Thursday, November 14, 2013

Best Free Outdoor Activity For Four Year Olds!

The activity is called Letterboxing, an outdoor treasure hunt. It is stimulating socially, intellectually, and physically. Playing collaboratively is a new developing skill for four year olds and Letterboxing encourages teamwork and communication. I will detail below why this is the best activity for four year olds.A letterbox is a waterproof box with a stamp, a passport, and sometimes other special prizes inside. Four year olds love collecting and finding things. Also the letterboxes are usually located in unique, special areas of interest such as a museum, a zoo, a park, or a historical building. So besides the excitement and adventure of finding the letterbox there is usually something else fun to do for four year olds. Many times the hiding place can also be educational.Parents can buy each child a stamp but I recommend having the kids make their own. Making their own stamps builds anticipation and excitement. They will also need their own passport book as well. Once a letterbox is found the kids put their stamp in the letterbox passport and also put the letterbox stamp in their passport. Dating and writing notes by each stamp is fun too. Over time the kids have a history of the places they have gone. Usually the stamps relate to the unique area in which they are found.The clues can be hard but mostly are very simple. As the parent reads clues the four year olds will have no problem racing around, finding markers, and continuing to move towards the letterbox. The kids get a lot of exercise.Parents only need an internet connection to access the clues. If necessary, a parent can scout out clues in advance too. Letterboxing is great to do as a family, with friends, or for a party. Letterboxing is a fabulous vacation activity because it is a great way to see and explore a new area. Eventually the kids may want to make and hide their own for others to find too. There is no limit to the creativity and fun for four year olds while Letterboxing.