The Importance of Outdoor Play

Outdoor Play Supports Development

Outdoor play promotes the development of social, cognitive, and motor skills. Especially in young children, outdoor activities have a positive effect on brain development. Their motor skills are challenged more than when they play indoors, simply because there’s more space to move. Children learn in different environments, on various play structures, and across diverse surfaces. They improve basic motor skills like balance, coordination, and hand-eye coordination. Outdoor play also sparks creativity. Outside, children rely more on themselves and their surroundings. They imagine, improvise, and invent games with their own rules. A stick can become a sword, a magic wand, or a walking stick. A bike transforms into a motorcycle, and sand becomes cake in a sandbox. In addition, outdoor play provides rich sensory experiences. Think of feeling mud, smelling flowers, or hearing birds chirping.

Healthy Outdoor Activity

Besides supporting brain development, outdoor play is also essential for physical health. It’s one of the most important forms of physical activity and contributes to meeting the Dutch Norm for Healthy Physical Activity (NNGB). Research* shows that children engage in moderate physical activity 25 to 54% of the time spent on playgrounds or schoolyards. While playing outside, children produce vitamin D, which strengthens bones and boosts immunity. And the benefits extend into later life: children who stay active from a young age are less likely to suffer from heart disease or diabetes as adults.

Blowing Off Steam

Children are naturally full of energy. They have an innate desire to move and be active – running, jumping, climbing, crawling, digging in the sand. Outdoor spaces allow for more vigorous play than indoor areas. That’s why outdoor play is a great way for children to burn off energy, let loose, and unwind.

Making Friends

Outdoor environments are some of the most important social spaces for children. Playing together helps them learn to share, consider others, compromise, and develop social skills. In this way, outdoor play naturally fosters new friendships.

Outdoor Play at Basker International Childcare

At Basker International Childcare (previously known as Zein), we place great value on sports, outdoor play, and physical activity. That’s why our children play outside every day. We support the development of important life skills like teamwork, social interaction, and independence. For children who love sports and active play, we offer special Sports Afternoon Care locations. There, we challenge, encourage, and inspire them with a range of athletic activities. From football and hockey to volleyball, yoga, and dance.

Tips to Encourage Outdoor Play

There are plenty of reasons to encourage more time outside. Here are a few simple tips:

• Offer your child unexpected materials like cloths, ropes, and cardboard boxes. And see what they come up with. New materials stimulate imagination and can become anything in a child’s game.
• Use sidewalk chalk to draw a hopscotch course, Twister grid, or obstacle path where children have to jump from one shape to another. Drawing also encourages creativity/ Two benefits in one!
• On warm days, nothing beats playing with water. With two buckets and a sponge, you can hold a race to see who can transfer the most water in three minutes. Water balloon fights are also always a hit!
• Grab some old sheets and build a fort in nature.
• Make outdoor play a part of your daily routine, regardless of the weather. Splashing in puddles is a blast!
• Encourage interaction with neighborhood children by organizing an outdoor play day. Set up a scavenger hunt or water course, rent traditional Dutch games, or play a game of “capture the flag.”
• Join in! Play football or hide-and-seek with your child. But also give them space to play independently. This supports creativity and concentration.
• A great option for weekends or school holidays: explore the natural play areas maintained by Staatsbosbeheer. Climbing, crawling, playing with water, building huts, and then having a picnic – all in the heart of nature.
• Want more outdoor play inspiration? Visit the website of Jantje Beton. Since 1994, every second Wednesday of June is National Outdoor Play Day – a special day created by Jantje Beton and Nickelodeon to raise awareness of the importance of outdoor play.

* Source: Knowledge Centre for Sport & Physical Activity Netherlands