Healthy Outcomes : Australia

We see motor planning in walking up the bus steps, navigating hallways, putting on jackets and backpacks, managing a lunch tray, walking up bleachers...All of this is motor planning! Along with basically every other movement combination that's done all day long. Here's a great resource on how to support this area with a sensory motor consideration: https://www.theottoolbox.com/what-is-motor-planning-fine-motor/

Motivated By Belonging and Doing Not long ago, one of our toilets stopped flushing: the chain that connects the tank lever to the flapper had broken. I cycle...

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Gross motor leads to fine motor. Here are gross motor coordination activities: https://www.theottoolbox.com/gross-motor-coordination-activities/

https://youtu.be/m599c9VAY6I?feature=shared

Derek by Anne Donaldson and Matt Shanks| Read Aloud | CBCA Book Week 2026 Shortlisted Picture Book 📚 Derek | Read Aloud | CBCA Book Week 2026 Shortlisted Picture Book...

Sometimes you notice the same little things over and over.

A child who rests their whole body against the table while they draw.

A child who leans into you when they are standing beside you.

A child who seems to tire quickly on a walk and starts looking for somewhere to sit.

It can be easy to think they are simply being tired, distracted or a bit floppy that day.

But sometimes their body is working really hard just to hold itself up.

That is why I like simple activities such as Tummy Time Maze.

Lie the child on their tummy with a maze, drawing path or tracing activity in front of them. While their hand is busy, their shoulders, neck and trunk are quietly working to support the position.

From an Exercise Physiology point of view, this is a lovely way to build postural endurance, shoulder stability, upper body weight bearing and trunk control without making it feel like exercise.

Some children will only manage a short time before lowering their head or changing position. That is useful information. You can make it easier with a rolled towel under the chest, a thicker marker or a much shorter activity, then gradually build from there.

The child who is always leaning may not need another reminder to “sit up”.

They may need more opportunities for their body to become stronger at holding them there.

If your school or kindergarten team would like practical movement ideas that support the physical foundations underneath learning, reach out about a Play Move Improve webinar or workshop. Share this with an educator who has noticed these little signs too.

“The children are just… different out here.”
That’s what a teaching assistant said to me recently after an outdoor learning day with her high-need Reception class.

👉 Calmer
👉 More engaged
👉 Actually wanting to learn

And yet…

Many schools treat outdoor learning like a special occasion.
A one-off day.
Something we squeeze in when we have time.

Let me gently challenge this…

If we know children regulate better, focus more, and feel more connected outside…

Why isn’t it part of our everyday rhythm?

Because here’s the reassurance you might need to hear:

You don’t need to plan elaborate outdoor activities.
You don’t need a full forest school set-up.
You don’t need more on your already full plate.

Nature already gives you everything you need.

It’s not about doing more…
It’s about using what’s already there, differently.

✨ This is what it can look like:

A child who won’t touch pastels indoors…
suddenly creating the most beautiful marks when sat amongst bluebells.

Water + mirrors + petals…
turning into light, reflection, curiosity, and awe.

Learning that feels effortless.
Because it’s real. Sensory. Alive.

And this is exactly what we explore inside my nature study approach—
how to let the seasons, the environment, and simple natural provocations do the teaching for you.

Not as a one-off.

But as part of your everyday way of being.

🌿 Because when we step back…
nature steps in.
Discover more at www.hyggintheearlyyears.co.uk