In this modern age, it is extremely important that children learn outside the classroom with the support of those closest to them.
Whether this is physical exercise in the park or a mind-blowing family outing to a new place, children will learn to take calculated risks and explore the outside world while learning valuable life lessons.
However, at this confusing time, it is understandable that parents and carers want to reduce the amount of time spent outside with new stories forecasting disaster every day or the time constraints that working families feel to the isolation that can come from living in the city. It may seem safer to stay inside and teach your child the latest technology or spend time learning classic skills. While these are important life abilities too, going outside and pushing boundaries are also extremely important. Where else can we learn about the effects of the weather or how high we can climb or even sensory skills such as ‘will this taste nice?’ ‘what happens when I do this?’ and the most important question of all ‘why?!’
Outdoor play also supports children’s problem-solving skills and nurtures their creativity, as well as providing rich opportunities for their developing imagination, inventiveness and resourcefulness. Even young babies can learn new skills through pouring, filling, stirring, pushing, pulling, moulding, digging, patting, all developing fine motor skills.
How well do we remember playing with our neighbours or family members and the games we used to play? Perhaps the old games such as Kerby or who gets to play the most popular Pop culture icon have moved on but the memories remain golden and the social skills and life lessons remain untarnished.
