How Long Should Children Spend Outdoors

[lizzie]

can anyone help... we have been given some info and wondered if it was correct. Should 50% of time be spent outdoors each week?

We all recognise the importance of the outdoor classroom but is this not a little high? if it is correct can anyone tell us where we can access the info?

[Susan]

Help!!

 

Susan

[Guest]

WHAT???????

We don't have a secure outside play area so we can only go out as a whole group. What happens if it is pouring down with rain? I appreciate a little rain shouldn't stop outdoor play and we often go for a walk when it is wet. But 50% of the time is somewhat excessive I would have thought!!

Where has this info come from?

Linda

[Helen]

It does seem a bit excessive, doesn't it? It varies tremendously according to the type of setting, surely? A setting which has free-flow in and out for most of the session would probably reach the 50% mark (but what if some children don't choose to go out much?), but a school setting, with all the usual restrictions, taking into account other classes using the same outside area and so on , would find it almost impossible to get near the 50% figure.

I've not heard this before anywhere; has anyone else?

[Guest]

I'm in reception and our LEA Early Years advisor suggested (given difficult situation re: space and staffing) that two 40-60 mins timetabled sessions per week for Outdoor Play would be OK, but also advised that numeracy/ literacy sessions etc which could purposefully incorporate the outdoors should be used. Certainly no suggestion that 50% was necessary. Hope this is accurate. 50% does seem a lot - what would you/the children spend time doing?

 

Harricroft.

[Guest Candy]

I've heard this 50% figure bounced around before. I haven't tracked down who first said it or where it started exactly, but I believe that people who refer to it in the way that it must have been relayed to you have taken it out of context.

 

I believe the figure of 50% came about when people were trying to emphasise the importance of the outdoor environment and it's learning potenial for young children. When practitioners have raised this idea of 50% to me I have said that, the outdoor area should reflect equal importance in a setting's planning, in their resourcing, in the observations that they keep, and in the adult intervention that occurs. We know that some children learn best when they are able to move freely and designing a stimulating outdoor environment allows children to learn in a way that suits them best. In best practice you would have a free-flow in and out learning environment where all areas of learning could be accessed no matter where the child chose to play. If this type of environment was set up many of the children would be spending about 50% of their time outdoors. However, there are a lot of "buts".

 

The first is, let's face it, although some children would stay outdoors all day if given half a chance, others won't want to be outside, and if we are promoting learning through a child's self-initiation we have to let them be the guide to their learning.

 

The next issue is the weather. I do think we need to see the weather as the one truly free resource we have in early years, but it is not appropriate for us to keep children outdoors in the pouring rain, the bitter cold, or even on a really sunny day when we can't provide access to the shade.

 

The last issue quite frankly is that some settings just don't have the facilities to offer "free-flow play" indoors and outdoors. If this is the case, the outdoor environment still can have equal imporance in your planning resourcing and observations, but you will never approach 50% in the time spent outdoors.

 

This is how I interpret the "50% rule" when asked. I hope it helps.

[Guest]

Great reply, Candy!

 

This is interesting to me right now, as I am based in California, where it is easy to get a more than 50% balance outdoors. This is wonderful for the children who really need a lot of outdoor time, but in my observations, can lead to a lack of focus on small motor skills. It can also be difficult for children who prefer indoor activity, as they can become isolated by working indoors. Here, it seems that a lot of settings need to work on taking the outdoors inside, not the indoors outside!

 

Ideally, we want all children to have access to both indoor and outdoor activity. Some children will need more encouragement to go outdoors, and there are lots of strategies that can be used to persuade them. (There are some practical suggestions in my latest book, The Thinking Child Resources Book. If you can't get hold of a copy, let me know and I can email you the section. I'm not sure that I can copy it here for copyright reasons) Others might need encouragement to move indoors. But our aim overall should be to cater for the individual needs of all the children. To force a child who does not prefer outdoor activity to spend 50% of his/her time out there, would be wrong. But to find ways to help a child to overcome nervousness about tackling outdoor activities just because he prefers indoors, would also be wrong.

 

It's all about balance. Not every setting can offer free choice of indoor vs outdoors. We have to make the best of the facilities that we have. Rules set in stone are going to fail, for that very reason. Also, some children have a learning style that calls for large amounts of outdoor activity, some don't. For some, it is a developmental stage, but for some, it is a lifelong learning pattern. We need to offer opportunities and remove obstacles, but maintain a healthy respect for the individual child's needs and preferences at the same time.

 

HTH!