Educators have known for years that outdoor play makes children healthier. A mounting body of research confirms that playing outside helps early learning students get healthy, achieve important milestones, and build social confidence. In this article, we examine how outdoor play helps your early learning students and how you can create an inviting playground and outdoor learning experience with outdoor school furniture and play essentials.
Outdoor early learning spaces inspire imagination and play
It's where the wild things are and where Charlotte weaves her web. It's where the fairy takes the velveteen rabbit and makes him real. The outdoors is a fixture in children's literature as a place of magical experiences. And just like good books, the outdoors is essential to children's learning and growth. Provide your early learning students with a play space where they can achieve important physical, social, and educational milestones. When you supply outdoor furniture and play essentials for early learning students, you bring into being a magical realm in which learning becomes play and growing, which gives rise to treasured childhood memories.
Some of our favorites for inspiring outdoor imaginations:
Playing outdoors helps children learn
The outdoors is chock full of interesting observations. Children engage all their senses to make sense of the natural world around them. A daddy-long legs emerging from under a fallen log or a nest of baby birds under an overhang invite curiosity and delight from young children. The powers of focus and observation children develop while exploring nature also help them excel in the classroom. Studies show that children are more engaged in their indoor classes after they spend time outdoors. Outdoor Classroom Day shared:
88% of teachers say children are more engaged in learning when taking lessons outdoors.
86% of teachers say playing outdoors gives children a better understanding of the environment.
A prescription for outdoor, early learning play
Outdoor play is so beneficial to children's well-being that Dr Robert Zarr, a Washington D.C. pediatrician, sends his young patients home with a prescription for outdoor time. Dr. Zarr helps his patients, and their parents create a plan for spending time outside. The mountain of research supporting the benefits of playing outside is so compelling that Dr. Zarr created a nonprofit, Park Rx America, to educate health practitioners and families on its importance. Educators, especially, are well-poised to create a culture of being outside.
Science behind outdoor learning health benefits
As an educator, you're already aware of the obesity epidemic among American children. Data collected by the CDC from 2017 to 2020 found that 19.7% of U.S. children suffered with obesity. However, your school's playground can make a positive impact on your students' BMI and their overall health. For example, WebMD cites a study which found that children who live closer to parks have a lower BMI.
The role of outdoor play in our fight against childhood obesity can't be overstated. But the physical benefits of outdoor equipment go beyond children's BMI statistics. Time outdoors decreases the likelihood that children will develop near-sightedness, according to Boston Children's Hospital. Additionally, children encounter beneficial bacteria outdoors, and their immune systems become stronger, as the Cleveland Clinic explains.
The physical ruggedness of outdoor play also has a positive impact on children's physical development. Balancing and climbing on playground equipment, for example, helps children develop strength, coordination, and spatial awareness. Climbing also supports young learners:
Dexterity
Physical strength
Proprioception and vestibular sensory systems
Focus and concentration
Balance
Some of our favorites to inspire healthy outdoor play and activity:
Playgrounds reinforce important social skills
When six children want to use a swing set equipped with four swings, something important happens. Outdoor furniture and play essentials teach children how to take turns, negotiate, and work as a group. The interactions that take place on the playground prepare young children for a lifetime of socializing with others.
Eavesdrop on a group of young children on the playground, and you'll quickly realize they are engaged in imaginative play. The make-believe scenarios that young children engage in let them explore their roles in society. Pretending to storm a castle or set up a house gives early learners an opportunity to practice cooperation and communication skills.
Outdoor play improves children's mental health
The National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) says that, in the U.S., 20 million children have a mental health disorder. That reality hits home for educators who interact daily with dozens of children struggling with family hardships, anxiety, poor attention span, and other issues.
You can't protect your students from life's struggles. But you can be a vital source of support in the classroom and on the playground. Access to an outdoor space where children can take in the sounds, smells, and sights of nature lowers the risk of depression and reduces symptoms of ADHD.
Being outside helps kids learn how to adapt as Mother Nature changes from day to day. Mastering the balancing beam and braving the tall slide gives kids confidence and a sense of independence. And as we all know, a can-do attitude makes life's stressors easier to handle.
Create an enriching outdoor play space with School Outfitters
Countless studies have reinforced what educators like you have known all along: children are healthier and learn a host of essential skills when they spend time outdoors. Researchers confirm that outdoor time pays dividends in a child's physical, cognitive, and social development. You can make the most of your early learning students' time outside by creating an enriching space with outdoor furniture and play essentials.
Trust the furniture experts at School Outfitters to help you find great early learning furniture, equipment, and supplies to outfit your outdoor learning spaces! We make it easy, and we handle delivery and setup, too! Start browsing and get your FREE quote today!
