Exploring and Learning Through Outdoor Experiences
There are so many benefits to outdoor play.
Through outdoor play children develop:
· A sense of freedom to observe, explore, inquire, predict, test, or just relax
· Improved creativity and critical thinking skills
· The ability to self-express
· A sense of community and security
· A sense of self, others, and their environment
· Self-regulation, self-motivation, and self-confidence
· Self-awareness and the ability to challenge their bodies
· Improved language fluency
· Increased brain pathways
· And best of all - A love of learning
· A sense of freedom to observe, explore, inquire, predict, test, or just relax
· Improved creativity and critical thinking skills
· The ability to self-express
· A sense of community and security
· A sense of self, others, and their environment
· Self-regulation, self-motivation, and self-confidence
· Self-awareness and the ability to challenge their bodies
· Improved language fluency
· Increased brain pathways
· And best of all - A love of learning
Outdoor play is so important in keeping children engaged in their own learning and curiosity.
“Although play is a difficult concept to define, it is very easy to recognize. Children actively involved in play may be engaged in a variety of activities, independently, with a partner, or in a group. Because play is closely tied to the cognitive, socio-emotional, and motor development of young children, it is an important part of developmentally appropriate early childhood programs.”
-Earlychildhood NEWS, 2008