Reclaiming Play: The Role of Movement and Outdoor Adventures in Early Years Education

Let’s face it: childhood today looks a bit different than it used to. When was the last time you saw a child climb a tree like it was Mount Everest or turn a pile of sticks into a pirate ship? If you are uncertain, or concerned about children’s safety, you are not alone. But here’s the deal: play that is messy, unstructured, get-dirt-under-your-nails kind of play, is not just fun for children. It is essential. We are here to talk about why giving children the freedom to roam outdoors isn’t just a nice to have; it is a necessity.

Nature: The Ultimate Playground

From the moment children enter the world their brains and bodies go through an incredible stage of growth. Skills like balance, co-ordination, and problem-solving don’t just magically appear; they are built through experience. And guess what? The outdoors offers the perfect learning lab, complete with sensory inputs like squishy mud, the chirping of birds, and the occasional awkward tumble. (Yes, those scrapes and bruises are part of the deal, and trust us, they are worth it!)

Angela Hanscom, a pediatric occupational therapist and author of Balanced and Barefoot, warns that today’s children are spending far too much time inside. Think about it: between seated group times, table-top activities, classroom chairs and devices, where is the chance to run wild? In fact, her research shows that this indoor-centric lifestyle has led to problems such as sensory issues, anxiety, and even trouble focusing. Angela Hanscom identifies that children are spending unprecedented amounts of time indoors, seated in classrooms or engaged with screens. This has led to a significant decline in the quantity and quality of outdoor playtime. According to Hanscom, this shift is disrupting natural developmental processes and is evident in rising rates of childhood anxiety, attention disorders, obesity, and sensory processing issues. This lack of movement negatively impacts children’s ability to focus, leading to fidgeting and restlessness. These are not 'behaviours’ but symptoms of a sensory imbalance caused by insufficient physical activity and inadequate sensory stimulation. Children require movement to enhance their vestibular (balance) and proprioceptive (body awareness) systems—mechanisms essential for focus and emotional regulation.

Spoiler alert: the answer isn’t fidget toys; it’s fresh air and movement. Children need to run, spin, climb, and yes, sometimes fall to develop their vestibular and proprioceptive systems. Without these experiences, their bodies are crying out for stimulation, which often looks like fidgeting or zoning out.

Sensory integration, or the brain’s ability to process and respond to sensory stimuli through activities like climbing, running, digging, and balancing, children refine their vestibular, proprioceptive, and tactile systems. Such foundational skills have far-reaching implications for academic success, social interaction, and mental health. This aligns with findings from other scientific studies exploring the impact of active and inclusive play on children’s physical, social, and emotional health (Poulos and Kulinna, 2022). This trial demonstrated that enhancing opportunities for movement in structured environments, such as school playgrounds, significantly increased physical activity levels while fostering social skills and emotional well-being.

The Perks of Moving More

Children are natural explorers. Whether they are scaling a tree trunk, flipping a table or digging a hole to the centre of the Earth, they are learning. Here’s how outdoor play supports children's development:

1. Physical Health - Outdoor play facilitates gross motor skill development and cardiovascular fitness. Free movement allows children to build strength, coordination, and flexibility. Running, jumping, and climbing improve motor skills, strength, and flexibility while also keeping childhood obesity at bay. That is no small feat, considering the latest study of Australian children shows that a whopping 83% of children aged 2–5 across Australia are not meeting daily physical activity guidelines (Australian Government Department of Health).
2. Emotional Wellbeing - Nature-based play has been shown to reduce anxiety, improve mood, and foster resilience. The freedom to take risks, whether it’s climbing a tree or jumping over a stream, builds confidence and a sense of self-efficacy in young children. By being given the opportunity to navigate challenges, children learn to trust their own abilities, build the skills to try again and the self-talk required to manage risks in a healthy way.
3. Social Skills - When children are left to their own devices (no, not those devices), magic happens. In the great outdoors, children naturally learn to negotiate, share, and lead without adult-imposed rules. Maybe they will build a fort together or stage an impromptu race. Perhaps they will build their understanding of their own sensory systems in the mud, water, sand or even feeling the gentle breeze, the smell of eucalypts or the sound of cicadas. Either way, they are working on communication and co-operation skills which they will use long after they transition into later stage of life.
4. Neurological Growth - Ever noticed how children playing outside seem to find solutions to problems you didn’t even realise existed? That’s because outdoor play supercharges creativity and cognitive development. Studies like Vasilopoulos et al. (2023) show that physical activity enhances working memory and problem-solving abilities. Turns out, jumping in puddles could be great preparation for academic skills that may be needed in their future. 

Stories That Prove the Power of Play

Let’s imagine a family that made a swap from ‘screen time’ into ‘green time’. The children would need to move from watching videos online of other children playing, into something far more creative. Suddenly fallen leaves become currency as they create their own shops, buy and sell goods, take on imaginary roles, negotiate and manage conflict together. Sticks may start becoming swords, a baton to conduct an orchestra or a walking stick. While it may seem daunting at first, children are natural explorers and play is their method for exploring their world. So when we get children outside, without pre-determined toys or screens, you might just be blown away by the play and learning that happens. 

How Educators Can Lead the Charge

Early years educators have a golden opportunity to bring the great outdoors to life for children. Here is some strategies that we can enact in our daily practice:

1. Let Them Roam - Give children daily outdoor time, and make it long enough for them to truly get into the flow of play. Include loose parts like logs and stones to spark imaginations and creativity. Rotate equipment and introduce new sensory stimuli, such as water play, mud kitchens, or seasonal activities like leaf gathering or potion making from blossoms.
2. Risk = Growth - Children need to be challenged. Let them climb, balance, and get muddy. Through risk children challenge themselves, meet their intrinsic need for Freedom and come out stronger (and likely rather more dirty). Be cautious against overprotecting them. Educators should embrace activities that involve manageable risks, such as balancing on beams or climbing trees. While supervision remains crucial, the objective is to allow children the freedom to assess and navigate challenges themselves.
3. Avoid Screens - Children’s lives are often very heavily inclined to technology and screens. When considering the Australian recommendations on screen-time recommend no sedentary screentime for children aged 2 or under and a maximum of 1 hour daily for children aged 3-5. This includes an accumulation across the day, so if a child watches 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in an evening they have already exhausted that time. In early learning services then, a focus on outdoor, physical and movement-based learning is very beneficial! A stick and some dirt can teach more than any educational app.
4. Embrace and Create Natural Play Spaces - Trade in those perfectly polished play areas for ones with sand, water, or even just a patch of uneven grass. Natural elements engage all the senses and consequently enhance the learning and developmental opportunities. Incorporate learning objectives into outdoor environments. For example, STEAM or counting can happen in natural learning moments in a mud-pit or rocky creek bed, while storytelling can take place under a tree.
5. Rain, Hail or Shine – All weather can be good weather - In order for children to know how to stay safe in the blistering hot days, they need to experience the burning heat of them. For children to willingly wear beanies and gloves in bracingly cold days, they need to have experienced the feeling of their fingers and nose being so cold they sting. With proper clothing and equipment, children can enjoy puddle-jumping in the rain or leaf-hunting on chilly days. (Remember: there is no bad weather, only bad gear).
6. Encourage Curiosity - Avoid the temptation to hover or over-direct. Let children make their own games, negotiate rules, and work out disagreements. They will surprise you with what they come up with and how well they can manage risk independently. Instead of phrases like “Be careful,” maybe try out ideas like “How is your body feeling?” or “What is your plan?”

Overall remember, play is not an optional element. Play is the cornerstone of childhood. Let’s swap out some screen time, formal group times and structured schedules for open skies and untamed creativity. By prioritising outdoor play, we are not just helping children to grow physically; we’re setting them up for happier, more resilient, and well-rounded lives.

References

1. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. Australia's physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines. Australian Government; 2021. https://www.health.gov.au/topics/physical-activity-and-exercise/physical-activity-and-exercise-guidelines-for-all-australians 
2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Physical activity. AIHW; 2022.  https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/physical-activity/physical-activity  
3. Hanscom AJ. Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications; 2016. 
4. Hanscom AJ. The real reason why kids fidget. HuffPost. 2014. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-real-reason-why-kids-fidget_b_5586265. 
5. Poulos A, Kulinna PH. A cluster randomized controlled trial of an after-school playground curriculum intervention to improve children’s physical, social, and emotional health: study protocol for the PLAYground project. BMC Public Health. 2022;22:1658. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13991-3. 
6. Vasilopoulos F, Jeffrey H, Wu Y, Dumontheil I. Multi-level meta-analysis of physical activity interventions during childhood: effects of physical activity on cognition and academic achievement. Educational Psychology Review. 2023;35:59. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09760-2.