{"id":15077,"date":"2023-08-28T14:51:11","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T09:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learn.toddleapp.com\/?post_type=resource_post&#038;p=15077"},"modified":"2024-04-02T14:03:10","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T08:33:10","slug":"the-benefits-of-outdoor-play","status":"publish","type":"resource_post","link":"https:\/\/www.toddleapp.com\/learn\/resource-post\/the-benefits-of-outdoor-play\/","title":{"rendered":"<b>The Benefits of Outdoor Play<\/b>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The benefits of playing outdoors are numerous and interconnected. However, a shift to a technology-first lifestyle has seen increased use of personal devices such as tablets, smartphones, and computers. This has led to less time being spent outdoors, consequently raising concerns around physical health, mental wellbeing, and overall quality of life for both children and adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">As early years educators, we have the opportunity to champion the advantages inherent in outdoor play and experiential learning, setting healthy habits and bringing balance to our young learners and their families. By providing children with opportunities for outdoor play, we can support their holistic development and help them grow into healthy, happy, and well-rounded individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-some-benefits-of-outdoor-play\">What are some benefits of outdoor play?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Research has consistently highlighted the numerous benefits of engaging with nature and outdoor play for both individuals and society as a whole. Here are some recent notable findings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The European Environment Agency (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eea.europa.eu\/publications\/who-benefits-from-nature-in\/who-benefits-from-nature-in\">2022<\/a>) recognised the benefits of outdoor play for mental health and cognitive development. They also recognised the physical and mental advantages of children living, playing, and learning in green environments.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A report from Planet Ark Tree Day <a href=\"https:\/\/treeday.planetark.org\/documents\/doc-1420-key-findings-final-2016-07-06.pdf\">(2016)<\/a> emphasised the link between outdoor engagement and health, indicating long term health benefits. They found that time spent in nature reduces a person\u2019s chance of developing a range of illnesses including diabetes by 43%, cardiovascular disease and stroke by 37%, and depression by 25%.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The International Union for Conservation of Nature <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iucn.org\/resources\/grey-literature\/home-us-all-how-connecting-nature-helps-us-care-ourselves-and-earth\">(2018)<\/a> promotes sustainability by encouraging the integration of meaningful personal connections and scientific knowledge that can be used as a foundation to develop public policies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Specific to the early years, outdoor play has several important roles in children\u2019s development. Outdoor learning experiences can help children develop vital life skills such as teamwork, problem-solving, and communication. When children collaborate outdoors, they acquire the skills necessary to cooperate and resolve conflicts in a constructive manner.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Taking learning outdoors can be a powerful tool for developing conceptual understanding. Children can participate in hands-on activities that breathe life into concepts and facilitate their comprehension of the world in diverse ways. Outdoor learning spaces can aid children in cultivating a respect for living things and nurturing a sense of responsibility toward the environment, empowering global citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Let&#8217;s inspire them to explore and uncover the world around them through nature-based learning and outdoor play, while simultaneously enjoying themselves and honing lifelong skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Our outdoor learning poster on the benefits of outdoor play is the perfect champion for outdoor adventures. Share, download, and display it to celebrate the wonders of nature and empower outdoor play and learning!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group learnings has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff6f3\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-use-this-resource\" style=\"font-size:24px\">How to use this resource:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-list\">\n<li>Share on social media and be an outdoor play advocate!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Download and display in your learning space<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Add to powerpoints as you share the benefits of outdoor play with your community<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":323,"featured_media":15080,"template":"resource\/resource_post_container.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":true},"categories":[303,299,304],"tags":[405,319],"coauthors":[406],"class_list":["post-15077","resource_post","type-resource_post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curriculum-planning","category-early-years","category-learning-environments","tag-early-years","tag-english"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Benefits of Outdoor Play - Toddle Learn<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Benefits of Outdoor Play\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The benefits of playing outdoors are numerous and interconnected. 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This has led to less time being spent outdoors, consequently raising concerns around physical health, mental wellbeing, and overall quality of life for both children and [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.toddleapp.com\/learn\/resource-post\/the-benefits-of-outdoor-play\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Toddle Learn\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-02T08:33:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.toddleapp.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Curriculum-Card-544x306px-3.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2176\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1224\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"Lisa Kane\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/resource-post\\\/the-benefits-of-outdoor-play\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/resource-post\\\/the-benefits-of-outdoor-play\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Benefits of Outdoor Play - Toddle Learn\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/resource-post\\\/the-benefits-of-outdoor-play\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/resource-post\\\/the-benefits-of-outdoor-play\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/Curriculum-Card-544x306px-3.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-28T09:21:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-02T08:33:10+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/resource-post\\\/the-benefits-of-outdoor-play\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/resource-post\\\/the-benefits-of-outdoor-play\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/resource-post\\\/the-benefits-of-outdoor-play\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/Curriculum-Card-544x306px-3.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/08\\\/Curriculum-Card-544x306px-3.webp\",\"width\":2176,\"height\":1224},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/resource-post\\\/the-benefits-of-outdoor-play\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Learn\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The Benefits of Outdoor Play\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/\",\"name\":\"Toddle Learn\",\"description\":\"Toddle Talks, Articles &amp; More\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.toddleapp.com\\\/learn\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Benefits of Outdoor Play - Toddle Learn","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Benefits of Outdoor Play","og_description":"The benefits of playing outdoors are numerous and interconnected. 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