Playing Outdoors

It is the policy and good practice for children at St Marys @ The Park to have daily access to outdoor play. Sometimes parents are a little unsure of this but their are many benefits to regular outdoor play and exercise. Please ensure that children are sent to nursery with name labelled hats, scarves and gloves, appropriate winter coats and wellies which may be kept at nursery. If children choose to play outdoors then they will be encouraged to do so. If we have snow over these upcoming weeks we will also be taking all the children into the park to utilize the learning potentials that this interesting resource brings. So please dress your child appropriately so they are not cold when playing outdoors. Extra layers and vests should also be worn over the colder winter months. Please read below for the benefits of outdoor play.



Benefits for Early Years of Learning Outside the Classroom
 It is essential that young children get frequent and regular opportunities to explore and learn in the outdoor environment and this

should not be seen as an optional extra. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Curriculum, which covers children aged

birth to the end of the Reception year, became statutory in September 2008 and places strong emphasis on the importance and

value of daily outdoor experiences for children’s learning and development.

In recent years there has been a cultural shift in our society that has reduced the access and use of outdoors for many young

children. Contributory factors include increased fear amongst adults in relation to children’s safety and technological advances

leading to an overwhelming prominence of more sedentary indoor activities, such as television, video and computer games.

Here are some powerful arguments for taking every opportunity to take young children beyond their immediate indoor

environment:-

 • Learning outside the classroom supports the development of healthy and active lifestyles by offering children

opportunities for physical activity, freedom and movement, and promoting a sense of well-being. 

• Learning outside the classroom gives children contact with the natural world and offers them experiences that are


unique to outdoors, such as direct contact with the weather and the seasons. 

• Playing and learning outside also helps children to understand and respect nature, the environment and the

interdependence of humans, animals, plants, and lifecycles.

• Outdoor play also supports children’s problem-solving skills and nurtures their creativity, as well as providing rich

opportunities for their developing imagination, inventiveness and resourcefulness. 

• Children need an outdoor environment that can provide them with space, both upwards and outwards, and places

to explore, experiment, discover, be active and healthy, and to develop their physical capabilities.

• The outdoor environment offers space and therefore is particularly important to those children who learn best

through active movement. Very young children learn predominately through their sensory and physical

experiences which supports brain development and the creation of neural networks.

• For many children, playing outdoors at their early years setting may be the only opportunity they have to play

safely and freely while they learn to assess risk and develop the skills to manage new situations.
 




















Benefits for Early Years of Learning Outside the Classroom


• Learning that flows seamlessly between indoors and outdoors makes the most efficient use of resources and



builds on interests and enthusiasms.

• Anyone who takes children outside regularly sees the enjoyment, and sense of wonder and excitement that is



generated when children actively engage with their environment.