The Wild: the importance of outdoor learning
At Wild Hearts we recognise the huge impact of outdoor play on early years development and we prioritise time spent outside in nature as much as possible - it's the "wild" in Wild Hearts!
Outdoor play supports the whole child: their intellectual, emotional, social and physical development. By being outside and surrounded by nature, children experience an ever-changing and free-flowing environment that stimulates all the senses, strengthens their bodies, and provides ongoing opportunities for building their resilience, independence, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
More time spent outdoors is also linked to better energy and sleep, building a stronger immune system, and even improved eyesight - did you know that just two hours a day spent outside can prevent or reduce short sightedness!?
Not only is outdoor play an integral part of a child's learning, it can also massively benefit children's mental health and wellbeing.
Mental health issues among children and young people are on the rise, so it is becoming increasingly important for us to prioritise mental health and wellbeing when planning children's learning through the early years and beyond.
How we stay wild in our setting
Wild Hearts is a member of the Forest Childcare Association. This means we have made a commitment to take childminded children on outdoor outings to wild places at least once a week. These adventures take place year round, whatever the weather, so this is a big pledge to live up to, but we find everyone is generally more relaxed outdoors than stuck at home - everyone plays better, learns more, and even sleeps better during naps when we’re out in the fresh air.
It is widely agreed that wherever children
live, they need to spend time outdoors. The statutory guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage states that: “Providers must provide access to an outdoor play area or, if that is not possible, ensure that outdoor activities are planned and taken on a daily basis (unless circumstances make this inappropriate, for example unsafe weather conditions).”
Most nurseries, childminders and nannies do fulfil this basic requirement, in many cases simply by taking the children on the school run, or round the corner to the post box, or by allowing children to play in their back gardens. However, Forest Childcare goes one step further. It is founded on the principle that once a week small children should be given the opportunity to spend time in outdoor places by being taken on outings to parks, fields, playgrounds, woodland areas, forests and wild spaces so that they can learn to appreciate the natural environment.
1000+ Hours Outside
1000 Hours Outside is a global platform and movement to reclaim childhood through spending time outdoors every day.
At Wild Hearts, we tracked our outdoor hours in 2023 and 2024 and we logged an estimated 1,400 hours and 1,250 hours for each of those years! Let’s see what the 2026-2027 year brings…
Nature Babies: Our outdoor sensory playgroup
Wild Hearts also runs a weekly outdoor sensory stay-and-play group called Nature Babies, aimed at nurturing children’s connection to the wild and teaching basic mindfulness through nature-based sensory play, songs and storytelling.
Nature Babies runs on Thursday mornings in the garden at The Old Library in Eastville, and is open to babies and toddlers aged 0-3 (and their grown ups) during term time.
Outdoor Sleep: good for health, development and play
In many Scandinavian countries, it is common for children to nap outdoors. According to research, outdoor sleeping promotes deeper, more restful daytime sleep and can also increase the duration of sleep.
Many of the benefits of outdoor sleep are the same as the overall benefits of spending time outdoors:
Natural light exposure supports a child’s natural circadian rhythms
The outdoors provides ample background noises that can help children feel safe and more regulated as they sleep
The natural ventilation of sleeping in the fresh air means viruses are less likely to spread among children during sleep times, reducing the frequency of illnesses
Outdoor sleep supports learning and cognitive development as outdoor sleep tends to be deeper and longer, so children tend to wake more refreshed, attentive and ready to learn and play.
To finish, I’ll leave you with this quote - it’s one of my favourites; it perfectly sums up what I hope our children remember about their childhoods:
And at the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy and your eyes sparkling.
Comments