Today’s students are more likely than ever to spend the bulk of their time inside. Because of the advances in technology, the added dangers in society, and the seemingly obsessive control that modern parents keep over their children, kids today are rarely able to get outside and explore the way that their parents might have been. With this in mind, there are many education advocates who suggest that this approach to education is harming children. Namely, these individuals suggest that the better approach is to integrate some outdoor play into the schedule for children. There are many benefits of getting outside during the course of school. Whether it is for dedicated play time or whether it is for class time, getting outside can help with both physical and mental development. Outdoor time for children helps to fight obesity, helps with mental health, and helps to stimulate cognitive development and creativity.
Around the world, and especially in the United States, obesity among children is becoming a much bigger ordeal. Roughly one in every three children in the US suffers from obesity in some form. While the numbers are smaller in the UK and the rest of Europe, children are still more apt today to be overweight or obese. The reasons for this are somewhat easy to understand. Children have more structured schedules in which they play less. They are much more apt be stuck in front of a tablet or a television screen, playing games, watching movies, and engaging in social media. With this in mind, outdoor play in education can help to fight back against this obesity (Kepper et al., 2016). It can provide children with a means of burning calories so that they can be healthier at the end of the day.
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Outdoor play integrated into the school day can also help to improve mental health among young people. Today’s children are more likely to be bullied and to face the negative effects of growing up. Mental health is a major problem for many, with depression, anxiety, and other illnesses on the rise. Being outside has been shown to help improve mental health among young people (Piccininni et al., 2018). It helps to push positive hormones that can improve mood. Sunlight itself can be a powerful combatant to mental health issues, which his needed during a time when young people are more likely than ever to commit suicide (Clough et al., 2016).
Ultimately there is a third reason why outdoor play in education is critical. Young people who get to spend more time outside will tend to develop better creativity (Pesce et al., 2016). It has been shown that outdoor play helps to enhance cognitive development among young people. For one reason or another, the brain responds well to these opportunities. Very young children use the outside as a clean slate, allowing them to create and imagine their own environment. In a world where young people are increasingly expected to be creative thinkers, this type of approach can be more than helpful in allowing them to progress in a way that makes sense.
Ultimately outdoor play is a critical thing that has been lost by some young people. Because schools have an obligation to provide young people with the best possible approach, it is critical that they are willing to consider adding in more outside opportunities during the day. Whether this is for outright play or whether it is designed to provide young people with an opportunity to study outside, getting them outside will help to fight the effects of obesity, will help to improve the mental health of young people, and will even help young people achieve cognitive development and growth in their creativity. It is a means of making education more effective.
