Turn Everyday Moments Into Learning With Natural Environment Training

What Is Natural Environment Training?

Natural environment training focuses on teaching skills to children with autism in a natural setting. Rather than sitting at a table with flashcards, charts, or puzzles, our behavior technicians might help kiddos learn at the moment by tapping into your child’s interests. 

Benefits of Learning in Natural Settings

The goal of natural environment training is to help your youngster learn where they are happiest and get a lot of enjoyment. This might occur when playing at our clinic, outdoors, taking a walk, or in any number of settings. 

For example, during a walk in your child’s favorite park, you point out birds, trees, and flowers, encouraging your kiddo to name them, describe their colors, or count them. Because your youngster is already where they enjoy spending time, the lesson increases retention when the environment provides meaningful associations.

Improves Communication Skills

NET fosters communication skills by using everyday moments as teaching opportunities. Your child requesting a snack practices language skills in a functional way rather than repeating phrases in a structured classroom activity. One of our behavior technicians might hold out two choices, an apple and a banana, prompting your child to use words or gestures to indicate their preference. 

The goal is to reinforce vocabulary and strengthen decision-making and social engagement. In addition to making learning fun, humans have a natural tendency to want to apply classroom learning to real life. Natural environment training does both by having real-life experiences that create deeper connections and make language learning more intuitive and effective.

Fosters Better Problem-Solving

Problem-solving abilities develop naturally when your child engages with their surroundings. Instead of solving math problems on a worksheet, children grasp numerical concepts by measuring ingredients for a recipe or counting steps while climbing stairs. Our behavior technicians might ask your child to divide snacks among their friends at our clinic. In this way, we introduce division. If there are four kids and 12 carrot sticks, how many carrot sticks would each person get?  NET makes abstract concepts concrete, leading to better understanding when applying math to real-life scenarios.

Enhances Social Development

NET also supports social development by integrating learning with peer interactions. Instead of structured role-playing exercises, children practice turn-taking, cooperation, and negotiation while playing games or completing group tasks. For example, a playground offers countless opportunities for children to learn social rules organically. Children might learn to take turns on the swingset or going down a slide. This makes communication relevant to each child while also socializing with peers.

Child-Led Approach

The key to natural environment training is using a child-led approach. What captures your kiddo’s attention? Is it watching clouds go by, racing toy cars, pretending to fly with a cape on? Observe and engage with your kiddo based on what they like in general or at any given moment. For example, if your child watches ants on the sidewalk, ask questions or introduce vocabulary related to insects, movement, or habitats. This method keeps learning relevant and engaging, fostering better retention and enthusiasm for new information.

Communication Through Your Child’s Responses

Communication skills grow naturally when children initiate interactions. Our behavior technicians encourage conversations by responding to their choices and actions. If your child reaches for a toy truck, a behavior technician might respond with, “Do you want the red truck or the blue one?” This real-world exchange fosters spontaneous speech, giving your child control over their communication while reinforcing language usage in a meaningful way.

Problem-Solving During Fun Tasks

Problem-solving opportunities arise organically during child-led activities. Your youngster might try to build a sandcastle at the lake or in a sandbox. They experiment with different amounts of water and sand. Instead of giving direct instructions, you might ask questions like, “What happens when you add more water?” This approach encourages critical thinking and perseverance, helping children discover solutions through trial and error.

Social Skills Based on Your Child’s Actions

Social skills with your kiddo’s peers may develop stronger connections as they interact with other children in unstructured, natural settings. On a playground, children negotiate turns on the swing or collaborate to build a fort. You can support your child by prompting them to express their needs or encouraging compromise. These real-world experiences strengthen emotional intelligence and cooperation with others in ways that scripted lessons or therapeutic sessions cannot replicate.

Embedding Learning Activities in Everyday Tasks

The easiest way to help your youngster learn in a natural setting is to turn real-life situations into teachable moments. It’s formally called incidental teaching. See some of these examples:

1. Language Development During Meals

Encourage communication during mealtime. If your child wants more juice, prompt them to request it using words, signs, or a communication device. Ask questions like, “Do you want apple juice or orange juice?” to promote choice-making and vocabulary growth.

2. Social Skills Through Play

Unstructured playtime creates opportunities for turn-taking, sharing, and cooperation. If your kiddo enjoys building with blocks, an adult or peer can take turns adding pieces to a tower. Use phrases like “Your turn” or “Let’s do it together” to reinforce cooperation in a natural setting.

3. Problem-Solving While Getting Dressed

Incorporating problem-solving into daily routines can encourage independence. If your kiddo struggles to put on their shoes, offer guidance with questions: “Which shoe goes on which foot?” or “What happens if we switch them?” This helps develop reasoning and self-help skills in a practical way.

4. Math and Counting During Errands

Shopping trips provide opportunities to practice counting, categorization, and decision-making. Ask your child to count apples while putting them in the bag or compare the prices of different items. Engage your youngster in small tasks to foster independence while reinforcing important practical skills outside of classroom learning.

5. Sensory and Motor Skills During Outdoor Activities

Nature walks and playground visits help develop coordination and sensory processing. Encourage your child to describe what they see, feel different textures, or balance on a curb. Activities like jumping, swinging, and climbing strengthen motor skills in a sensory-friendly learning environment that’s not too overwhelming.

Modeling and Imitation

The idea behind modeling and imitation is for the behavior technician, or you as a parent, to demonstrate behaviors, language, and skills to your child. For example, when you wave to a friend,  you might say, “Let’s wave hello,” prompting your kiddo to copy the action. 

Communication

Children love to imitate their parents, as you no doubt have noticed! They’ll imitate spoken words in real-life situations (if you’ve ever heard your child utter a curse word, they had to learn that from somewhere). When your youngster wants a snack, you can model the request by saying, “I want crackers, please.” Then, hand the crackers to your kiddo. 

Motor Skills

Everyday tasks can help improve motor skills. Let’s say your youngster watches a sibling zip a jacket. They might attempt the same motion, developing fine motor coordination. You can help with this by demonstrating each step slowly and providing encouragement. Other things to try include clapping to music, stomping feet, or mimicking animal movements to further enhance motor skills and development while making it fun!

Social Skills

Social skills grow when children observe and practice appropriate behaviors modeled by parents, adults, or peers. During a group activity, a behavior technician might demonstrate turn-taking by saying, “I roll the ball to you. Now you roll it back.” The idea is to help your child understand social rules and develop cooperative play skills without feeling pressured.

Implementing Natural Environment Training at Home

You can easily transform everyday routines into meaningful learning experiences when implementing natural environment training at home. Instead of setting aside structured lesson time, make a concerted effort to turn activities into learning experiences. For example, while preparing breakfast, encourage your child to name ingredients, count pieces of fruit, or describe textures. Of course, you will need to make sure lessons are age-appropriate.

If you want to track progress, keep notes as you go along. These can be simple audio notes that are automatically transcribed for you using an appropriate app.

Toddlers (1–3 years)

• Naming objects during daily routines (cup, spoon, shoes)
• Requesting favorite items using gestures, words, or pictures
• Matching simple objects (socks, toy animals, shape sorters)
• Identifying body parts during bath time (“Where’s your nose?”)
• Helping with small tasks (putting toys in a bin, throwing away trash)
• Following simple directions (“Bring me the book”)

Preschoolers (3–5 years)

• Counting everyday objects (snacks, stairs, toys)
• Sorting laundry by color or size
• Learning new words by describing outdoor sights (clouds, trees, cars)
• Practicing turn-taking during games or playdates
• Helping with meal preparation (stirring, pouring, spreading)
• Answering “wh-” questions during storytime (“What happens next?”)

Early Elementary (5–7 years)

• Measuring ingredients while cooking or baking
• Identifying and collecting different leaves or rocks outside
• Making shopping lists and finding items at the store
• Telling time on a clock with daily routines (“Lunch happens at 12”)
• Reading street signs or simple instructions during outings
• Counting change or sorting coins while shopping

Older Elementary (8–10 years)

• Planning and following steps for a project (planting a garden, building with blocks)
• Estimating costs at the store and comparing prices
• Reading maps or following simple directions on a walk
• Helping with household chores using a checklist (laundry, dishwashing)
• Caring for a pet
• Writing grocery lists and checking off completed errands
• Leading a simple family activity (setting up a game, making a snack)

Preteens and Teens (11+ years)

• Managing money through budgeting allowance or small purchases
• Preparing meals with minimal supervision
• Organizing schedules and tracking responsibilities (homework, chores, caring for a pet)
• Helping with home repairs or improvement projects
• Learning to use public transportation by reading maps and schedules
• Volunteering in the community to develop social and leadership skills

Challenges of Natural Environment Training

Implementing natural environment training can present some challenges that require flexibility and creativity. Unlike structured teaching, NET depends on spontaneous learning moments, which may not occur predictably. You’ll need to find the right balance between allowing independence and offering guidance for effective learning.

Distractions

Distractions may interfere with learning in natural settings, but you can easily shift to another learning experience. Your child playing outside might lose focus when a passing dog captures their attention. But you can ask your kiddo, “What color is that dog?” or “What does a dog say?” 

Generalization vs. Specialization

Generalization of skills poses another challenge in NET. A child who learns to ask for help at home might struggle to apply that skill in a different setting, such as a playground or a store. Consistent practice across multiple environments strengthens retention. Feel free to have learning lessons in various locations beyond the home environment. 

Limited Opportunities

Limited opportunities for repetition may make learning a bit slower. Unlike traditional instruction in a regular setting, like in therapy sessions, NET relies on naturally occurring situations. If your child rarely encounters a situation requiring a specific skill, they may struggle to retain it. Create more experiences through daily routines, such as mealtimes, chores, driving to school, and other activities.

Patience and Consistency

Be patient and consistent to start to see results. Learning in natural environments unfolds at an unpredictable pace. Learn to recognize teachable moments, especially when something captures your child’s attention.

Help Your Child With Autism to Grow

At My World ABA, we want your child to grow and excel. To learn more about our services or answer additional questions, contact us through our website or call (417) 818-5784 today. 

We have offices in Springfield, Ozark, and Joplin, Missouri.