The joy of unplugged time with a child is easy for some caregivers. They start conversations during stroller walks, grocery shopping and meals in the high chair and never stop sharing stories and songs from the bedroom to the backyard and beyond. They listen together for life’s soundscape and watch for weather.
For others, it takes practice to confidently put the phone and tablet away and experience large and small landscapes, to find the curiosity and calm of simply noticing.
See, hear, taste, smell, touch
These gateways to wonder offer a lifetime of learning – discoveries in nature, patterns in music, math and art, and even how to calm fears of the unknown through quiet meditation. For children who overwhelm easily, begin in a bedroom or backyard. For children ready for a larger landscape, take a walk in the neighborhood or nature center.
A sensory walk is an ideal moving meditation. Allow your child to linger and direct the activity, to set the pace without rushing. Ensure the time is well spent by preparing a few basics. Make sure no one is hungry or needs a potty stop. Carry water and a small snack. Remember weather-appropriate clothing and gear. Bring a small zip-top bag for a special leaf, acorn or other souvenir. For older children, bring a journal kit.
Start by centering. You and your child sit or stand still. Each of you place one hand on your heart and the other on your stomach. Take three slow, deep breaths. Feel your heart beat. Notice your stomach or chest as it expands and contracts. This small ritual focuses awareness of the internal before beginning to experience external stimuli. This calming life skill can serve all ages in nearly any circumstance.
Gauge by readiness, not age
Rather than sticking to age expectations, consider your children’s experience and attention span. Meet them where they are.
The beginner, foundations of noticing: For those new to the practice, the goal is to anchor the mind in a single sensation. This low-stake start builds the muscle of observation. Ask the child to find three or four things that are a specific color, or listen for three or four sounds.
The intermediate, curious observer: Once children can easily complete single-category tasks, layer the observations. Challenge them to find five things of different colors or five different textures or five bird sounds. Is this rough bark, a smooth stone, damp earth, a prickly pinecone, soft moss? Compare and contrast what they find.
The advanced, naturalist ready for a challenge: Ask them to find a gradient of color, such as pale lime to forest green. Or a nature alphabet – look for letters hidden in natural forms, such as a “Y” in a branch or an “O” in an acorn cap. Is there a line of ants on the sidewalk? Where are they going? What are they doing? Can that stranded worm on the sidewalk be rescued after the rain? Find a place to settle and make a note in the journal. Add a drawing of any skill level.
These ideas work on outdoor walks, but also in the bedroom and the car (“I spy”). Turn off the movie or game set and look around.
On rainy or snowy days, teach your child that preparation makes nature accessible. Enjoy the fun of dressing for the weather and go explore. On days when you can take extra time in the grocery store, let young cart passengers find items by shape or by color. You will jumpstart preschool readiness and build happy bonds.
The shared discovery
One of the deepest values of a sensory walk for all ages resides in the dialogue between adults and children. This is a collaborative investigation, not a lecture. Notice what they notice and ask about the details. In the beginning, feel free to give an example: “How does that moss feel when you touch it? Is it smooth like a feather or squishy like a sponge or something else? What do you think?”
Yes or no questions close conversation while open-ended questions about thoughts, feelings and questions expand concepts and help children learn to make predictions. It teaches them that their observations are valuable and that learning is a constant, shared process.
Digital detox
To truly engage the senses, put away phones and tablets. Devices narrow a child’s focus and shorten patience. The only exception is the collector’s journal. Rather than physically removing feathers or stones from local ecosystems, which is prohibited in protected areas, let your child use a phone to photograph items for later study.
At home, print and paste your child’s photos into a physical journal where the child can write or dictate his or her observations. Be sure to note dates and locations as you go. These details that can vanish so quickly truly enrich the opportunity to observe favorite spots through the seasons.
Respect the wild
Exploring nature requires a basic understanding of stewardship. Practice “Leave No Trace.” Take only pictures, leave only footprints. This ensures habitats remain healthy for everyone. In addition, not all flora and fauna are safe to handle.
In Illinois, safe summer walking in woods and tall grasses means being aware of heat and tick exposure. The Illinois Department of Public Health recommends wearing light-colored clothing to spot ticks easily and performing a thorough “tick check” immediately after returning home, especially if you’ve been near tall grass or wooded edges.
A lifetime of memory
Walking, riding or just sitting still, children can notice the patterns and parts around them. Sensory awareness transports children beyond their routines and their walls and tames the trials within. It is a practice that requires no special equipment, only a willingness to slow down and observe.
By engaging the senses, even in a familiar setting, we spark a child’s imagination and build a foundation for scientific inquiry. This deliberate focus also serves as a practical introduction to mindfulness in a world of high-speed digital input.
What senses do your children tend to experience most vividly? If you share these experiences with more than one child at a time, does one tend to lead and one follow? Make sure they each have the space and freedom to have their own experiences. Do they respond eagerly to bird sounds, or are they more visual or tactile?
These experiences are a window into your children’s souls. You will learn if they are moved by the thrum of a woodpecker or the sparkle of a mica-flecked stone. Pay attention to what they voluntarily recall later. Support their interests by finding age-appropriate books at your local library or bookstore.
DiAnne Crown is a freelance writer from Springfield. Some of her most profound memories are listening for bird sounds on walks with her father and visiting a pine forest in shade and dappled sunlight, with crackling brown pine needles under foot, and the Christmasy smell of the forest.
This article appears in Summerguide 2026.
