Nature Play WA

If you’re a parent looking for ideas on how to get your children more involved in outdoor activities in Western Australia, then you’ve come to the right place.

There are lots of reasons why kids should make the move from the TV or computer room to the outdoors. Probably the best reason is that it’s fun, and you and your kids will be happier and healthier doing things together.

But there are other important considerations. Research undertaken around the world indicates there are real benefits for children being involved in nature:

• Children benefit from appropriate risk-taking during outdoor play, by helping them refine their motor skills and gain confidence in being physically active.
• Older children who spend more time outside tend to be more physically active and less likely to be overweight.
• Children who experience high levels of contact with nature are reported to have higher levels of self-worth and higher cognitive function.
• Contact with nature, especially during middle childhood, has been indicated as having an important role to play in children's mental health.
• Children manage stress better when they have more contact with nature.
• Time in nature assists the performance of children with ADHD.

(For more evidence of the benefits of nature play, go to the ‘News and Research' page of the Nature Play WA website)

About Nature Play WA

Nature Play WA is a not-for-profit organisation devoted to helping West Australian children and their families connect with nature and help build stronger, healthier communities. It is the result of a growing awareness of the importance of nature on the lives of children and parents.

Nature Play WA has developed a number of resources to help parents help their children make the most of outdoor activities involving the bush, beach, and national and neighbourhood parks in Western Australia. These include a user-friendly website packed with ideas for activities and adventures, a ‘Passport to an Amazing Childhood’, a toolkit for creating Family Nature Clubs and social media facilities for connecting like-minded parents and educators.

If you are at a loss for things to do outdoors with your kids, why not take a look at the Nature Play WA activity finder. It’s a simple tool that allows you to enter what time you have available (30 minutes to a full weekend), the place (backyard to regional) and the age of the kids in your care (infant to teens). Simply click find activity and suggested activities will be listed.

If you love the idea of getting outside, but would like to enjoy the experience with others, Nature Play WA, the Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR) and the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) have developed a tool kit to provide inspiration, information, tips and resources for those interested in creating a Family Nature Club. These clubs meet on a regular basic to participate in accessible, easy, low (or no) cost fun, family-orientated activities outdoors. We also have a Twitter profile and Facebook group where we post informative articles and research papers and where our active nature play community shares their ideas and their enthusiasm. 

Nature Play WA’s latest initiative is our Nature Play ‘Passport to an Amazing Childhood’.  It is all about getting kids outside to run, jump, climb, splash, invent, imagine, play and be a free-range kid. The passports have ten “mission” pages, stickers, suggestions on great places to go and things to do outdoors, and a list of 15 things every kid should do before they’re twelve. The missions are simple things like ‘climb a tree’, ‘build a cubby’ or ‘ride your bike’ – all the stuff kids used to do and that are the best part of being a kid. 

Nature Play WA has lots happening, so to keep up-to-date, please consider signing up to our nature play newsletter. We hope our tools and initiatives will inspire you to get your own family and friends outdoors for many happy, healthy adventures together.