It is Never too Late to Learn New Skills

How much do children learn playing outside?

24 April 2017

Warren Davis

For young children, the best way to learn is through play. Many parents and carers are confused about the educational benefits of outdoor play. Here are some of the ways that outdoor play can enhance the learning and development experience of young children at a childcare centre. 

Observing changes in biological cycles

When children spend time outside, they can get a good, fundamental understanding of the changes in biological cycles, such as different insects landing in the yard; birds nesting in the local trees and then baby birds being born; and new plants sprouting, growing and dying off over time as well as changes in soil texture over the year. This is a good way to lead to an understanding of local cycles and helps to build observation skills, which are important in formal education. The children can also experience different weather conditions and understand both short-term cycles (night and day) as well as longer-term cycles (such as changes of seasons). 

Physical measurements

By playing in the sand and dirt, children can learn important spatial skills, such as judging how much material fits into tall, thin spaces compared to shorter and wider spaces. This physical judgment is a part of pre-math skills and is a fun way to allow children to experiment in their own environment. 

Outdoor play also allows children to experiment with different textures to touch and feel, which can help stimulate the children's minds and is a great way to naturally build vocabulary and promote mental development. 

Improving long distance vision and distance judgement

Human eyes are designed to look both at very close objects and far into the distance. In indoor environments children will tend to only look at items in the room, while outdoors children will also be able to look over long distance and adjust to different light settings. This is an important part of a child's physical development and allows them to later adjust to environments such as switching between stages and blackboards and close work. This also allows them to judge perspective and physical distance, which is important for drawing diagrams and is a vital pre-math skill.  

If you are looking for a childcare centre that stimulates your child and allows them to learn as much as possible, it's a good idea to find a centre that uses outdoor learning as part of their learning program. Why not explore local childcare centres, such as Hopskotch Kindergarten, to see how they use outdoor learning with their children?

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