Active Outdoors
With many children still at home having not returned to Early Years settings and schools, it’s a good time to reflect on how children can still be experiencing play and learning away from formal education or childcare.
As lockdown restrictions ease, families will have more opportunities to go out for longer walks, exploring parks, woodlands, open spaces and attractions. These are ideal times to reconnect with nature, giving children hands-on experiences with the natural world. But why is it so important for children to be outside?
As an example, the NHS recommendation is that children aged 3 and 4 should have at least 3 hours of physical activity a day, a mixture of indoors and outdoors. They should have very little inactive periods, apart from when sleeping. Children of this age are developing quickly and need exercise to develop their bones, muscles and joints as well as skills such as hand-eye coordination, and control of their movements. Children aged 5 and over should have at least 60 minutes of exercise every day.
Being outdoors does not just have physical benefits – there are impacts on a child’s wellbeing. Children can feel energised, grow in confidence as they develop their skills, learn to take risks and become resilient and build friendships. Their innate drive to move and explore needs to be nurtured with space and freedom to run, jump, climb, throw and skip.
However, it’s not all about getting the heart beating faster, although this is of course important. Being active outdoors also includes anything that means children are moving – bug hunts, scavenger hunts, outdoor mark-making, digging, water play, making mud pies and petal perfume and creating natural art.
Although parents and carers should not feel any need to replicate an Early Years setting within the home, there are lots of ways of incorporating outdoor activities into daily life.
Some of the best outdoor play activities are completely free. Even taking a walk can provide a wealth of learning opportunities. Listen to the sounds around you – birds singing, bees buzzing, the leaves rustling in the trees, aeroplanes flying overhead. Investigate how many different minibeasts you can spot or set up a scavenger hunt. Use natural objects such as pine cones, leaves, sticks, grass and petals to create a natural collage. Perhaps you could see who can find the biggest stick…you might even find Stick Man whilst doing so! These simple activities can promote communication and language development as well as counting, problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity and imagination.
Being outdoors is a great way to encourage children’s observational skills, prompting them to notice changes around them. This is especially successful in your garden or outdoor areas visited regularly. Notice the seasonal changes, the effect of rainfall, shadows and reflections, the growth of plants and wear and tear on the ground. Reconnecting in this hands-on, open-ended way enables the child to take the lead, developing their self-esteem and understanding of concepts such as growth, decay and change.
Resources can be added to outdoor play to further explore the natural world including magnifying glasses, bug viewers, bubbles, streamers, identification guides and maps. With the use of technology, children can take photographs of their outdoor adventures to look at later, reflecting on their experiences.
Although the coming weeks and months may be challenging, the outdoors can be a fantastic place to escape for families. A space for time away from technology, busy lives and work, somewhere to give our brains a break. With alternative sensory experiences and the prospect of giving us a better night's sleep, it’s a good time to embrace the benefits of actively playing outdoors for adults and children.