Building life skills with the Outlast Art Studio
| September 2025The vision
The Outlast Art Studio was designed to bring together creative play, the benefits of outdoor learning, and the development of pro-social skills that shape children’s futures. While the value of play is well documented in academia, policy, and statutory guidance, national trends show that access to high-quality play opportunities is increasingly under threat and in decline (Firth and Powell, 2025). The National Centre for Creative Health highlights how creativity and artistic expression are often overshadowed by a performance-driven system that measures, calculates, and compares. At the same time, vital soft skills such as critical thinking and adaptability are rooted in art and creativity but still lack the statutory recognition they deserve. (National Centre for Creative Health, 2025).
Early emotional and social development can’t wait
“The power of creative exploration and expression through the arts should be central in helping to address the current crisis in young people’s mental health” – Sally Bacon OBE
Rising rates of mental health challenges among children and young people have prompted researchers and policymakers to re-examine our education systems and culture, with particular focus on those from low socio-economic backgrounds, who are statistically more vulnerable to poor life outcomes and transgenerational difficulties (NHS Digital, 2023) (Marmot et al., 2010).
The EYFS statutory guidance now stipulates the importance of emotional literacy in personal, social and emotional development, drawing attention to the importance of relationships, emotional regulation, and developing a sense of self (Department for Education, 2024). Similarly, equal weight is placed on communication and language as well as physical development. These skills are time sensitive and must be nurtured during critical stages of brain development before the age of five (Tickell, 2011). Thus, they come under the prime areas of development in the EYFS.
Quantitative research shows that children with certain learning styles benefit particularly from outdoor environments, making quality outdoor provision an issue of learning equity (Goldenberg et al., 2024). In their systematic review, Lee et al. (2020) bring to light the longitudinal effects of unstructured play in the wellbeing and mental health of young children.
Mindful of these concepts, the Outlast Art Studio was developed to cultivate skills such as co-operation, agency and relationships in a free-flowing, natural environment.
Co-operative play
“We might want to think of co-operative play as one of the greatest achievements of the human spirit, the activity that can take us forward to overcome the forces that would destroy us, the activity that can take us forward to overcome the greatest challenges that the human race faces.” – Michael Rosen
The four-sided easel was inspired by the mural concept, which draws participants together to work on a common design. Children can wrap a paper roll around all four sides and clip it in place to make a banner – or they can work individually on a side. The ability to work around a cube allows children to draw inspiration from each other, to share ideas, or to help each other. The typical two-sided easel positions children with fewer opportunities to interact.
Process-oriented play
Unstructured, process-oriented play prioritises experimentation and curiosity over outcomes. Experimenting with paint on the acrylic surfaces – and then washing it away to try again – gives children the freedom to build confidence and refine their skills, knowing each attempt is a fresh start.
The Art Trolley’s ability to bring resources to the point of play enables process-oriented play and creativity to continue without disruption. Having the resources easily visible in sloping art trays sets the stage for sustained shared thinking, and children can spark ideas together, strategize, and improve their creations.
Relationships
Within the Outlast Art Studio, carer-child relationships are nurtured, and opportunities to interact and build attachments are created. A strong teacher-child attachment builds resilience and helps children recover from disappointment or perceived failure, laying the foundation for a positive mindset that begins in childhood and lasts a lifetime.
Teachers can participate as partners in the learning experience, allowing the children to take the reins as they grow in confidence. Having an atelier of new materials and media readily available supports the teacher to gently guide the creative journey by introducing provocations. Careful observation, reflection and tuning in to the child’s play as they explore with different media supports attachment-building.
Conclusion
The Outlast Art Studio was created with a simple but powerful vision: to place creativity, relationships, and play at the heart of learning. At a time when play and creativity are under threat, environments like this remind us that giving children space to imagine, connect, and grow is not a luxury, but a necessity.
References
- Department for Education, 2024. Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework for group and school-based providers. GOV.UK, 11 October 2024. Accessed 27 June 2025.
- Firth, B. and Powell, R., 2025. Everything to Play For: Executive Summary – Centre for Young Lives. Accessed 27 June 2025.
- Goldenberg, G. et al., 2024. Outdoor learning in urban schools. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 97, 102362.
- Lee, R.L.T. et al., 2020. Systematic review of the impact of unstructured play. Nursing & Health Sciences, 22(2), pp.184–196.
- Marmot, M. et al., 2010. Fair Society, Healthy Lives. Institute of Health Equity (UCL).
- National Centre for Creative Health, 2025. Why arts in schools matter for mental health. NCCH. Accessed 27 June 2025.
- NHS Digital, 2023. Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2023. NHS Digital. Accessed 27 June 2025.
- Tickell, C., 2011. The Early Years: Foundations for life, health and learning. Department for Education.
