It’s well known that different people learn in different ways, and children are no exception. But no matter your child’s preferred learning method, spending time outdoors offers endless opportunities for them to thrive. Learning in nature boosts every element of children’s wellbeing, as well as their social, physical and emotional development.
By learning-through-play, and with a child-led approach, being in the great outdoors helps children connect with and discover themselves, as well as their abilities. Here we discover how learning outdoors can benefit each type of child, regardless of their learning style.
Visual and Kinaesthetic Learning
Nature is full of textile experiences – stomping through crunching leaves, collecting bumpy pinecones, climbing trees, wading through cool rivers, balancing on fallen branches, and much more. Every experience children have when exploring nature feeds their visual and kinesthetic learning. By seeing and feeling their environment, they learn self awareness, grow their strength and balance, whilst also awakening an instinctive love for our planet and nature itself.
Part of the beauty of allowing children the freedom to explore outdoors is that they are so curious. They want to touch everything, and they largely need too. By picking things up, digging, splashing, throwing and climbing, what a child is really doing is developing their sense of proprioception and spatial awareness. They’re learning how they fit in with and impact the world around them, how much force they need to exert to make things happen and how different materials act. This is an essential part of cognitive development that is hard to replicate to the same scale indoors.
Aural and verbal development
Playing and learning outside offers ample opportunities for aural and verbal learners. With no walls to block out distant sounds, children’s hearing develops to better understand various noise levels, including their own. Outside, children are able to shout and experiment with volume without disturbing others. Freely mimicking animal noises, singing, calling to their friends and however else they wish to express themselves audibly all encourages the development of confidence and self-awareness in children.
By engaging with others in wide-open spaces allows children to develop their social skills and learn to expand their vocabulary in new ways. Outdoor games and activities that utilise various noises and sound levels, such as “What’s the time Mr Wolf?” is a great way to stimulate aural and verbal learners.
Social and solitary play
Being outside naturally often provides a larger space for children to explore, and it’s important to give them the choice to do so alone or together. Some people prefer learning in groups, and others in solitude. With supervision, both are encouraged in nature.
For children with conditions such as ADHD or autism, engaging with peers and adults in an outdoor setting is less likely to cause anxiety and stress. With open horizons instead of constricting walls, there is less pressure and focus on the child, often enabling them to begin building their social skills more effectively.
Another important element of outdoor play and learning is the natural encouragement of supervised risk taking it provides. Climbing trees, rolling down hills and jumping into a natural pool from a height are all daring activities that build confidence, resilience and self-esteem in children when supervised correctly.
Learning in nature provides a flexible, wholesome and ever-changing environment that fuels children’s curiosity and supercharges their development. Plus, spending more time outdoors is fantastic for all ages, as it naturally makes us feel happier and more relaxed.
Guest Blog Post Written By: www.forestholidays.co.uk
It’s well known that different people learn in different ways, and children are no exception. But no matter your child’s preferred learning method, spending time outdoors offers endless opportunities for them to thrive. Learning in nature boosts every element of children’s wellbeing, as well as their social, physical and emotional development.
By learning-through-play, and with a child-led approach, being in the great outdoors helps children connect with and discover themselves, as well as their abilities. Here we discover how learning outdoors can benefit each type of child, regardless of their learning style.
Visual and Kinaesthetic Learning
Nature is full of textile experiences – stomping through crunching leaves, collecting bumpy pinecones, climbing trees, wading through cool rivers, balancing on fallen branches, and much more. Every experience children have when exploring nature feeds their visual and kinesthetic learning. By seeing and feeling their environment, they learn self awareness, grow their strength and balance, whilst also awakening an instinctive love for our planet and nature itself.
Part of the beauty of allowing children the freedom to explore outdoors is that they are so curious. They want to touch everything, and they largely need too. By picking things up, digging, splashing, throwing and climbing, what a child is really doing is developing their sense of proprioception and spatial awareness. They’re learning how they fit in with and impact the world around them, how much force they need to exert to make things happen and how different materials act. This is an essential part of cognitive development that is hard to replicate to the same scale indoors.
Aural and verbal development
Playing and learning outside offers ample opportunities for aural and verbal learners. With no walls to block out distant sounds, children’s hearing develops to better understand various noise levels, including their own. Outside, children are able to shout and experiment with volume without disturbing others. Freely mimicking animal noises, singing, calling to their friends and however else they wish to express themselves audibly all encourages the development of confidence and self-awareness in children.
By engaging with others in wide-open spaces allows children to develop their social skills and learn to expand their vocabulary in new ways. Outdoor games and activities that utilise various noises and sound levels, such as “What’s the time Mr Wolf?” is a great way to stimulate aural and verbal learners.
Social and solitary play
Being outside naturally often provides a larger space for children to explore, and it’s important to give them the choice to do so alone or together. Some people prefer learning in groups, and others in solitude. With supervision, both are encouraged in nature.
For children with conditions such as ADHD or autism, engaging with peers and adults in an outdoor setting is less likely to cause anxiety and stress. With open horizons instead of constricting walls, there is less pressure and focus on the child, often enabling them to begin building their social skills more effectively.
Another important element of outdoor play and learning is the natural encouragement of supervised risk taking it provides. Climbing trees, rolling down hills and jumping into a natural pool from a height are all daring activities that build confidence, resilience and self-esteem in children when supervised correctly.
Learning in nature provides a flexible, wholesome and ever-changing environment that fuels children’s curiosity and supercharges their development. Plus, spending more time outdoors is fantastic for all ages, as it naturally makes us feel happier and more relaxed.
Guest Blog Post Written By: www.forestholidays.co.uk
Adam