Why Playing Outside is Important

At an early age children need hands-on experiences to learn about the world around them. These experiences encourage and establish a bond with the local environment and provide the following:

Brain Development
Children's brains are much busier than ours. Their brain energy consumption reaches a full adult level at around two years of age. By three a child's brain is twice as active as an adult brain. This activity level remains until the child reaches 9 or 10. At 10, the activity level begins to decline and at 18 reaches an adult activity level.

Knowledge Acquisition
Knowledge is constructed by dynamic interactions between the child and physical and social environments. A child discovers knowledge through active experimentation. There is a close link between play and healthy cognitive growth.

Imagination
Play is critical for the development of imagination and creative problem solving and the rich environment and the outside is full of "props".

Learning Skills
Outdoor play improves the capacity to pay attention. Neurologically humans are still adapting to today's over-stimulating environment and being out in nature increases coping skills.