Warm weather means it is a great time to explore the outdoors and outside play is a wonderful opportunity to work on early intervention (EI) outcomes. Talk with your EI team about strategies and activities that may be especially useful for your family as you work on your EI outcomes. As you talk, you can brainstorm how everyday activities can become opportunities to practice new skills.
For example, consider the fun warm weather pastime of blowing bubbles. Infants and toddlers love to see bubbles magically fly from a bubble wand. Did you know that when you are blowing bubbles you are working on many skills, including oral motor skills, Gross motor skills, eye tracking skills, vocabulary and concept development, cognitive development, and joint attention? Check out the article Build Skills When Exploring Outdoors and the tip sheet on Everyday Early Intervention: Bubbles for more information!
Summertime is the perfect opportunity for young children to play, explore, and learn. The EI Clearinghouse (EIC) has many resources on integrating everyday early intervention into outdoor play. Check out the EIC resource guide on Outdoor Fun and the Everyday Early Intervention: Outdoor Fun and Everyday Early Intervention: At the Park tip sheets, all available in English and Spanish.
These pages include lots of ideas for summer fun that can improve early intervention outcomes, including:
- Going to a local or state park and having a scavenger hunt
- Enjoying summer snack picnics in the park or back yard
- Having fun with shaving cream and sand for sensory play
- Running through the sprinkler together or taking a walk in the rain
- Practicing walking together on different outdoor surfaces
Your EI team is a resource to help you think of equipment or strategies to add to your favorite summertime activities. Through planning and teamwork with your EI team, you can be ready for a full summer of fun and learning!