I want to preface this by saying that every child is different, so every walk will be different.

When my daughter was almost two years old, we often took strolls through our typical suburban neighborhood. Sometimes we didn’t get very far. Here’s what happened, one day, on a 45-minute walk in our front yard. (Yes, that’s right. The entire 45-minute walk took place in our front yard.) I had decided to go at her pace. After all, how many times a day did she rush, rush, rush to follow me?! To the grocery store, to the bank, even just to the car.

Letting her be the leader was not as easy as it seemed, for I was used to the world of adults—the world where everything moves quickly. We literally only moved from one side of our home to the other. Yet, she investigated everything. There was no question in my mind that she was learning.

During her walk, she explored so many things.

First, she experimented with the lawn. For example, she delighted in smelling the grass and then touching it. She giggled with delight as she felt pieces of grass on her arms, her legs, and even her chin. She grabbed a bunch of blades in her chubby fist, closing it tightly. I wondered, is she playing hide and seek with the grass? Hmm, I thought, perhaps, she’s seeing if she could change its shape? I remembered reminding myself to stay quiet. This is her turn to seek the questions and answers for a change. NOT MINE.

Next, after what seemed like an eternity to me, she moved s-l-o-w-l-y, a few inches ahead, to a tree. Under the tree she found a twig. She clutched the twig in her fist and pushed it around into dirt. She persevered at this and followed the movement of the dancing dirt intensely.

Then she touched the roots of the tree; she seemed to find them fascinating. She felt the bark on the tree with hands, rubbing every so softly, then a bit rougher. Then, for a bit, she sat under the tree, quite contentedly. I joined her. She seemed to know what she wanted. It was NOT easy, but I waited and waited for her to decide what came next.

After some time, she put down the twig. She came to some flowers. She carefully smelled a flower…then the next…then the next. She touched many soft petals. She was gentle.  Wow, I remember thinking, I didn’t know she could be that gentle. We slowly continued her journey.

I observed her and often mirrored her by doing exactly what she was doing. Rarely did I speak, for I did not want to interrupt her concentration, her studies.

Once in a great while, when she seemed quite satisfied with what she was studying, I’d say one word, at the most. For example, after she had smelled a few of the flowers, I said “sweet.” More often, I said nothing.

I know my daughter investigated that day. She had a chance to experiment with her senses, expand her appreciation and caring for nature, and increase her independence and her ability to make decisions. These are only a few of the learnings I bore witness to on that 45-minute exploration.

Where I learned about The Walk

I saw the beauty of “a walk” when I studied at the Pikler Institute, in Budapest, Hungary. I saw toddlers (orphans), two at a time, taking a walk with a caregiver. I watched as the caregiver followed the children’s lead. I was inspired. I have seen a lot of toddlers around the world, before and after that experience, in a lot of settings. Never have I seen two young children exploring so purposefully.

Conclusion

Once again, I find myself pitching the idea of getting outside. At the Pikler Institute, 50% of the time is spent outside.

As the weather starts getting warmer, it is important to get some fresh air for mental and physical health. Children, even the very youngest, pick up the negative energy that is all around us in challenging times such as these. Help them get outside. Many of you worked all week. You deserve to see how much your young children are learning and how observant they are when given the chance. They know how to investigate; we just don’t let them do that most of the time. Be brave and challenge yourself. As hard as it may be at first, to slow down and follow your child’s lead.

With my next post, I plan to return to the topic of how to work from home when you have young children needing attention. Please send questions and comments.