Teachers and administrators are completely rethinking the schoolyard, and there can only be benefits from this shift. Where once the traditional classroom meant four walls, 25 chairs, and students facing a chalkboard for hours, now, learning is becoming more open, literally. Many teachers are taking their students outside into nature for lessons. And they’re finding that you can teach virtually any subject under the sun. Here’s how nature-play schoolyards are boosting learning outcomes across the country.
Outdoor Play Burns Off Energy
One of the biggest concerns with student learning time in recent decades has been the rise of conditions like ADD and ADHD. More and more kids have trouble focusing and paying attention for long periods of time. And while much of this may have to do with their increased time spent staring at a screen, it’s likely also connected to a lack of time spent outdoors. It’s hard to ask kids, even those without attention deficit disorders, to sit still and listen when they haven’t had enough time moving around outside.
Nature-play is the solution to this problem in many ways. When kids are outside, they can move more freely, even while learning. Teachers can engage kids in quick races or games during class that release energy and “get out the wiggles.” With this increased freedom and movement, kids of all learning and developmental abilities are more likely to be able to comprehend and retain what they learn.
Access to Nature Offers STEM Skills
Of course, nature-play schoolyards are made up of much more than simply a park swing and a few structures to climb. They offer an opportunity for kids to grasp powerful lessons about the way the world works. Many students today struggle to move forward in STEM subjects because the material can be tough and chewy. This is largely due to the fact that those subjects are often presented through textbooks and lectures. But many kids simply don’t learn well in this setting.
Outside, teachers have much more to work with. A lecture can become an experiment, boredom can turn into observation, and lack of focus can transform into excitement. You’ve already got so much to work with in nature, from bugs and plants to weather patterns and the position of the planets. When you introduce additional features like water tables, sand pits, and community gardens, you give kids a world of STEM they can’t wait to engage with.
Nature-Play Stimulates the Imagination
One of the biggest benefits of nature-play and outdoor classroom lies in how it stimulates kids’ imaginations. Just being outside opens up their minds to a world of possibilities they don’t have access to, stuck behind four walls with a chalkboard. A schoolyard filled with a cool grove of trees and play structures that have a theme allow kids to imagine themselves in a far off land. They could be slaying a dragon or rescuing a prince or princess.
Why does this matter? After all, they’re at school to learn, right? Not to slay dragons. The reality is that kids with stronger imaginative abilities actually learn their subjects better. One of the reasons for this is that they can picture the lessons in their heads and predict what’s coming. This is an elemental part of learning that helps people understand subject material better and remember it for longer. When you foster a strong imagination, you’re fostering long-term learning skills.
Kids Who Learn Outside Perform Better Academically
It’s not just the imagination that benefits from outdoor learning and play, however. It’s the entire brain. Many kids stuck inside behind screens, sitting still, and getting in trouble for shifting and talking are genuinely struggling to learn. The answer isn’t to give them detention, send them to the office, or call their parents at home. It’s to break the pattern of expecting too much of students who aren’t meant to spend all day indoors.
When you take the classroom outside, even on colder or hotter days, kids’ minds naturally open up. They’re more engaged, freer, and more eager to learn. The trick is to turn learning into play and play into learning. Work with the kids’ natural energy, allowing them to move about freely, within limits, and challenging them to observe, experiment, and teach each other. You’ll quickly find that children who get to be outside for school will jump at the chance to learn pretty much anything you want to teach.
Teachers Who Teach Outside Are More Relaxed
Children aren’t the only ones who should spend more time outside, of course. Many classrooms struggle because the teacher is struggling. Today’s teachers are largely overworked, underpaid, and exhausted. Asking them to stand in front of a classroom and be “on” for six hours can be like squeezing water from a stone. If the teacher is drained to the point of being burned out, you can’t expect to get high-quality learning outcomes from their students.
Moving the classroom outside can be a refreshing change for teachers that revitalizes their approach to teaching. Getting sunshine and fresh air can add energy to pretty much any lesson plan. Now, you’re asking teachers to think outside of the box and engage with kids in new and fun ways. And because the students will be more relaxed, imaginative, and excited about learning, the teacher’s energy will follow. It then becomes a cycle of joyful learning and teaching that can only boost educational outcomes across the board.
In the end, moving the classroom outside and getting kids and teachers into nature is highly beneficial in multiple ways. You open students’ minds up and get them thinking about subjects in ways that help them learn and remember better. They also get to burn off more energy, so they’re more likely to be able to focus and pay attention. Plus, you invite teachers to approach material from a different angle, which can be refreshing and revitalizing. Nature-play schoolyards are the future of genuine learning, and kids and teachers will likely cheer for the change.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of Impakter.com — In the cover: Nature-Play Schoolyards: Kids playing in the snow — Cover Photo Credit: Victoria Pillotti
