7 Tips for Developing Sit Spots with Antsy Kids

Some practical tips for how to facilitate nature contemplation with kids

By Ellis Hamm, Manitoba Environmental Education Coordinator

March 2, 2026

“What on earth is a sit spot?” I hear you asking. You can probably guess the answer to this question (it’s in the name after all), but I’ll still give you a bit of further explanation. 

A sit spot is an outdoor place in nature where someone can return to again and again over time, months or even years, and quietly observe, practice mindfulness, and connect with nature. 

More deeply, using sit spots helps kids connect with the world around them, reduces stress, hones their mindfulness and focus, makes them more self-aware, grows their brains, makes them more curious people, and connects deeply to classroom learning. 

But I hear your next question, too, “how on earth am I going to get my antsy kids to do that?” or perhaps, “what kid isn’t antsy if you ask them to sit quietly in one place and practice mindfulness?” 

Let me share some of what I’ve learned with you. 

Firstly I will recommend the incredible resource, Sitting With Nature: An Educator’s Guide to Sit Spots by Lauren MacLean. MacLean’s resource includes twenty weeks of daily sit spot prompts so that you truly never run out of new directions to point kids in, as well as a ton of other wisdom. 

Between this book and the experimenting and practicing I’ve done in classrooms, I’m starting to gain some wisdom. So without further ado, here are 7 tips to developing the skills needed for sit spots with kids:

1. Lower your expectations

Start with realistic expectations. Taking 30 seven year olds outside and expecting each of them to sit alone and reflect for 15 minutes is a recipe for disaster. It won’t work, and everyone will have a bad time. 

2. Practice outdoor skills bit by bit

Start by developing the skills they need to succeed and building up bit by bit. The more times you get outside, the easier it will become for everyone. Practice getting kids’ attention in outdoor spaces, moving between play and learning, spending time in quiet, or carefully observing the world around you. 

3. Engage in everything that you ask kids to do

Unwavering participation is a key to good leadership. Whether it’s playing a game to warm up or to use up extra energy, or it’s sitting and drawing a leaf, be an active participant. You’re setting the tone. 

4. Be a ‘facilitator of curiosity’

I’m borrowing Lauren MacLean’s term here to remind you that your role is to create a space where kids wonder, ask, and discover independently. There’s no need to answer every question. Show them amazing things, ask them what they think the answers might be, encourage them to find a way to discover their own answers. 

5. Make success easy and fun (at least at first)

Play a game like I-Spy where they need to observe their surroundings carefully and communicate clearly. See if you can listen quietly enough to collectively make a list of every sound you can hear in your space and make a sound map. In winter, send them to find a place outdoors where they’re most comfortable: sheltered from the wind, sunny, less snow, huddled together. They already have a lot of skills, we’re just using and honing them in a new way. 

6. Don’t give up

Intentionality, contemplation, and reflection are skills that many of us adults still struggle with regularly. It will take time. Sometimes it will be a failure, but other times it will be incredible. Give yourself and the kids you work with the chance to build understanding, appreciation, and connection with the world they live in. 

7. Ask for help

Wondering how you’re supposed to do this with just a tarmac and a play structure? Worrying your students don’t listen in the classroom, let alone outside? Unclear on how a person could ever assess something like this? Ask for help! Attend a workshop from the Outdoor Learning School, ask parents for extra support for the first few forays out of the building, or send me an email (mb.education@arocha.ca) and we can talk all things Sit Spot (or anything else environmental education for that matter)! 

Featured Photos by Zoe Matties