Why Outdoor Play & Learning is important

At KatieB Kids we have some great ideas for outside play, click on the links below for inspiration.

Let's get physical - outdoor games for groups of children

Let's adventure - outside activities to try at home

A recent study, by Kiddi Caru, has revealed that parents said their children get 3 hours or less outside per week, but as many of us have spent more time outdoors in the past couple of years than we ever have done before, it has given us a much greater awareness of it benefits. It has given us a sense of freedom, has been our place to exercise and even our social space. Here at KatieB Kids we have always seen the value of outdoor play and learning, we love spending time in our garden, but we enrich this experience with adventures into the community that offer huge benefits:

· Outings help children feel more rooted in their local community and make connections with the outside world e.g., befriending the dog of a local jogger which they see on their daily trips

· Outings provide hands-on and interactive experiences, building on what the children are learning in the nursery (before, during and after the trip)

· Outings stimulate curiosity and inspire new interests e.g., seeing diggers or renaming the tower 'Rapunzel's tower'

· Outings foster children's social skills and self-confidence.

· Outings help promote healthy living by encouraging walking and dressing appropriately to go out in all weathers.

· Outings help children to understand and respect nature.

· Outings help children to learn road safety first hand.

· Outings help develop children's cultural capital

So what is so great about the great outdoors?

Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and well-being. Our children get far more than that! Which for us as a nursery helps us to meet our vision that our children becoming happy, resilient, respectful and fulfilled adults, but the benefits of outdoor play are not limited to health and well-being. Playing and learning outdoors can help:

· Improve motor skills

· Lower body mass index

· Improve muscle strength

· Increase self-awareness

· Appreciation of the environment

· Improve peer to peer relationships

· Make use of all fives senses

· Develop a sense of independence

· Aid brain development

· Improve communication skills

· Expand learning space

There is no such thing as bad weather just inappropriate clothing.

This is something we whole heartedly agree with here at KatieB Kids, we go out whatever the weather (unless its unsafe) as we believe that spending time outside in poor weather builds resilience, but more importantly it teaches children to not just spend their lives merely tolerating the ‘bad’ days in favour of a handful of ‘good’ days. And the benefits of outdoor play in poor weather do not end there, while playing in the rain children are being engineers, metorologists, artists, biologists, and musicians.

Risk is natural outside

Being outside offers a natural opportunity for risky play, navigating uneven surfaces, hills and ditches all support children’s risk taking and teach them how to keep themselves safe.

And its great for sleep too!