Hey Everyone!
Outdoor experiences offer many benefits to your child’s development. These benefits can range from developing their personal skills, to encouraging problem solving and team work. Outdoor learning can also help to strengthen many academic skills, such as numeracy and literacy.
Using outdoor activities, parents and teachers are able to demonstrate that learning can occur anytime and anywhere; not only in a classroom environment. Outdoor challenges also encourage children to assess risk factors and help them to take responsibility for themselves and the environment.
To learn more about the importance of outdoor learning, here is some helpful information from an independent, co-educational school in Lincoln.
Outdoor Learning Helps to Develop Personal skills:
The outdoors provides excellent opportunities to practice a wide range of personal skills and abilities that are not always used in the classroom. Outdoor learning can help to develop critical thinking skills, self-awareness and self-confidence.
Outdoor Learning Can Improve Health and wellbeing
Learning outdoors can lead to a healthier lifestyle. Walking and exploring nature is ideal for physical and emotional wellbeing and can contribute to a lifelong love of the outdoors. In addition, being in an open space will provide a sense of freedom. This will encourage children to make discoveries by themselves and use their imaginations.
Outdoor Learning Encourages Problem Solving
Outdoor spaces can present new opportunities for children to develop problem-solving strategies. This is because children are exposed to more challenges in an outdoor environment. Using outdoor activities, children are able to identify hazards and risks and successfully manage them. This gives children an opportunity to develop their decision making skills and grow in confidence.
Outdoor Learning Builds Respect for Nature
Regular outdoor learning encourages children to engage with nature and it also helps them to understand global environmental issues. Children learn to appreciate and respect nature and understand how they can contribute towards a greener planet.
Children learn best when using all of their senses, so getting outdoors is a great way to teach children about the world around them.
Exploring nature can provide many fun learning opportunities, so try taking your learning activities outside and encourage children to observe their surroundings, weather and wildlife.
Laura x