From indoor books to outdoor leaves, this play plan invites your toddler to touch, notice, and wonder at the trees all around them.
From leaf cards and tree puzzles to real shade under real trees, slow play meets real-world wonder, one season at a time.
About This Play Plan:
This play plan invites your toddler to slow down and notice the world around them, starting with trees. Through books, sensory play, and time outdoors, your child will explore different shapes, textures, and seasonal changes while building early observation skills and a growing connection with nature.
How to Use This Plan:
- Gather Your Materials: Check the list below for everything you’ll need.
- Follow the 5E Tabs: Each tab provides step-by-step guidance, creative ideas, and reflection prompts to make the experience more meaningful.
- Let Your Child Lead: Observe how your child interacts with the materials and adjust based on their interests and developmental stage.
Spark your child’s curiosity:
Read a toddler-friendly book about trees. Choose one with real photos or simple illustrations that show different shapes, leaves, or outdoor scenes.
As you read, pause to name what you see and use gentle prompts like, “Do you see the tree?” or “That tree is tall!”
Encourage hands-on exploration:
Offer a real leaf or Lovevery’s leaf textured card for sensory play, inviting them to run their fingers across it. You can say, “This leaf feels bumpy. What do you think?” No pressure to label; just let them touch and explore.
Bring out the Lovevery Posting Lid & Trees and let your toddler explore placing the trees into the slots. Talk about each tree shape casually: “This one looks tall. This one is round.”
Provide simple, age-appropriate explanations:
Use simple words to describe what trees are and what they do: “Trees grow. They have leaves, branches, and roots.”
Show how trees come in different shapes and sizes, both in the toy and the book.
You can also say, “Leaves can be small or big. Some trees are pointy, some are round.” Tie it back to what they just explored with the toy.
Expand on the activity:
Take the learning outside. Go on a short walk to the park and look at real trees together.
Say things like, “That one’s so tall!” or “Let’s look for little leaves.”
Bring a small container your toddler can carry, like the Lovevery Treasure Basket, and let them collect a few safe leaves to bring home. You can explore the textures later or compare them with the leaf card.
Let your toddler lead the pace; this is about experiencing nature slowly and with wonder.
Reflect on how your child responded to the play:
- Did they show interest in the trees in the book or outdoors?
- Did they explore the posting toy or leaf card with focus?
- Did they try placing the toy trees into the box or match real leaves with the card?
- Did they respond to real trees with pointing, touching, or vocalizing?
- Are they starting to notice trees more often during daily walks?
Consider repeating this activity once each season to help your toddler notice how some trees change and some stay the same throughout the year. In spring, look for buds; in summer, full leaves; in fall, colorful ones on the ground; and in winter, bare branches or evergreens. It’s a simple way to build awareness of the seasons through quiet, hands-on observation.
Materials List:
- A toddler-friendly book about trees or nature walks
- Lovevery Posting Box & Trees from the Babbler Play Kit (or any small tree-shaped toy)
- Leaf Texture Card (or a real leaf)
- Lovevery Treasure Basket (or any small container for collecting leaves)
- Optional: A few safe, real leaves for comparison or texture exploration
Tips for the Grown-Ups:
Follow the Child’s Lead:
Observe how your child interacts with the playthings. Let them guide the session by following their interests. If they show a preference for exploring textures, sounds, or colors, embrace it. Be a silent observer, ready to expand their learning with gentle, supportive language.
Create a Calm, Inviting Space:
Set up a clutter-free area that encourages focused exploration. Use natural light and simple setups to inspire curiosity. If the weather permits, take the play outside for a richer sensory experience, connecting with the natural world.
Encourage Open-Ended Play:
Embrace imaginative twists and unexpected uses for the toys. If the activity takes a surprising turn, celebrate this as a sign of growing cognitive flexibility and problem-solving.
Our Own Play Experience
When our daughter was still an infant, we were living with family in the suburbs, and there was a beautiful park nearby filled with tall, leafy trees. We would take her on frequent walks in her little carriage, and even from her lying-down position, we could tell she was captivated by the foliage. It was such a unique perspective: watching the world of trees from below.
Now that we’ve moved to the city and winter has passed, we’ve only just begun going out again to enjoy the fresh green leaves of spring. This makes it the perfect time to start a nature-focused play plan.
Lovevery’s Posting Lid & Trees was something she mastered quickly when we first introduced it at 12 months. She’s been working on her fine motor skills for months, ever since the ball drop box became a favorite at 7 months. One idea we’re excited to try soon is bringing the little tree pieces with us to the park, so she can “hunt” for trees that look like each shape. It’ll be a fun, hands-on way to connect play with the real world, and we’re especially looking forward to doing it this summer.
Even more exciting is the thought of returning to that same park in the fall to watch the green leaves turn golden. It’s a seasonal shift we love, and one we can’t wait for her to experience.
When we visited the park a few days after trying this play plan, she was more interested in the grass than the trees, likely because she could touch and explore it directly. We didn’t collect any leaves since none had fallen, and we didn’t want to pick the young ones still growing. We’re looking forward to a chance to gather real leaves later in the season, when nature offers them up freely.
Please Note: I am a proud Lovevery subscriber and fan, and many of the play plans shared here feature Lovevery playthings. However, this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lovevery. All ideas and recommendations are my own, based on my experiences as a mom who values meaningful, play-based learning.
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