Beyond the park

The outdoors offers countless exciting learning and play opportunities for young children. I’m Kathryn Solly, an early years consultant, and in this article I’ll share what to consider when designing an outdoor environment, and how this space should do more than replicate a play park.

Children thrive while playing. The fun and freedom of outdoor play produces positive hormones in a child’s brain, boosting their mood and self-esteem. A happy child is a child who can really embrace and enjoy learning, and your outdoor space is a wonderful place to facilitate that.

In my opinion, your outdoor area should be different to a public park. While parks are places of enjoyment with broader elements of physicality for the public as a whole, they still resemble an almost Victorian mindset where freedoms are limited with signs such as ‘keep off the grass’ or ‘no ball games’.

Such controls are often about maintaining an image of natural perfection. Other signs may be about health and safety so that equipment is properly used by the age group it was designed for. While the development of more modern parks has thankfully included far more creative and challenging play features, many features still have to be broadly designed for all sorts of use rather than a specific age and phase of development.

On the contrary, a nursery’s outdoor area should reflect the unique phase, ages, backgrounds, and developmental needs of the children it cares for. It should include resources that enable climbing, balancing, sliding, hiding, gardening and sensory activities using mud and sand.  If your outdoor area sometimes looks untidy, muddy, dusty and worn, that’s fine! It just means it’s being given plenty of flexible and open-ended use for educational purposes and is not there merely for public admiration.

The myriad of options for outdoor play and exploration is something I consider while strolling around my local park. Walking through the neatly cut grass, I notice that my local park contains only a fraction of the opportunities children should be able to access in a well-designed early years outdoor environment. It’s missing those sensory materials, loose parts, varied terrains, and levels that all contribute to unstructured, imaginative outdoor play.

Practitioners and managers of nurseries have a unique opportunity to create something really special outdoors, and when we get it right, the sky is the limit! Not only do children get the physical exercise they need, but they learn how to collaborate, explore, imagine and problem-solve. . . and truly enjoy the wonders of being a child.

Here are some of my recommendations for planning and maintaining an outdoor play area for an early years setting. 

How to plan your outdoor play area

• Be realistic about the actual space and consider how feasible your ideas are.
• Provide opportunities for your colleagues to share strengths, needs, ideas and concerns.
• Likewise ask families for their contributions.
• Seek out ideas and perspectives from the children. With babies and those without a voice, observe their play at their level.
• Try a few prompt questions such as ‘Where do you go to when you feel tired?’ and ‘Where do you climb?’
• Does the space adapt to seasonal and weather challenges?
• Do the children have access to nature and habitat creation areas?
• Are there enough sensory exploratory opportunities?
• Are there different levels and uneven surfaces?
• Are there risk-taking challenges?
• Are there suitable loose parts?
• Is there a sand and water area?
• Is there space to run and make a noise or be quiet?
• Are safety and maintenance thorough?
• Can children use real tools with guidance?

Special considerations for babies and toddlers

• Be aware of developmental phases, personalities, interests and special needs when planning experiences and provocations.
• Plan for constant supervision.
• Be aware of choking hazards and provide softer landings.
• Ease of access for nappy changes and toileting?
• Ensure there is a grassy area for crawlers and cruisers.
• Think of secure resources for those who are at the stage of pulling up to stand.
• Provide smaller, cosy spaces for resting, nurturing, stories etc.
• Provide regular access to messy and sensory play.
• Ensure there is shade for all but especially younger babies.

Considerations for older children aged 3-7

• Create accessible gardening areas.
• Have magnifiers, binoculars and equipment to seek out mini beasts.
• Involve children in risk benefit analysis to ensure fewer accidents.
• Celebrate bumps, bruises, scratches and sore digits as vivid feedback in learning to do things more carefully next time.
• Set up baskets and boxes to transport for activities, weather, wellbeing, snacks, mark making etc.
• Provide an area for construction on a bigger scale.
• Widen learning opportunities which extend mind muscles e.g. ladders, tree climbing, fire bowls.
• Provide families with ideas of what they can do outdoors together.
• Be a confident champion for outdoors by role-modelling your leadership roles and responsibilities.

Outdoor activities to consider

Your outdoor setting doesn’t need to be pruned to perfection. In fact, letting nature grow safely around children while they are outside is a great way for them to let their imagination soar.

• Building areas with natural resources
• Gardening projects: as well as set planting activities, explore the wildflowers around your setting and let children understand how they naturally grow.
• Bug hunts: Observe and learn about all the insects that venture into your outdoor space.
• Water play: If it’s raining, get those raincoats and wellies on and let children jump and splash around in the puddles.
• Obstacle courses: use natural materials to create an imaginative course for the children to run and jump through.

To all educators out there, get fun with your outdoor spaces. As well as the opportunity for better physical health, outdoors reduces stress and anxiety and children are often able to be more creative and imaginative.

Now go out and have fun learning together!