Ignite Excitement for Summer Outdoor Play

Welcome back 😊

Summer is almost here! Have you thought about how to refresh your centers outdoor play area, or give the teachers some guidance on new activities to engage the children this summer?

Before technology was a big part of children’s lives, going outside was an everyday occurrence. As children, we would use our imaginations to make our own games, find objects to use creatively, and develop our critical thinking skills while engaging with our neighborhood friends to develop our social skills. Now, our teachers and parents need to work harder to create these opportunities that used to be naturally occurring.

So, this week let’s talk about outdoor play!

Why outdoor play is important for children?

•  Lowers childhood obesity rates, heart disease and myopia risk.

• Children’s bodies are safely getting Vitamin D exposure which helps their bones and muscles stay strong.

• Children engage more in learning after outdoor activities.

• Promotes children’s curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking skills.

🤔 Did you know that American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 30 minutes of planned outside play and 60 minutes of unplanned outside play?

Structured Play vs. Unstructured Play

Here are few of my favorite open-ended unstructured play items you can usually find at the $ store to add to your outdoor area:

3 of my (and the children’s) favorite structured outdoor activities:

1. Bean Bag Bullseye – supplies needed – chalk and bean bags

   Draw 3 circles – within each other, let the children toss bean bag within the circles, for older children you can write in numbers and have children add the amounts up.

2. Color Scavenger Hunt – chalk and side walk or black top

   Color  in squares with each color, have the children find items around and put the item they find on the matching colored circle

3. Musical Hula Hoops- speaker/playlist, hula hoop for each child –

   Have each child dance around the hula hoops while music is playing, once music stops the child must find an empty hula hoop and sit cross legged. You can remove a hula hoop each round or keep all the hula hoops.

Outdoor play is not only a benefit for children but also our teachers and parents. Here are some ways to encourage parents to take their children outside.

• Send home outdoor game cards⬅️

• Create borrow bags for parents to sign out for the weekend or evening (filled with the above items).

• Send home a list of parks in the area and why it is a great place to visit.

Till Next Time:

Jen 

P.s. Send this to fellow friends or colleagues in early childhood education😊