The very youngest of children will find going for walks a stimulating experience, and regular access to the outdoors is as important for babies and toddlers as it is for Foundation Stage children.
Think about the opportunities presented by different forms of transport - buggies, prams or feet - as you explore the locality. If a baby or toddler is facing towards you, there are opportunities for conversations, verbal and non-verbal. If they are in a buggy, facing away from you, the children are ideally placed to see the environment around them, but you will need to have regular stops to look at things together and talk about them.
You will have to get down to the children's level, or pick them up, so that you can both see the same things. If you are exploring on foot then you can easily respond to the children's interests and can stop at times of their choice.
As Birth to Three Matters demonstrates, babies and young children will respond to the multi-sensory experiences available to them in the outdoor built environment. They will become aware of the different sights, sounds, smells and textures, and will experience the sensations of warm and cold, wet and dry, windy and still, noisy and quiet, busy and calm, light and shadow. Their awareness of the world around them - of buildings, traffic, parks, gardens and people - can only come from first-hand experience.
When you take babies and toddlers out to experience the built environment, use the opportunities to:
* note the skills babies use to make contact - for example, inclining their heads, wiggling their toes, eye contact, banging, smiling, vocalising
* notice how the gestures and sounds of very young babies change when you respond to them
* talk about what you see, hear, smell and feel around you
* talk about what you are doing
* give the children choices and respect any choices that they make
* play and sing rhymes which encourage turn-taking and responses
* listen to and respond to their questions, both serious and playful.
BIRTH TO THREE MATTERS
The experiences, skills and learning which can be gained from interacting with the built environment will support many of the key elements of the framework of Birth to Three Matters. Here are just a few examples: Using the routines of a familiar walk and its links to A Skilful Communicator
* Dressing, setting off, following a route, and passing familiar landmarks provide opportunities to sing with, talk to and encourage babies to vocalise (Finding a voice).
Holding a child up to look in a shop window and talking about what you see also links to A Skilful Communicator
* Describing, labelling and questioning (Finding a voice)
* Sharing thoughts, feelings and ideas (Finding a voice)
* Engaging with another person (Being together)
* Learning about words and meanings (Listening and responding)
* Listening and paying attention to others (Listening and responding).
Remember that children's language development requires two-way exchanges.
For young children the world of their home language, family and street links with A Competent Learner
* Use children's prior experience to help them connect to new experiences when you are out for a walk (Making connections)
* Draw attention to marks, signs and symbols in the environment and talk about what they represent, focusing on street names, shop signs and road signs (Representing)
* Thoroughly investigate environments with children - for example, how to empty the post box, clear leaves off the pavement or empty the wheelie bins (Making connections)
* Take photographs to record a visit and use these to provide children with an opportunity to recall their adventure later (Making connections) A child who is walking alongside their pushchair links to A Healthy Child
* Developing their independence (Growing and developing)
* Developing their physical strength (Growing and developing)
* Making choices and having their choices valued (Healthy choices)
* Understanding rules and boundaries (Keeping safe).
Don't forget that safety considerations are important but they should not prevent children experiencing the rich opportunities of the outside world.
Children who have limited opportunity to become familiar with the built environment all around them may lack a sense of danger - adults being overprotective can limit children's ability to learn how to protect themselves from harm.