Offering children outdoor play

The outside environment should offer the same opportunities as the indoor environment. This allows the children to experience outdoors yet still have access to the same level of learning. Outdoor play is important for children’s development, providing them with fresh air and the opportunity to discover and learn about the world around them. The outdoor environment has something more to offer than just physical benefits. Cognitive and social/emotional development are impacted, too. Outside, children are more likely to invent games. As they do, they’re able to express themselves and learn about the world in their own way.

Here are eight ways you can offer indoor play outside

Mud Kitchens

Mud kitchens are a great way for children to experience a role play experience in the outdoor environment. Offering cooking utensils such as mixing bowls, spoons and weighing scales allows children to use their imagination and act out their experiences.

Mark making

It is important that creative activities are also offered outdoors. Children can access mark making activities by using materials, such as chunky chalks or paintbrushes in pots of water, to cover large spaces outdoors. The outside environment offers children a large canvass to experiment and express themselves, that can be washed away easily.

Den Building

Using lots of open ended resources such as cardboard boxes and blankets allows children to experience creating structures. Then can create dens or hiding places using the materials, further supporting their role play development alongside problem solving skills.

Story Sacks

Story sacks can bring literacy to life in the outside environment. Favourite stories can be created into story sacks by adding resources such as puppets or musical instruments. Outside children are given the space to recreate their favourite stories, and act out scenes. “We’re going on a bear hunt” is a great story to recreate outside.

Mathematics

Maths is an important aspect of development, enabling children to learn about numbers and measure. The outdoor environment offers lots of opportunity for children to measure movements such as jumps or distances. Numbers can be observed in the outside environment too. Painting numbers on pebbles or surfaces, allows children to become familiar with numbers and create games based around them.

Exploration and Investigation

Most settings offer the chance for exploration and investigation inside, however this can be extended outside. Offering resources such as magnifying glasses or torches allows children to experiment with early science, and explore the natural environment independently.

Sand and Water Play

Sand and water play are a great activity to be offered outdoors. Children are able to really get stuck in to the materials, experimenting mixing the two together and not worrying about making a mess! Spades and buckets can support children in transferring the materials and combining the two.

Small World/Construction

Creating opportunities to take small world play outside can open up a world of imaginative play for young children. Using small world animals or people to explore the natural environment can allow children to develop imaginative ideas and games, without being restricted by space or resources.