Outdoor Play

Play and the Outdoors: What’s New Under the Sun? Xoxoxo

by Susan J Oliver and Edgar Klugman

A generation “at two” Whatever the reality, many parents and Some researchers, however, are making with the outdoors? teachers feel instinctively that childhood attempts to understand changes we’re today is very different from what it was seeing by asking parents to think back for previous generations, and a sizable to their childhoods and report their per- Are today’s ever more plugged-in part of the difference has something to ceptions about what’s different for their young children developing “nature- do with the changing amount of outdoor own kids. In a nationwide study of a deficit disorder”? (Louv, 2005). Will they play time. Where are the lazy afternoons geographically representative sample of grow up associating bugs with comput- of exploration in the backyard or local over 800 mothers of children aged three ers rather than the great outdoors? Do park, lifting up rocks and watching ants to twelve, Professor Rhonda Clements they prefer to play indoors because, in race out of sight? What happened to long of Manhattanville College and immedi- the words of one child, “that’s where all days in the summer sun, making up ate past president of the American the electrical outlets are” (Louv, 2005)? games, and setting off on outdoor Association for the Child’s Right to Play adventures with neighborhood play- found that 70% of mothers reported mates? Today’s children, noted a recent they played outside every day when Susan Oliver is executive director of the national non-profit New York Times article, increasingly are they were their child’s age, compared to organization Playing for Keeps. She devotes “at two” with nature. “The days of the 31% of their children who have every- her time to promoting and protecting the role free-range childhood seem to be over,” day outdoor opportunities (Clements, of play in our culture. Prior to her association noted The Times (McKee, 2005). 2004). with Playing for Keeps, Ms. Oliver served in various positions at the National Lekotek Center, a national non-profit organization dedicated to Changes in outdoor Moreover, a recent study at the Univer- making play accessible to children with disabilities and the playtime for today’s kids sity of Michigan looked at the time-use Family Resource Coalition of America, a national non-profit differences between children in the early organization committed to building community-based support and resources for children and families. While a bike ride around almost any 1980s and the late 1990s and found that neighborhood on a sunny Sunday after- kids aged three to five have one-third Edgar Klugman is the co-founder of Playing noon may leave you asking, “Where are less free play time (indoor and outdoor) for Keeps as well as professor emeritus of the kids?” there are few studies to than a generation ago and nearly triple Early Childhood Education and Care at confirm that children are getting less play the amount of time in organized sports Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts. time than a generation ago, says Dorothy (Hofferth & Sandberg, 2001a; Hofferth & He is also a charter member of the Play, Sandberg, 2001b). Policy, and Practice Interest Forum within the National Justus Sluss, associate professor of Early Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Childhood Education at Clemson Univer- Among his publications are Play, Policy and Practice (Redleaf sity. “Because we did not document the According to an April 2004 study of 300 Press), and Children’s Play and Learning: Perspectives and amount of time children spent in various parents of children under five years old Policy Implications (edited with Smilansky; Teachers College kinds of play fifty years ago, it’s hard to conducted by Youth Pulse, a marketing Press). He currently serves on the board of New England AEYC. establish a reliable comparison with services company that monitors youth today’s kids,” Sluss explains. behavior, only 39% of children aged two

6 Exchange July/August 2005 Single copy reprint permission from Exchange PO Box 3249, Redmond, WA 98073 • (800)221-2864 • www.ChildCareExchange.com Multiple use copy agreement available for educators by request. Outdoor Play to five “run around or play outdoors” activities, teacher educators and Nurture with nature: every day or more often. For children consultants on outdoor play Barbara Tips for teachers on under age two, only 19% have daily Crossley and Beverlie Dietze suggest outdoor playtime (Youth Trust, 2004). these six areas of best practice for making the most of outdoor play: outdoor play Helping young children ■ experience “the natural Attitude: Educators should have a The outdoors is an educational tableau positive attitude about outdoor play- that offers endless opportunities for classroom” time, be ready and willing to work with creative early childhood educators. the weather, children’s interests, gender Here are a handful of ideas for maxi- As an early childhood educator, you differences, and more — and should mizing outdoor time and learning are in a powerful and unique position create a play climate that is flexible and experiences. You’ll have many more. to make sure that children’s exposure supportive. If you would like to share them, send to the outdoors and its ever-changing your ideas to Playing for Keeps at ■ wonders is woven into the core of your Health and safety: Obviously, the [email protected] and we’ll add curriculum — and the fabric of their physical environment needs to be safe the best ones to our web site. (Be sure to day. The many sights, sounds, smells, and adequately supervised, with include your name, title, organization, and textures of the outdoors make it a children appropriately dressed for the and address.) natural classroom, and one that fits the day’s conditions. exuberant gross motor, construction ■ Don’t let the outdoors keep you ■ Program planning: Outdoor play play, and symbolic play instincts of indoors. As our colleagues in Scandi- time should be structured so children preschoolers. In fact, research indicates navia often say, there is no such thing as have sufficient time and facilitation to that preschoolers engage in richer bad weather, only bad clothes. If the engage in complex, integrated, in-depth symbolic play outdoors than indoors weather keeps you indoors too often, activities or explorations; can exercise (Shin & Frost, 1995) thanks to the rela- your children may miss important their sense of curiosity and creativity; tively greater availability of low-realis- experiential learning about rain or wind and can participate in a range of devel- tic, low-structured, natural materials, or snow. Work with their parents to opmentally appropriate experiences. spaciousness, and teacher involve- provide outdoor clothing that offers the ment” (Frost, Wortham, & Reifel, 2005) ■ The environment: Materials and option of going outdoors nearly every found outdoors as compared to equipment should be open-ended, and day. indoors. the play space should offer variety that ■ Make friends with three square feet of Other advantages you’ll find when can accommodate individual and group . . . something . . . outdoors. Have you you step outside with your class play, dramatic play, spontaneous play, ever stepped outdoors and focused on a include greater opportunities for chil- gross motor activity, exploration of small area — say, three square feet — dren to engage in: 1) free play, because nature, and spent some time just watching and adults tend to control indoor play and more. exploring? What’s happening on the more closely than outdoor play; 2) dif- ■ Curriculum support: Materials are surface? What lives there? What’s ferent types of social arrangements, sufficient for the number of children, growing there and what eats it or sleeps because the nature of outdoor games support different types of play, and in it or plays in it? What color is it and and exploration offer children chances include some that are interchangeable does it always stay that color? Does it to break away from their regular between indoors and outdoors. look different at different times of day? alliances; 3) play that contributes to What happens when the weather their movement skills ■ Role of facilitator: Adults under- changes or seasons come and go? and physical fitness (Sluss, 2005). stand the developmental needs of Does your adopted spot change? Best practices for individual children and help children integrate knowledge from various your outdoor time Whether your class has grassy areas to settings and developmental domains. enjoy or piles of dirt or plain cement with children Adults help children accommodate sidewalks, the kinds of questions their behavior to the outdoor setting children can answer (and ask!) are Whether you let children simply enjoy rather than using removal from the endless. Encourage the development of free play or offer teacher-directed setting as punishment. their sensory and deductive skills. Pick

July/August 2005 Exchange 7 Outdoor Play small areas to monitor and explore for a play? What can we do to make outdoor parents are skeptical about play, sell the fun and educational long-term project — play more meaningful and useful to idea by sharing information about ways and one easily connected with art, healthy child development? Here are a outdoor time helps children focus on science, and literacy components in your few directions that we expect outdoor more “academic” work when they curriculum. play will take — and ways that early return indoors (Bogden & Vega-Matos, childhood educators can respond: 2000). Not only will you be building ■ Be responsive to changing outdoor support for your curriculum, you may conditions. So you weren’t expecting to ■ Assessment will follow you outdoors. be training grassroots advocates for talk about rainbows today? If one shows Teachers have long been encouraged to recess who will become active if their up, are you prepared to make it a take advantage of the enhanced oppor- child’s future elementary school threat- magical moment — along with a science tunities outdoor play offers for assess- ens to eliminate daily outdoor play. lesson? In keeping with your philosophy ment of each child’s development. of a child-influenced curriculum, have (You’ll find some good strategies and ■ Outdoor play is becoming more con- books about natural phenomena, science tools in Outdoor Play Every Day by nected to childhood health issues. With supplies, and art materials ready for Karyn Wellhousen (Wellhousen, 2002.) a record 8% of our preschoolers and one those times when Mother Nature serves In our culture of measurement and of five kids in general overweight (U.S. up a not-to-be-ignored lesson that accountability for kids and teachers Department of Health and Human engages the imagination of your children alike, however, we can expect that each Services, 2000), including active outdoor . . . even if it’s as mundane as a snake aspect of the curriculum will be evalu- gross motor play in their routine takes slithering across the playground or a ated in some way. Because outdoor on a whole new sense of urgency. We puffy cloud that looks like a teddy bear. play can be an easy target for adminis- can expect to hear more and more trators and others who are looking for encouragement of outdoor activity from ■ Move indoor activities outside. If the more “instructional” time in a child’s government and private sources, and weather looks cooperative and the day, it’s a good idea to carefully docu- see more promotional campaigns from children are settled enough in the class- ment the ways that outdoor time is pro- companies whose business is tied to room for a change of routine, why not moting the development of kids in your children. For example, Nickelodeon has take some of your indoor day outside for class because they are outdoors. launched a “Let’s Just Play” campaign a change? Are there activity centers you that features a “Worldwide Day of Play” ■ generally keep indoors? If you are in a You need to take an active role in in October — all aimed at getting kids climate that changes with the seasons, helping parents understand outdoor and parents outdoors to play. (See consider moving some of your indoor play. Parents, of course, harbor many www.nick.com/all_nick/ play centers and materials outdoors at fears for the safety of their children and everything_nick/public_ljp_createaday.j appropriate times of the year. concerns about the quality of their edu- html for more details and resources.) On cation. As an early childhood educator, its first-ever “Worldwide Day of Play” you can expect to play an increasingly in October 2004, the network took the ■ Bring the outdoors back inside. What central role in assuring parents that highly dramatic step of “going dark”, did you see outdoors today? Bulbs half their children are reasonably safe out- i.e., not broadcasting for that afternoon nibbled away? By whom? Seedlings doors (from strangers, bugs, sunshine, in an effort to encourage play. This kind growing through a crack in the side- bullying . . . you name it) and in com- of outreach about the importance of out- walk? How do they do that? municating to them the importance of door play for physical health can rein- A bunny running across the grass? outdoor playtime. force teachers’ efforts to communicate Where was it going? Can you tell a story that message for parents. about it? Draw a picture? Act it out? Today’s parents hear many media-based messages that heighten their concerns ■ We’re developing better ways to What’s happening in about safety — even though statistics include children of all abilities in out- outdoor play that impacts don’t warrant the concern — and that door play. More and better efforts are early childhood promote a highly academic approach to being applied to recognizing and early childhood education. addressing outdoor play challenges, educators? including better playground design so You can help parents understand how that children of all abilities can play. As early childhood educators, what outdoor play, especially free play, is a According to the National Center for trends can we expect to see in outdoor valuable part of their children’s day. If Boundless Playgrounds, five million

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American children have some sort of child-centered indoor and outdoor References disability that inhibits their capacity to environments (Olds, 2000). San Diego- enjoy a traditional playground based journalist Richard Louv has Bogden, J. F., & Vega-Matos, C. A. (2000, (www.boundlessplaygrounds.org). researched the relationship many of March). “Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Boundless Playgrounds is leading the today’s children have with nature and Learn: A School Health Policy Guide. Part charge to make more outdoor play expresses his concern that our kids are I”: Physical Activity, Healthy Eating, and spaces universally accessible. As more growing up with “nature deficit disor- Tobacco-Use Prevention. Alexandria, VA: children with disabilities are included der” thanks to technology, overschedul- National Association of State Boards of in child care centers and preschools, ing, parental fears, and a litigious, Education. teachers may be expected to develop rule-bound culture. The consequences, skills for helping them fully participate he predicts, may have serious emo- Clements, R. (2004). “An Investigation of by adapting games, activities, and tional, physical, and cognitive impacts the Status of Outdoor Play,” in environments. on children who do not learn how to Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 5, use the outdoors for reducing stress, November 1, 2004. ■ Educators are expected to help stimulating creativity, and building Frost, J. L., Wortham, S. C., & Reifel, S. develop responses to bullying and strong bodies (Louv, 2005). Early (2005). Play and Child Development. Upper rough-and-tumble play. Another play- childhood teachers, in the role of child Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/ ground challenge — children bullying and parent educator, can help children Merrill Prentice Hall, p. 307. each other — is also becoming a more (and their families) establish the habit prominent issue. As a proactive strat- of — or better yet, a hunger for — Louv, R. (2005). Last Child in the Woods: egy for reducing playground bullying being outdoors and the skills for engag- Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit in the elementary years, preschool edu- ing with natural environments. Disorder. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books. cators may find themselves expected to address the issue with younger chil- Imagine young children’s daily lives if Hofferth, S. L., & Sandberg, J. F. (2001a). dren (Frost, Wortham, & Reifel, 2005). the range of their experience began and “Changes in American Children’s Time, ended at the door into their school or 1981-1997” in T. Owens and S. Hofferth Another troublesome area for many child care center, only to re-emerge (eds.) Children at the Millennium: Where educators is how to understand the when it is time to go home. Certainly Have We Come From, Where are we Going? rough-and-tumble play — more char- many would agree that something Advances in Life Course Research Series. acteristic of boys than girls (Smith, important was missing from their edu- New York: Elsevier Science. 1997) — especially since so many early cation. Yet, when they go home, today’s childhood programs are staffed by young children are experiencing more Hofferth, S. L., & Sandberg, J. F. (May women who may have difficulty inter- and more of life indoors. As an early 2001b). “How American Children Use preting the signals imbedded in what childhood educator who has impact on Their time.” Journal of Marriage and might be called “boy culture” (John- both kids and parents, you can be the Family, 62. son, Christie, & Wardle, 2005). We can first line of defense against a culture- Johnson, J., Christie, J., Wardle, F. (2005). expect to see continued attention on wide loss of appreciation for the whole Play, Development, and Early Education. these areas as more research is com- package of developmental benefits our Boston: Pearson Education. pleted and as more results from inter- children can only access if they have a healthy relationship with the great ventions (e.g., Operation Respect’s McKee, B. “Growing Up Denatured.” The outdoors and its natural wonders. Don’t Laugh at Me curriculum, informa- New York Times, Thursday, April 28, 2005, tion at www.dontlaugh.org) are avail- Spread the word to parents, administra- page D1. able. tors, and others who make decisions Olds, A. R. (2000). Child Care Design about how children spend their time ■ Guide. New York: McGraw Hill. Teachers are on the frontlines of every day. Outdoor play doesn’t addressing “nature-deficit disorder.” require a playground or a park or an Shin, D., & Frost, J. L. (1995). “Preschool “There’s no way we can help children hour or a warm, sunshiny day. It only Children’s Symbolic Play Indoors and to learn to love and preserve this requires a commitment to kids’ healthy Outdoors.” International Play Journal, 3(2). planet if we don’t give them direct development. Nature is standing by — experiences with the miracles and ever patient, available whenever we Sluss, D. J. (2005). Supporting Play: Birth blessings of nature,” noted Anita Olds, want — ready to nurture the young through Eight. Clifton Park, NY: the late designer with a special gift for children in our care. Thomson/Delmar Learning.

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Smith, P. (1997, October). “Play fighting and fighting: How Do They Relate?” Paper presented at the meeting of the International Council for Children’s Play, Lisbon, Portugal.

Wellhousen, K. (2002). Outdoor Play Every Day. Albany, NY: Delmar/ Thompson Learning.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2000, February). School Health Index for Physical Activity and Healthy Eating (Elementary School): A Self- Assessment and Planning Guide. www.boundlessplaygrounds.org/ playmatters/whatMakesBPUnique.php

Youth Trust, April 2004 Youth Pulse proprietary data.

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