{"id":2480,"date":"2021-10-06T16:51:12","date_gmt":"2021-10-06T15:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/?page_id=120"},"modified":"2026-03-31T16:46:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T15:46:45","slug":"spaces-outdoor-learning","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/spaces-outdoor-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Spaces Outdoors"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/big><\/h1>\n

SPACES<\/a> – Outdoors<\/span><\/h1>\n

Resources<\/strong> \uf0ad<\/span> <\/cite><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/cite><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

What are they?<\/h3>\n

“Outdoor play is about potential \u2013 the potential of spaces to engage children’s imagination, curiosity and creativity and foster their health and wellbeing.\u00a0 As Froebel argued, the quality of the environment and the interactions within it are crucial.”<\/cite><\/p>\n

(A Froebelian Approach: Outdoor Play and Exploration<\/a>, Tovey, 2017, p. 3)<\/p>\n

“…there is strong and compelling evidence that playing and learning outdoors has many benefits for children: improves physical health, wellbeing, enhances child development, Improves learning for sustainability… And importantly, it is fun and should be an everyday part of children’s play-based learning!”<\/cite><\/p>\n

(Out to Play: Practical guidance for creating outdoor play experiences in early learning and childcare<\/a>, Scottish Government, 2018, p. 6)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Key messages:<\/h3>\n

“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder\u2026 he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.”<\/em><\/p>\n

(Help Your Child to Wonder<\/a>, Carson, 1956, p. 46)<\/p>\n

“Adults who enjoy being outside, who interact sensitively, and take a positive approach to adventurous play are crucial.\u00a0 They can help children to assess risk for themselves and teach safe ways of doing things.”<\/cite><\/p>\n

(A Froebelian Approach: Outdoor Play and Exploration<\/a>, Tovey, 2017, p. 12)<\/p>\n

\u201cOur physical environment, whether offered indoors or outdoors, is welcoming, fully meets children\u2019s needs, and is well equipped. It gives a strong message to children that they\u00a0matter. We make the best use of available resources to create, sustain and enhance a\u00a0motivating physical environment for learning. As a result, our physical environment has\u00a0been designed to empower children to actively experience play and learning, centred on\u00a0their needs and interests”<\/em><\/p>\n

(A Quality Improvement Framework for Early Learning and Childcare Sectors<\/strong><\/a>, Sept 2025, p20)<\/p>\n