Despite an increased drive over the past two decades in Western societies to promote children’s physically active play to improve their health, there are concerns that childhood has become less physically active.
Nature Play WA undertook a comprehensive literature review for the Education Department of WA that considers three critical elements to improving student experience and learning in school settings: outdoor learning, outdoor play and the school environment.
Outdoor Learning, Outdoor Play and the School Environment Literature Review Read More »
Connecting children with natural spaces has been shown to benefit their physical and mental health; however, the utility of nature-specific outdoor environments as a setting for curricular and non-curricular learning has yet to be clearly established. Our aim was to undertake a narrative synthesis of international evidence of nature-specific outdoor learning and its benefits for personal and social development, wellbeing and academic progress.
By going on walks every day, Anna connected her first graders with nature, with their community, and with each other. They exercised their bodies and minds simultaneously. Moreover, their walks provided an authentic context for literacy development. Learning on the move is not just effective, either. It is also a lot of fun!
Walking Curriculum: Literacy on the Move Read More »
Physical environmental opportunities for active play have a positive effect on physical activity in preschoolers and should be encouraged in different social segments.
Abstract CONTEXT Daily outdoor play is encouraged by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Existing evidence is unclear on the independent effect of nature exposures on child health. OBJECTIVE We systematically evaluated evidence regarding the relationship between nature contact and children’s health. DATA SOURCES The database search was conducted by using PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing
Nature and Children’s Health: A Systematic Review Read More »
The British Children’s Play Survey was conducted in April 2020 with a nationally representative sample of 1919 parents/caregivers with a child aged 5–11 years. Respondents completed a range of measures focused on children’s play, independent mobility and adult tolerance of and attitudes towards risk in play.
The integration of loose parts, or open-ended, unstructured materials, into play environments, has been associated with positive social behaviours, creativity, and improved problem-solving, confidence, and resilience.
This report, written to support Australia’s Outdoor Classroom Day, sets out not only a snapshot report on how much more playtime Australian children are getting compared to everyone else, but also an overview of why outdoor learning and play is so very important.
Muddy Hands Australia Report Read More »
Mothers and daughters find spending time outdoors together strengthens communication and family connectedness Twenty-six mothers and daughters participated in semi-structured interviews focusing on their experiences with family-based nature activities (FBNA), defined as two or more family members engaging in outdoor recreation. The mother and daughter interviews were conducted simultaneously but in separate rooms. This arrangement