SPACES –
Indoors, Outdoors & Beyond the Gates
What are they?
Children learn and develop best when the spaces and opportunities on offer
are stimulating, nurturing and safe. These spaces must include the indoors, outdoors and ‘beyond the gates’ of the setting.
“All children and young people have the right to play and the right to learn as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Children. Playing outdoors enhances learning and is fundamental for children and young people to thrive in health, wellbeing and development.”
(Scotland’s National Outdoor Play and Learning Position Statement, Inspiring Scotland, 2018, p. 1)
“Our physical environment, whether offered indoors or outdoors, is welcoming, fully meets children’s needs, and is well equipped. It gives a strong message to children that they matter. We make the best use of available resources to create, sustain and enhance a motivating physical environment for learning. As a result, our physical environment has been designed to empower children to actively experience play and learning, centred on their needs and interests“
(A Quality Improvement Framework for Early Learning and Childcare Sectors, Sept 2025, p20).
