FIVE THINGS TO TEACH WHEN OUTDOORS

1 Use leaves and other elements found in nature to point out different shapes to your toddler. Circles can be found in flowers, and the clouds have many different shapes.

2 Point out different colours to your toddler when you’re outside.

3 Teach her to count by counting the number of trees you walk past or asking her to pick a certain number of flowers to take home and put in a vase.

4 Get her to listen to different sounds: the sounds of birds singing, the crunch of twigs under your feet as you walk, and the different sounds water makes as it splashes, trickles and flows.

5 Talk to your toddler about how a plant starts its life as a seed, and that it needs rain and sunshine to grow. Show her how buds turn into flowers, and that many insects make their houses in plants.