Thinking OUTSIDE of the Box Thursdays: What are the benefits of outdoor play for children?
Let’s all share the benefits of playing outdoors. Do you notice children playing or behaving differently outdoors compared to indoors? What do they gain from outdoor play experiences?
I have
noticed that children tend to show great curiosity, patience, and creativity
while playing outdoors. I believe that being outdoors can be calming and
provide them a chance to move and relax their bodies. I have often observed
children spending long periods of time focused on one type of exploration. For
example, one winter morning with a group of toddlers, we spent most of our
outdoor time trying to determine what kind of animal made the tracks we found
in the yard and coming up with ideas about where they might live, what they
eat, and so on.
Fantastic example Megan - I find children's social engagement differs outdoors - they play in different and often larger groups or with children they don't often play with while indoors. I always found this aspect incredibly interesting about outdoor play.
ReplyDeleteI find the outdoors to be quite calming for some children. Getting away from the lights, walls, etc into a larger open space allows for further exploration in a calming environment. Also observing the different types of exploration by children is ofte fascinating.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing! Do you notice certain types of exploration being more common outdoors than inside?
DeleteI feel as though some children will take more time to observe and investigate if they discover something really interesting outdoors. More inquiry and a deeper thought process sometimes.
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