Outdoor Play for Children’s Wellbeing
- Dandelion Education Posted On Jan 21, 2022 | Outdoor Learning
At Learning Resources, we believe that outdoor play is essential for children’s wellbeing, learning, and development. Whether through guided learning experiences or unstructured, free play, outdoor play offers children so many ways to learn about themselves and the world around them while having lots of active fun.
We’re delighted to be collaborating with Dandelion Education Ltd nurseries for a series of seasonal blog posts featuring innovative ways to give children the opportunity to engage with the natural world through fun activities. All learning at Dandelion Education’s nurseries is delivered outside throughout the year, where the environment is the foundation of the schools’ daily practice, and nature is the framework for learning. We hope their creative approach to learning will inspire teachers, schools, and families to take more learning outdoors.
In this first post, co-founder and teacher Hayley Room looks at why outdoor play is vital for children. Find out more about Dandelion Education’s innovative and award-winning approach in the About the Author section at the end of this post.
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Children thrive with muddy knees and by climbing trees
In a time, not so long ago, we humans spent a vast amount of our time out of doors; as children, we headed out daily, pedaled to the park, or the wood; we built dens, swung from our crudely constructed rope swings and scampered home, muddy kneed, at around the time our bellies told us it was time for tea.
This was a time before screens, the internet, and 24/7 retail. It is not a picture that many children today will recognise.
The present experience for our children offers far fewer opportunities for playing outside and exploring freely. Busy roads, concerns over safety and extended working hours, mean that our children are less likely to be outdoors, and more likely to be engaged in sedentary activities, either at home or in childcare.
Outdoor learning is growing!
However, there is a wave of change sweeping the country as we see a rise in outdoor learning within early years settings and schools. The concept of forest schools is now widely understood by schools and parents, their presence is growing. The vital importance of being outdoors, and the positive impact of this is common knowledge.
The concept of a purposeful, rich, outdoor learning environment is not new. Friedrich Froebel developed the concept of kindergartens, or Children’s Gardens, in the early 19th Century. He was a pioneer of early childhood education and care and has changed the way many of us think about, and value, early childhood. He gave practitioners a rationale for engaging children outdoors and a working model for effective outdoor learning.
The benefits of outdoor play and learning
With the increased focus on children’s mental health and emotional wellbeing, the good news is playing and learning outside helps children thrive, and we see the benefits each day.
Let us start with improved physical health and core muscle strength. Froebel stated, “movement is part of children’s very being… it is spontaneous play and exploration that motivates children to move, not exercise or keeping fit.”
Greater spatial awareness is another benefit, as is increased cognitive functioning. Evidence demonstrates links between elevated levels of physical development and cognitive development.
We see children’s confidence and self-esteem grow and this is achieved by taking part in higher risk activities and being free to learn by trial, error, investigation, and exploration. This also helps children develop higher levels of emotional resilience and self-efficacy.
Stress and mental health can affect us all and developing emotional literacy from the early years is a priority at Dandelion Education. Children of all ages experience vastly improved mental, social and emotional wellbeing, which leads to lower cortisol levels and thus reduced stress. Time to simply be and to observe nature in all its wonder is free medicine!
Our team also sees these benefits:
- The development of risk awareness and challenge, linking to creative and critical thinking, and problem solving.
- The development of social skills, peer collaboration and life skills. Children learn to negotiate their own space, as they rough and tumble, and create their own play, free from the constraints of walls.
- Creativity and imagination are enhanced within open spaces for children. Natural, open-ended resources become props to support role play.
- An increased nature connection and learning through sensory experience. Learning to understand the mystery of the world through the seasons as they change with real time, visible changes bring a greater understanding of our world, and our impact on it. This creates a sense of belonging, ownership, and responsibility.
- And finally, inclusivity and equality. Every child will find their space and can access it as they wish or need to - if running and jumping with friends or sitting quietly beneath a canopy and reading alone is a learning preference, then this is easily met outdoors.
Holistic, child-led learning is easily achieved outdoors; every area of the curriculum can be met in a meaningful, purposeful way in a square meter of earth which this is impossible indoors! When children are free to play, explore, imagine, and learn in rich outdoor spaces, alongside partners in wonder, who knows what dreams may come, and how high children can climb!
Get your own patch and watch children grow!
Be inspired by Dandelion Education and find outdoor learning opportunities all around you…
- Nature connection can occur in cities as well as in the countryside. It can occur in shared spaces as well as private. Head out into the community, find a wild space, and cultivate a community plot full of wonder and fun, open to all.
- The quality of the space is essential. Think of natural open-ended resources that enable children to access the space in a way that THEY wish to.
- Along with the quality of the space, the interactions that occur within it are crucial. Adults who embrace the outdoors are vital to maximising the impact of learning outdoors and to instilling a love of all weathers in children. Choose adults who inspire wonder and become partners in learning. Choose impermeable, enthusiastic adults to take learning and joy outside!
- Get involved with others and share ideas on Outdoor Classroom Day on May 19th 2022! Find out more by visiting the organisation's website.
Visit the Dandelion Education website to find out more. Keep visiting the Learning Resources blog to find out more about A Year Outdoors collaboration with Dandelion Education schools.
Blog header image courtesy of Dandelion Education Ltd.
About the Author
Hayley (pictured here), and Dandelion’s co-founder, Emma Harwood, have developed a sound pedagogy which holds child-centred learning, and holistic child-development, at its heart. Together, they share the belief that every child has unique potential; they share a dream; a dream of a truly child-led education system in which EVERY child is free to play, explore, imagine, and learn; a dream that nurtures creative and critical thinking; that empowers small children, with giant voices - emotionally literate voices, with which they can be heard. Follow the schools’ outdoor adventures on Facebook and Instagram.
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