Sydney❜s Best Natural Play Spaces For Kids

By: Hayley Dean, 16 January 2018

By Hayley Dean, ellaslist

Children learn through play. They grow through play and they develop through play. Natural play spaces offer unstructured play for learning amongst a blend of natural areas, environmental features and plants.

When I was a child, my favourite place to play was outside. I loved climbing trees, digging in the dirt, bush walking, exploring, discovering, pretending I was one of the Goonies…..I was a child of dirt and mud. As a parent, I try very hard to instil this love of the great outdoors in my children but as I now live in Sydney’s Inner West, our backyard is somewhat smaller than what I had growing up. Natural Playspaces are of great interest to me and I am not alone in recognising their significance.

NSW Kidsafe says “Play is a vital part of childhood and growing up. Children learn through play to develop social, physical and emotional skills. Providing children with an outdoor learning environment that incorporates areas for quiet, natural, creative, active and stimulating play will allow children to learn whilst using their imagination. By inviting a child to use their initiative and explore possibilities we provide them with the best opportunities to learn”.

Here is a collection of some of the best Natural Material Play spaces for kids in Sydney that we have covered. We would love to grow this list so if you know of any that should be added, please let us know.