The Importance of Outdoor Play in Early Learning & Care!
When we think about learning environments in early learning settings we normally think about the indoors, however the outdoor learning environment is equally as important (if not more!).
Aistear (2024) has placed a strong emphasis on the outdoors, dúlra (nature) and the wider world, and a commitment to education for sustainable development. Outdoor play provides rich opportunities for developing motor skills, exploring the world, and fostering independence. This creates further scope for developing babies, toddlers and young children’s dispositions, skills, attitudes and values, knowledge and understanding. Babies, toddlers and young children need access to the outdoors where they can feel connected with and part of the natural world – the sky above, the land below, the flora and fauna of the earth. The NCCA have developed numerous blogs on Aistear 2024, one of which focuses on Aistear and the Outdoors which you can access by clicking here.
Early years educators should view the outdoor environment as a natural extension of their curriculum. The outdoors should be seen as having the potential to extend the curriculum and enrich the experiences of babies, toddlers and young children – not just a space for children to run around and burn off some energy. Outdoors, the same principles and pedagogies apply, they may just be seen and interpreted in a different way to what we are used to seeing in our indoor environment.
Click on the video below to view an insight from the Department of Education on Effective Outdoor Learning Environments
Benefits of Outdoor Play for Babies, Toddler and Young Children
There are numerous benefits for babies, toddler and young children to engaging in outdoor play, some of which are listed below:
- Physical development (balance, coordination, strength)
- Emotional well-being (reduced stress, increased happiness)
- Social skills (collaboration, conflict resolution)
- Language and communication (rich vocabulary in nature-based contexts)
- Cognitive development (risk assessment, spatial awareness, scientific thinking)
To find some outdoor play activities that you can implement in your early years’ service, please click on the following link: Outdoor Play Activities
Síolta: The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education
Síolta includes Standard 2: Environments, which stresses the importance of outdoor spaces being accessible, safe, and stimulating. It promotes holisticdevelopment, of which outdoor play is a crucial part.
The Aistear Síolta Practice guide has fantastic resources, one of which is the below video on Building a curriculum in the outdoor learning environment for children aged 0 – 3 years.
The Aistear Síolta Practice Guide also has numerous checklists available across their pillars. One of these checklists focuses on environments, with a specific section focusing on the outdoor environment. This checklist is a very useful tool to identify areas in your outdoor environment which may need to be re evaluated to be more meaningful or accessible for the Babies, Toddlers and Young Children in your care.
Click on the image below to access the full checklist on the Aistear Síolta Practice Guide.
For children to develop the ability to take calculated risks, they need to be offered challenges, adventurous play, and the freedom to move and explore. Placing too many restrictions on their play or limiting their time outdoors can hinder their creativity, self-esteem, social development, and concentration. Outdoor play, even if it involves children getting wet or dirty, is valuable in helping children understand both their abilities and limitations, and doing this in the outdoors enables children to assess risk from an early age.
As early years educators we need to remember that the outdoor environment does not need to be full of expensive toys, and that nature and natural materials can provide endless learning opportunities and enrich children’s imaginations, development and early learning experiences.
Mags Hayes – Development Officer
Useful Links
For further information and resources on the above topic, please click on the below links:
Aistear Síolta Practice Guide – Environments
Aistear Síolta – Risky Play 0-6 years
