Outdoor learning is incredibly important for children, and it teaches them that there are opportunities to learn all around us, not just in a classroom. As a result, outdoor learning activities help inspire children and nurtures their natural curiosity. Lots of schools have something called a ‘Forest School’, which gives children the chance to explore nature and learn in a new environment. Parents can also help by encouraging their children to engage in outdoor activities at home. So, go outdoors with your child and see what you can learn.
Examples Of Outdoor Learning Activities
- Plant seeds and teach your child how to help them grow
- Build a bird feeder and use binoculars to keep an eye on your feathered friends
- Get crafty with natural materials, such as twigs, bark, and leaves
- Take a walk through the woods and talk about the different things you spot along the way
- Make perfume using flower petals
- Build a bug hotel and use a microscope to keep an eye on your creepy crawly guests
- Go camping and teach your child various survival skills, like how to read a map or cook with limited supplies
- Take a trip to the coast and go rock pooling or fossil hunting
- Prepare an outdoor scavenger hunt. Encouraging them to search for natural materials like a sycamore leaf or an acorn
With the rise in modern technology, many children are spending a limited amount of time interacting with the natural world, which can be detrimental to their health, well-being, and overall development. Of course, we all have a faint idea that spending time outdoors is beneficial, but what actually are these benefits, particularly for children? A prep school in London explores the benefits of outdoor learning in further detail below.
Boosts Academic Performance
Children who experience the great outdoors are able to learn about a range of different topics that well benefit them academically, particularly in Science and Geography. For example, when helping their parents with the gardening, they learn about what is required in keeping plants alive. They learn about different weather and what happens to rain once its fallen, and where clouds come from. These are just a couple of examples of things that can be learnt by exploring the outside world.
Improves Mental Health
As you know, fresh air and exercise are great for physical health, but they are also great for mental health. Outdoor experiences lead to an increased production of serotonin in the brain, which reduces anxiety and other negative emotions. Research has actually found that learning environments containing more greenery and plants, as well as access to natural play areas, help reduce stress in young learners. Better mental health also helps improve behaviour in young people, so it’s a win-win situation in that regard.
Improves Motor Skills
Motor skills involve certain movements of the body’s muscles to help us complete certain tasks. Fine motor skills involve the smaller muscles in our hands, fingers, and wrists, and allow us to do things like write, tie our shoelaces, and do up our buttons. Gross motor skills are what allow us to do whole-body movements, like walking or jumping, and they involve the larger muscles in our legs, arms, and torso. So, outdoor activities, from planting seeds to climbing trees, help children develop both their fine and gross motor skills, which are necessary for daily functioning.
Teaches Problem-Solving Skills
The great outdoors exposes children to potential risks that they aren’t able to experience indoors. For instance, if they want to climb a tree, they must determine whether or not it is safe to do so. Are the branches thick enough? Is it too high for them? As a result, they become better problem solvers and independent risk assessment.
Encourages Respect For The Environment
Children who spend plenty of time outdoors will develop a sense of respect for the environment, as they learn about natural habitats and how wildlife changes with the seasons. This might help them make more environmentally friendly decisions as they get older, as they will start to understand the importance in reducing energy consumption or recycling certain materials.
As well as the benefits of outdoor learning explored above, it can also be a source of entertainment for young people. Go outdoors and make fond memories, playing and exploring with friends and family.
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