wonder. Trust them to learn from their own experiences and surprise you with the things they learn on their own. I’ll break each of these invisible skills down and share other tips for nurturing them in upcoming posts.