Benefits of Outdoor Fun
Outdoor fun serves an important role in the way kids develop physically, socially, and emotionally. Outdoor play gives children the opportunity to run, jump, climb, ride bikes, yell, and blow off steam; it can lead to better sleep, and improved behaviour. Outdoor play is also important for children because it builds small and large muscles, strengthens bones, conditions the lungs, and improves their overall health.
Being outdoors helps children
- Social and emotional development is enhanced when they play outside. For instance, when young kids build sand castles, play games with friends, or explore things they find in nature, it encourages logical thinking, and improves their ability to reason.
- Outdoor play also encourages children to take risks, stretch their imaginations, explore their interests, and discover what they enjoy doing. When children spend time outside with peers, it gives them the opportunity to build the kind of social skills they need to forge healthy friendships throughout life.
- Playing outside makes kids happier, and enables them to grow into well rounded adults by providing a number of physical, social, and emotional developmental perks.
Ideas for equipment for outside
- Water, plants, sand, gardens, nature
- Large equipment such as slides, swings and jungle gyms, trampolines
- Ladders and challenge courses
- Bikes, balls, hula hoops
Adults can help
- Constant adult supervision
- Ask questions to promote thinking
- Be mind full of hazard, safety requirements and potential risks
- Provide space and suitable equipment
- Ensure the play area is safe, well-maintained and positioned safely
- Allow children to explore equipment at their own pace and ability level
- Be ready to join in and, if appropriate, assist with skills development, e.g. demonstrate the best ways to land, roll, throw, etc.
- Encourage turn-taking
Ideas to help with literacy and numeracy
Outdoor play gives children opportunities to experience many pre-mathematical concepts, giving them a good basis for later understanding of more theoretical mathematical ideas. They develop concepts of spatial awareness, such as: over/under; in front of/behind; on top of/beneath; inside/outside; beside and through. They also develop mathematical concepts such as long/short; big/small; wide/narrow.
Talking with children about what they are doing, e.g. sliding, swinging high, climbing under, etc. will help extend their use of language.
Talking with children about what they are doing, e.g. sliding, swinging high, climbing under, etc. will help extend their use of language.