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It is important that children experience outdoor play in early childhood. Outdoor play has different possibilities for learning than indoor play. According to a study by Claire McCarthy from Harvard University, outdoor play has many benefits for children. Outdoor play promotes children's health, creativity, ability to take risks, and appreciation of nature.
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Read more about the importance of outdoor play!
How to promote children's play outdoors?
Of course, to gain the benefits of outdoor play, children need suitable materials, space, and inspiration.
Children love to be creative and messy, so they'd love a mud kitchen! They'll have lots of fun making mud pies and other slimy treats! Mud kitchens are great for sensory play, as children mix water, sand, mud, rocks, sticks, and whatever they have!
Book recommendation: Let the children play!
What is the idea of a mud kitchen?
The basic idea of a mud kitchen is that children have a play kitchen outdoors and can cook anything they come up with: soup, magic potions, cakes, pies, and whatnot! A water supply is a nice addition to a mud kitchen. Water can be in containers, buckets, watering cans, etc.
Children should also have other natural materials, such as sand, little rocks, leaves, pinecones, and sticks. To cook some treats also cooking pots and pans, as well as little plates, cups and utensils would be nice. Next to the mud kitchen could be a little table (or tree stump) where children can serve their meals.
You can buy a wooden outdoor mud kitchen from multiple places or make your own DIY version. If you decide to build one on your own, look for recycled wood pieces or palettes. You can take children along to the building process, look for some photos online for inspiration, or let children draw a draft of the mud kitchen of their dreams. A mud kitchen can be a couple of shelves, cups, and natural materials to mix. The main thing is that children get to have creative outdoor sensory play!
A guide: Mud kitchen ideas for kids
Happy play time!
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