Top Benefits of Outdoor Learning and How To Simplify Organisation
Updated on: December 9, 2024
If the idea of taking children outside fills you with joy but the thought of organisation quickly puts you off, we have lots of solutions for you.
We know there are so many benefits to outdoor learning, but activities often require a considerable amount of organisation.
Children’s sessions pass quickly. When you have to factor getting both children and equipment in and out of the classroom, outdoor learning can feel like too much of a hassle.
As a top supplier of outdoor resources and playground equipment to schools and children’s groups, we know how complex organisation can be.
We have a range of practical solutions to make outdoor learning and play easier to implement (and possibly more even more fun)!
Let’s remind ourselves of why it’s worth making the extra effort to take children outside and how we can ensure organisation stays simple.
See outdoor resources and playground equipment
Top Benefits of Outdoor Learning
1. Improves Mental Health and Wellbeing:
We all know how good it feels to take a break outside.
According to Mind UK, spending time in nature can help to relieve some of the effects of serious mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety.
The reasons are many, including the opportunity to relax and interact with a different environment as well as each other.
There’s so much about nature that fills us with curiosity and awe. Whatever our age, we cannot help but be distracted from ourselves and turn our attention to the beauty around us.
If time in nature can help adults to find fresh perspectives, it’s fair to assume outdoor learning can offer similar benefits to children’s mental health and wellbeing.
2. Sparks Creativity & Curiosity:
The outdoor environment gives pupils new experiences. The mere mention of an outdoor activity creates excitement in children of all ages.
Whether pupils are in EYFS or KS2, there’s immediate anticipation about what they will do which means all children are attentive, engaged and trying their hardest to behave.
The nature of outdoor activities means they are more fun so the whole session ends up being an enriching experience for everyone.
A report by the Natural Connections Demonstration Project found children were more motivated to learn when they were involved in outdoor activities.
From the opportunity to interact with others to the chance to touch, feel, hear, and see new things, an outdoor session is guaranteed to lift emotions.
Bringing children back into school who are enthused, satisfied and calm means the benefits of outdoor learning reach further out into the wider community.
3. Life-Long Habits For Better Health:
According to research by the Mental Health Foundation, people who spend more time outdoors tend to be happier and have higher self-esteem.
We all know it’s important for our health that we get outside but busy lives mean we don’t always stick to good habits.
Contemporary children may not get much quality time outside, particularly with adults. If we can plan outdoor activities for children, we can ensure all pupils get more time outside.
By scheduling time in the school day for outdoor learning, we can support children to build better habits for life.
A study by Natural England found pupils who participated in outdoor activities developed a greater respect for nature.
From empathy to a wider world perspective and social responsibility, the benefits of outdoor learning for children are endless.
Now you’re raring to go, here are some ready-made solutions to make outdoor learning easier to organise.
Resources To Simplify Outdoor Learning:
Phonics Playground Markings
Time spent making and retrieving phoneme cards and resources is eliminated with any of our phonics playground markings.
From the alphabet to phonemes for phases 2 and 3, our ready-made playground markings will inspire lots of ideas that are easy to organise.
Our custom design service means you can even create your own designs with different themes and phases if you wish.
Mud Kitchen Unit
The mud kitchen unit makes messy play easy.
The outdoor unit stays outside and has built-in utensils, mixing bowls and more so everything is outside and ready to go. The fun design is arranged so everything has its place and tidying up is simple.
Clock Playground Markings
Some maths concepts are hard to explain. Whether it’s our clock playground markings or our compass points or our number play markings and equipment, we have lots of resources for fun outdoor maths activities.
And it doesn’t stop at maths. From maps for geography to activities for science, there are outdoor learning resources for lots of other curriculum areas in our collection.
Playground Dice Marking
Our dice marking ensures there’s no need to take dice outside or find missing dice at the end of the activity.
The dice has a permanent spot in the outdoor area so it can be used time and time again. Each child throws a beanbag onto the dice when it’s their turn.
The outdoor dice can also be used with many of our other playground markings.
Art Activity Station
Tired of lugging heavy easels outside? The Art Activity Station is a freestanding, all-weather unit. Multiple sections mean numerous children can be creative at the same time.
The space-saving design folds away easily and has dedicated spaces for equipment.
Find all these and more in our huge collection of outdoor equipment and playground markings for children.
Jess Sparks
Jess is deeply committed to supporting our mission of positively impacting UK outdoor play environments to promote healthy lifestyles in children.
With a CIM Level 6 Diploma in Sustainable Marketing, Jess channels her passion for sustainability into her marketing role, using her skills to promote eco-conscious practices and raise awareness for our initiatives.
Jess’ experience within the industry is instrumental in driving engagement and supporting connections with those who require ultra-durable, high-grade playground markings both locally and internationally.
