18-24 months

Forest School Education for Toddler (18-24 Months)

Between eighteen months and two years, toddlers undergo a cognitive leap that transforms their relationship with the natural world. Language is accelerating — many children are combining two words, asking 'what's that?' incessantly, and beginning to name natural objects they've learned. But the bigger shift is in their play. Parallel play (playing alongside other children without interaction) starts giving way to moments of genuine collaboration: two toddlers carrying a heavy branch together, one child handing another a stone to add to a pile. These brief cooperative moments are the first seeds of the social learning that makes Forest School powerful in later years. This is also the age of schemas — those repetitive behavior patterns that Piaget identified as the building blocks of understanding. A toddler obsessed with carrying things from place to place is working on the 'transporting' schema. One who hides behind every tree is exploring 'enclosure.' One who throws everything is investigating 'trajectory.' Forest School environments are ideal for schema play because nature provides unlimited materials in every category. The child who needs to transport has stones, sticks, pine cones, and water to move. The one exploring enclosure has dens, hollow logs, and bushes to hide in. The forest meets the schema, whatever it is. Physically, these older toddlers are becoming remarkably capable. They walk confidently on rough ground, climb with increasing skill, squat and stand without thinking about it, and can carry surprisingly heavy loads relative to their size. Their hands are more dexterous — they can peel bark, pick small flowers, thread a stick through a hole, and scoop water with a cup. This physical competence means Forest School activities can grow more complex and ambitious.

Key Forest School principles at this age

Schema-based play recognized and supported — the adult observes repetitive patterns and provides natural materials that feed the child's current schema

Early collaborative play between children is welcomed and gently supported, not forced or over-facilitated

Language-rich outdoor narration continues, with the adult modeling specific nature vocabulary and responding to the child's own attempts at naming

Increasing physical challenge: steeper slopes, higher climbs, longer walks, heavier loads — matching the child's growing capability

The beginning of seasonal literacy: the child starts recognizing and anticipating seasonal changes through repeated observation

A typical Forest School day

Sessions run 90 minutes to two hours. The familiar greeting ritual anchors the start — by now, the child anticipates it and may lead parts of it themselves. Free exploration is extended, with children often settling into deep play for 20-30 minutes at a time (a significant increase from earlier months). The adult has set up two or three 'provocations' — invitations to explore a particular material or concept, positioned in the space but not forced on anyone. Perhaps a collection of different-sized containers near the stream for pouring experiments, or a pile of large branches near two trees for den building. Mid-session, the group gathers for a nature walk with a purpose: today we're looking for things that are round, or we're listening for water sounds, or we're finding the muddiest spot. Snack time is communal and increasingly independent — the child pours their own water, unwraps their own food, chooses where to sit. The session closes with a story or song and the goodbye ritual.

Forest School activities for Toddler (18-24 Months)

Schema-feeding provocations: transporting stations (buckets and wheelbarrows for moving stones), trajectory tools (safe throwing zones with targets), enclosure materials (blankets and branches for den building)

Pouring and measuring with natural containers — bark pieces, large leaves, hollow sticks — at a stream or water station

Whittling introduction: using a potato peeler on a soft green stick to make the first curls of bark, always with one-on-one adult supervision

Mud painting on trees, rocks, and paper using sticks and fingers as brushes

Simple foraging: picking blackberries, wild garlic leaves, or other safe, identifiable edibles with adult guidance

Animal tracking: looking for footprints in mud, identifying bird calls, finding insect homes under logs and bark

Parent guidance

Start paying attention to your child's schemas. Watch what they do repeatedly, obsessively, in every environment. If they line things up at home, they'll line up sticks in the woods — that's the 'positioning' schema. If they wrap everything in blankets, they'll try to wrap stones in leaves — that's 'enveloping.' Once you identify the dominant schema, you can set up outdoor experiences that feed it. This is child-led learning in its purest form: you're not choosing what to teach, you're observing what the child is driven to learn and providing the raw materials. Also, this is a great age to establish a regular sit spot — a specific place you return to every session and simply sit, observe, and notice what's different. Even at 18 months, children start recognizing 'their' spot and noticing changes: the mushroom that wasn't there last time, the leaves that changed color, the bird that always sits on that branch.

Why Forest School works at this age

Schema play is at its peak, and natural environments offer unlimited materials for every schema type
The explosive growth in language pairs perfectly with the rich vocabulary of the natural world
Physical competence has reached a level where genuinely challenging activities (climbing, carrying, navigating terrain) are possible and rewarding
Early collaborative moments between children begin to create a sense of community and shared adventure

Limitations to consider

Possessiveness over objects and spaces is intense — 'mine!' conflicts over sticks, spots, and tools are constant in group settings
Attention span is longer but still unpredictable: a child might focus for 30 minutes on one activity, then refuse to engage with anything for the next 20
Toilet training may be in progress, which adds a layer of logistics to outdoor sessions — wet or muddy clothing can complicate things significantly
The gap between what the child wants to do and what they can physically manage creates frequent frustration and meltdowns

Frequently asked questions

What are schemas and why do they matter for Forest School?

Schemas are the repetitive behavior patterns children use to understand the world. Common ones include transporting (carrying things from A to B), enclosure (hiding inside or surrounding objects), trajectory (throwing, dropping, pouring in arcs), rotation (spinning, rolling, turning wheels), and connecting (joining things together, lining them up). They matter for Forest School because the natural environment offers infinite materials for every schema. Rather than fighting these urges ('stop throwing sticks!'), Forest School recognizes them as deep learning and provides appropriate outlets ('throw pine cones at that target tree').

My toddler won't share sticks with other children — is that a problem?

Not at this age. True sharing requires cognitive development that doesn't arrive until around age 4. What looks like selfishness is actually appropriate developmental behavior — the child is deeply attached to their current exploration and can't yet understand another person's perspective. In Forest School, the solution is abundance: there are always more sticks, more stones, more pine cones. Rather than forcing sharing, help the upset child find their own equally wonderful stick. Model turn-taking with language ('when you're done with that one, Milo would like a turn'), but don't expect it to stick yet.

Is my 18-month-old too young for a potato peeler for whittling?

It depends on the child and the supervision. Some 18-month-olds have the hand strength and coordination to hold a peeler and drag it along a soft stick (like elder or willow). Others aren't ready until closer to 2 or 2.5. The key is one-on-one adult supervision with hands-on guidance at first — your hand over theirs, showing the away-from-body stroke. Use a Y-peeler rather than a straight one, as the motion is more natural for small hands. If the child gets frustrated or can't grip effectively, shelve it and try again in a few months. There's no rush.