The Benefits of Outdoor Learning for Children

This is a collaborative post

It’s important for children to learn from a young age that learning can happen anywhere, not just in a classroom. Exploring the great outdoors can help them understand this, as it’s a chance for them to develop a range of key skills. I have teamed up with a prep school in St Albans to explore the benefits of outdoor learning in more detail below.

First of all, it’s worth considering some outdoor activities that can help support your child’s overall development:

Use natural materials like leaves and twigs to create a piece of art

Outdoor art projects are great for teaching youngsters to draw inspiration from their surroundings. Plus, you don’t have to worry about them making a mess so they have the opportunity to be more liberal and inventive.

Plant seeds and keep them alive, watching them grow over time

Planting and growing seeds is a great science lesson for youngsters. Ask them if they can name the different parts of a plant and talk to them about photosynthesis.

Look for outdoor items on a scavenger hunt

Get their friends involved so that your scavenger hunt can become a teambuilding exercise. Prepare a list of items for them to look for, like twigs, leaves, acorns etc and whoever finds all the items first can win a prize. This will also encourage them to run around and blow off some steam.

Protect Mother Nature by cleaning up litter

Teach your child about certain environmental issues and why it’s important not to litter. Use it as an opportunity to talk to them about the importance of giving back to the community.

These types of hands-on activities are not only great for a child’s health but are also ideal for engaging pupils who don’t particularly thrive from reading textbooks. Outdoor learning makes for a great change of scenery for kids who spend a lot of time indoors, which will likely help them develop a stronger sense of respect for nature. What’s more, it will promote curiosity and potentially even reinforce classroom-learned knowledge.

Outdoor learning provides children with a new set of challenges. As a result, they become better at assessing risks and solving problems. For instance, before climbing a tree, they will have to evaluate whether or not it is safe to do so. They will undoubtedly make some mistakes along the way, but they will learn from these and become more resilient and confident.