Each of us recharges or relaxes in nature in our own unique way. Some prefer being active—running, working in the garden—while others are recharged by taking photos, drawing, or writing. For some, it's a shared walk, a scenic view, a hike in the mountains, or the adrenaline rush of biking downhill that brings new energy.

And just like adults, every child finds relaxation in nature in their own way, depending on their individual needs. That’s why it’s important to offer a wide range of activities, games, and challenges—so that each child can choose what they need most in that moment. To make this possible, we teamed up with an expert in personality types and children’s needs, psychologist Šárka Miková, our long-time advisor, and author of several inspiring books, and created four groups based on different children’s needs.

These children are guided by their acute senses. Given the freedom, ideally outdoors, it is fascinating to see what they perceive and what they can physically handle at their age. They know what is going on, and where, and notice small details in their environment or perceive the subtle changes in other people's facial expressions. They are sensitive to smells and sometimes hypersensitive to how their bodies feel  (which is why they take off tight clothes when they are young or may be uncomfortable walking barefoot). 
 

These types always need to see the impact of what they are doing. Rather than thinking long and hard about "what happens if I do this...", they prefer doing it to see what happens and to act accordingly. The reaction guides their next action. Given the space, these children will choose their own activities and naturally act responsibly especially in situations that people around them would perceive as dangerous.

Discuss the risks with them, but occasionally let yourself be carried away by their ideas even if you know in advance that they are silly. The child will appreciate that you went along with an idea and had the confidence in them to try it. It will be clear to them that they are responsible for their own actions. Moreover, it will be a valuable experience for the child and it will increase their trust in you as a parent so they might just listen to your advice the next time.

It is not that the child wants to ignore your advice outright but that they usually want to try their own way first. They need to see the impact of what they do. They are learning through real physical experience. They are also learning from their own failures and realising that having a plan B can be a good idea and as such they are learning to look a few steps ahead.

The brain of this type compares everything new with what it knows from the past. These people have information and experiences carefully stored and sorted in their own "library of experience". Any new thing they encounter becomes credible and safe for them only if they find it, or something very similar, in their library. Anything new makes them unsure at first because they don't have the right "shelf" for it in their heads. In their library they also look for the effective best practices leading straight to a result, to get things "done". 

Children with the need for stability find it important to find out "how it works". When they are part of a group (family, a class or a club), they absorb information first so they know what the rules are, what is allowed and what is not. Because of their need for stability, they want to know within what limits they should behave.

Children of this type are most likely to grow up to be adults who can be relied upon by those around them. As adults they try hard to meet commitments and find it difficult to bear when they fail to do so. Their need for reliability makes them willingly to keep an eye on others to see they do what they are supposed to, that they can be relied upon, and that the system as a whole works well. 
 
Creative projects where they are asked to invent something new, engage their imagination or go beyond reality do not appeal to them. What's more, they may feel very insecure and experience feelings of failure if those around them do not understand that they need a very specific assignment, ideally with a demonstration of the possible outcome. Of course this does not mean that these children cannot be creative. On the contrary, the more structured a given assignment, the more creative they will feel. 

These children want to "be themselves but not alone". They enjoy their uniqueness but long for harmony in their relationships with other people. They notice the nonverbal communication of others and try to empathise with them. They anticipate what others are experiencing or desiring and then behave accordingly. They will help, try to meet expectations or adjust their view so that others continue to like them, their popularity doesn’t decline or to prevent conflict. Accommodating other people may contradict their own needs and ideas and at such times they experience an inner conflict between what they would like to do and what they think they should do. They experience strong emotions, sometimes outwardly and sometimes inwardly, but even when they say nothing, or are just giving hints, we can see signs of dissatisfaction, disappointment, fear or anger in their behaviour.  

These types perceive the world around them in context, look at things from different perspectives and look for logic in everything. They need to verify anything someone passes off as a fact (who is claiming it and for what purpose), and then analyse it (in their own way) in order to understand the matter themselves. 
These children want to understand the world. Even if some of them take things apart to figure out how they work, that doesn't mean they are the types who need to experience everything for themselves. They're more "theoretical" minded and are happy to read an encyclopaedia with an adult or listen to an adult explaining how things (animals, people, machines, events in nature) work. They ask questions to really get to the bottom of what they are interested in. Their most common question is "why?" whether they are asking themselves (when they are wondering how something works) or someone else when they want to check that what others say makes sense. All children ask "why?" at some point, but not all expect a logically consistent answer. 

The need for improvement leads these types to improve their abilities and skills. They don't want to practise what they think they can already do, and they usually put little effort into repetitive (routine) activities. They invest their energy in activities that they themselves perceive as a challenge – to master something, to understand something, etc. It depends on the age. A two-year-old child may see pouring water from a glass bottle as a challenge while a ten-year-old is happy to be served because they do not associate their competence with these practical tasks. Because of the need to improve, these children tend to choose tasks that will test their competence. Often these tasks are more difficult and demanding than they can handle given their age and physical or intellectual capabilities.

COMING SOON