Autumn Feelings Walk

Best for: 3 to 4 year olds

What it’s good for

This is a gentle way to help your child put words to how they feel. Naming a feeling out loud, like “happy” or “a bit nervous,” is the first step towards managing it, and at this age the part that helps with calming big feelings is still growing, so giving those feelings simple words really helps. Linking it to what they can see and hear outside makes it easier, because the feeling has something to hang on to.

What you’ll need

• A bag or basket for collecting (or a carrier bag, or just coat pockets)
• Warm clothes and shoes you don’t mind getting muddy
• Optional: a few feeling faces drawn on paper, happy, sad, calm, excited (or skip these and just chat)

What to do

1. Head outside for a slow walk. The woods of Crane Park, the avenues of Marble Hill, or just a Twickenham street with a few trees is plenty.
2. Let your child collect whatever catches their eye, leaves, conkers, twigs, a feather. There’s no right thing to pick.
3. As you go, notice things together out loud: “Listen to the leaves crunch,” or “The wind is cold on my face.” You’re naming the world so they can start naming feelings the same way.
4. Now and then, ask an easy question and then wait. “How do the falling leaves make you feel?” or “Does the wind feel exciting or a bit much?” Let them answer however they like, even if it surprises you. There’s no wrong answer here.
5. If they seem to want to, try a few slow breaths together while you watch a tree move. “Let’s take a big breath in, and a long breath out.” This is a calm trick they can use again later.
6. Back home, tip out what they collected and talk about it. “This bright leaf makes me feel happy. How about you?” Follow where they take it.

Make it simpler

• With a two year old, drop the questions and just feel and name: “soft,” “rough,” “cold.” Naming the feel of things comes before naming feelings.
• Stick to one feeling word for the whole walk, like “calm” or “happy.”
• Let collecting be the whole activity. Talking can come another day.

Make it trickier

• Lay the items out at home and ask your child to match each one to a feeling, and say why.
• Read an autumn story afterwards and ask how a character might be feeling, then link it back to their own day.
• Talk about other people’s feelings too: “How do you think your brother felt when it started raining?”

At nursery we lay the collected bits out on a low tray when we get back, so children can wander past and keep talking about them in their own time. The conversations often come later, not on the spot, so there’s no rush to get it all said on the walk.