Although sunshine is a lovely backdrop for summer fun, many children don’t mind a little rain either. Children are usually their happiest outside, exploring among grass and trees. And while many of us adults may prefer to watch rainy days from inside, puddles usually only add to the fun for young ones. Be prepared with appropriate outdoor clothing that is durable and weather-resistant and watch the magic unfold!
There are lots of developmental benefits that come with outdoor play, making the effort worth it almost every time. The emotional, mental, physical, social, and behavioral health of children is fortified in natural settings. We see a marked increase in overall well-being, stress relief, resilience, restoration, emotional regulation, and mood enhancement when children have plenty of time outside. Their general health and immune function often improve with fresh air and sunshine. We often see children eating and sleeping better.
Active participation in outdoor play leads to better motor functioning. While staying inside on screens all day may improve kids’ gaming reflexes, time spent outside hones their real reflexes, benefiting their physical skills, strength, and coordination.
We also witness a boost to self-esteem, confidence, and agency. When children are engaged in fun outdoor activities they show heightened attention, attention restoration, memory, creativity, problem-solving, language development and executive functioning with mental control, self-regulation, and decision making. For school-aged children, academic functioning and attitudes toward school can significantly improve with more recess and outdoor experiences.
“The best classroom and the richest cupboard is roofed only by the sky,” says Margaret McMillan.
Parents and teachers often wonder how much time outside is enough. The simple answer is as much as possible. Several hours a day would be highly beneficial, and more is better. In the book, ‘Last Child in the Woods,’ author Richard Louv coined the term ‘nature-deficit disorder,’ which is a condition that may have serious implications for children who lack a connection with nature. Disconnection to the natural world has been linked to diminished sensory experiences, attention difficulties, obesity, vitamin D deficiency, increased aggression, higher rates of anxiety and depression, poor grades, reduced coping skills, higher levels of stress, and overall lower sense of well-being. In other words, time in nature is essential for health and wellness.
How can we do better? When adults place value on aesthetics, organization, thoughtfulness, provocation, communication, and interaction, children can learn a lot from being in the outdoor environment. The more care and attention paid to organizing the space
outdoors, the more this time can stimulate the imagination, creativity, exploration, discovery, engagement and sense of wonder for young children.
If you are looking for ideas, here are some ways to increase outside activity:
• Include children in gardening by planting seeds and nurturing plants, which supports their understanding of life cycles and teaches responsibility. Children may be more interested in eating vegetables that they had a hand in growing.
• Plan high-activity games with play equipment such as balls, bats, jump ropes, hurdles, tunnels, balance beams, targets, bean bags, balls, or hoops. Develop obstacle courses. Mark playgrounds with mazes, hopscotch, snakes & ladders, or other games. Support them to explore areas where they can climb, swing, move, and take reasonable risks to learn what they are capable of.
• Provide access to natural materials such as water, pinecones, stones, sticks, shells, sand, grass or flowers. Nature walks can be an engaging way to gather found treasures. Mud kitchens are hours of fun!
• Assure activities are enjoyable for the individual needs of children and adapt the spaces, as needed.
In the TED Talk, ‘The Best Kindergarten You’ve Ever Seen,’ Takahuru Tezuka shows us the benefits of designing indoor/outdoor spaces that are developmentally appropriate for young children.
Need some fun ideas to do with children? Check out the 50 Nature-based Outdoor Play Activities for Early Childhood Development compiled by Stepping Stone Childcare and Early Developmental Centers.
The Early Learning Hub of Lane County has a lot of resources at their link for Fun Family Activities & Lane County Activity Calendar.
Have fun!
Aoife Rose Magee, PhD, earned a doctoral degree in Special Education from the University of Oregon Early Intervention Program. Her personal and professional interests have been largely focused on the social-emotional development of young children and how positive parenting and teaching practices may contribute to healthy development, promote resiliency, and mediate risk factors. Aoife is professional development specialist for students and practitioners in the areas of Early Childhood Education, Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education and Parenting Education. Aoife serves as a Master Trainer for the Oregon Registry and frequently provides community based and private workshops for early childhood educators, parenting educators, and other professionals. For more than thirty years, she worked directly with families as a parenting educator, and she is a former Oregon Parenting Education Collaborative Hub Coordinator for the Parenting Success Network. She currently teaches as a full-time faculty in the Early Childhood Education Program at Lane Community College. She is also the mother of a fantastic young adult son and enjoys nature and creative pursuits in her spare time.
