November 04, 2020

8 Ways to Educate and Entertain on a Stroller Walk

Getting outside does wonders for a child’s ability to learn. There are so many interesting things to see, hear, touch, and smell, that it’s almost impossible for a little one to ignore the world around them. And with a just a tad of guidance, you can easily put them on a path of curiosity, which naturally leads to exploration and knowledge. Here are a few of our favorite ways to educate and entertain while on a stroller walk with kids. And if you have some ideas of your own to share, feel free to drop them in the comments below. If you try some of these activities in your Orbit Stroller, be sure to #ShareYourStroll with us on Instagram!

I Spy is a sweet and simple game. What we love most is that you can keep it as easy as you want (think: “I spy something green”) or make it more advanced to help encourage your child’s reasoning and problem-solving skills. (think: “I spy something that begins with the letter L”).
Counting Games: Help your child master the basics of numbers by counting the many things you encounter along the way, like how many houses are on your street, how many dogs do you find, even just recognizing digits on mailboxes….the myriad of ways to practice numbers is endless.
Nature Faces: For littles with an eye for creativity, collect sticks, rocks, flowers, and leaves…store them in your Orbit Baby Pannier, and then bring them home to create nature face art!
Teaching Right vs Left: Most toddlers love to be in charge so giving them the opportunity to decide which way you’re going on your walk will surely get them excited. You can use prompts like, “should we go left or right at the stop sign?” Parents can take this a step further on strolls that you take frequently. Prompts like, “which way do we go to get back home?” encourages children to be more aware of their surroundings.
Animal Sounds: Keep an eye (or ear) out for various animals on your walk and then use prompts to get your child thinking. Try, “There’s a dog…what sound does a dog make?” “Do you see a cat anywhere? What sound does a cat make?” “I hear chirping. What animal chirps?
Nursery Rhymes: Sing nursery rhymes together, or bring along headphones and let them listen and sing along to their favorite songs.
Scavenger Hunt: Search for “nature scavenger hunt” on Pinterest to find a plethora of printables for kids of all ages. We’ve saved a few that we like here.
Language Development: If your little ones aren’t talking just yet, simply use your stroll as an opportunity to identify things you see on your walk to help your kids develop their vocabulary and language skills. This is an easy one for parents to do and it helps babies understand the world around them, which we feel is so important, that we built a stroller around that concept.

Pro tip! Enlist the help of an older sibling to help engage the younger sibling and get them excited about learning. It’s one of our favorite ways to foster sibling relationships and encourage learning for both! (Hint, hint: our Sidekick or Helix+ attachment are great for bringing along more than one child on your walk!)