The Benefits of Outdoor Play in Early Childhood Education

Outdoor play is a key educational tool for Aspire Early Education and Kindergarten centres across Australia. Read on to learn more about how Aspire incorporates this into everyday learning, and the benefits of playing outdoors.

Benefits of Outdoor Play

Children are well-known for their love of playing outside. Offering several well-designed and engaging outdoor play opportunities links with the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority Quality Area 3, Physical Environment. This is described as “Outdoor and indoor spaces are organised and adapted to support every child’s participation and to engage every child in quality experiences in both built and natural environments.”

Outdoor play benefits all young children in countless ways, from babies to kindergarten aged. Aspire centres create fun, engaging education spaces for all in an outdoor setting.

For example, babies benefit from playing outside by playing in grass, touching sand or using their senses to experience nature. These activities offer potential health benefits and actively stimulate their immune system. Outdoor play for babies also helps support physical development by allowing them to crawl, grasp objects and observe others running and playing.

Overall, playing outside is an important part of a child’s wellbeing, growth and development regardless of age.

Playing Outdoors at Aspire Kennington

A few weeks ago, we made a visit to Aspire Bendigo - Kennington, who has developed a wonderful outdoor play area for their kindergarten children. This outdoor play area space includes a large, covered patio with a rotating roster of fun toys, games and activities.

During our visit there was a group of children playing on some stepping stones, playing the fan favourite “The Floor is Lava”. The kids squealed as they jumped and stepped from surface to surface. Eventually, the song of the same name was played, much to the kids’ delight.

There was also a massive toy house that made a perfect blank canvas for play. When we were there, some boys were using it as a dollhouse. The room leader said that the children love to use the toy house in many ways. It has been used as a hospital, superhero headquarters, or even as a house for dinosaurs! Bringing toys that are usually played with inside, outside is a great way to open play opportunities. More natural play can happen by taking toys outside, with bits of branches, leaves, bark and rocks brought into the toy house.

Aspire Bendigo – Kennington Centre Manager Kara Massara explained that “The children are always asking to play outside, because of the many fun experiences we set up for them.”

3 Ways to Incorporate Outdoor Play at Home

1. Create an inviting space

The first step to encouraging your children to play outside is to create an inviting space for them to play. Whether this means clearing up a part of your outdoor space, or setting up a table for them to play on, having a space that encourages children to play will allow outdoor play time to be more meaningful.

2. Supply materials your child will enjoy

Understanding how your child likes to play is also beneficial. Some love to make mudpies from bits from around the garden, others love to run around or kick a ball. Others want to bring their toys outside and play with them amongst the plants, or look around for creepy crawlies. By supplying your child with materials with which they will enjoy playing with, their outdoor play opportunities will be valuable. On the other hand, giving your child new play experiences outside can help improve their confidence, feed their curiosity and help them learn new things.

3. Water play

An easy summer outdoor play activity is water play. There are multiple ways to do this. One option is to fill up a large tub or container with water and fill it with your child’s favourite bath toys, bowls, spoons and other water-safe toys. You can make this ocean-themed if you have toy fish or mermaids, or Arctic-themed by putting in ice cubes and larger frozen ice blocks. Perfect for a hot day!

Outdoor play is essential to children’s growth, learning, and overall wellbeing. At Aspire Early Education and Kindergarten, we foster environments that inspire children to explore, create, and connect with nature. We encourage families to embrace outdoor play at home too, creating inviting spaces that stimulate curiosity and creativity. We can inspire children to grow through play, helping them build a strong foundation for a healthy and active life.

If you liked this, we also have a range of other resources that provide education and tips for parents. Check out some of them below:

• The Benefits of Early Education and Kindergarten
• The Importance of Play-Based Learning in Early Education
• Understanding the Different Learning Styles in Early Childhood

To learn more about how we can support your child’s social development at Aspire, enquire with our team today, or visit your local Aspire centre.