About

As someone who spends a lot of time with young children, I am often observing them in an outdoor setting. I admire the free, spontaneous and generous way many children connect and play.

So much of this outdoor play is about children navigating their surroundings and making sense of spatial concepts and connection. Where is their body in relation to other people and objects? How can they navigate their surroundings? What is their body capable of?

Distance, direction, size and shape are all opportunities for children to learn and develop spatial skills through play. I found when I was engaging with kids in the playground I was always using spatial language – up, down, over, through – and these words started to form a rhythm of their own, which eventually became the text of this book!