By Amanda Bryans
With indoor movement limited, spending more time outside is more important than ever. Being outside reduces the likelihood of disease transmission. It also can transform an otherwise challenging day for children and staff alike. Rather limiting outside time to certain activities, on many days, children and teachers can do everything outside that they would normally do inside.
Three Strategies to Do More Outdoors
Think about how you could do indoor activities outdoors. Here are some examples:
- Circle/Meeting time. Children can sit on the ground, pieces of carpet, or outdoor seats, like logs, while maintaining necessary physical distance. You can talk about plans for the day, and everyone can observe the weather. If it is chilly, include some I Am Moving, I Am Learning music and moves.
- Book reading. Teachers and children of all ages can select books to bring outside to read together or one on one. Read to babies as well as older children.
- Small groups. You can do language and literacy, math, science, and art outside. For math, you can use sticks, leaves, or pebbles instead of plastic counters. Think of the patterns you can find. Use sand or mud for writing. Bring chalk children can use on cement or asphalt.
- Center time. All indoor centers can be duplicated outdoors. Let children use simple materials for props in the family area. Bring wooden blocks, cars, and trucks for construction, bring an easel and paint for art. Include writing area on a table or the ground. An invention area can be filled with natural or recyclable materials.
Use your imagination. Being outside inspires big ideas. Let children pretend to:
- Be great artists. They can paint on walls or the pavement with brushes and water. You can put big sheets of paper on the wall and bring paint and markers.
- Be engineers, construction workers, astronauts, architects, sports players, or doctors. They can draw their “technical” design plans and use natural materials to make rockets, offices, and construction sites.
- Create a large group pretend play scenario, like a zoo, post office, store, or fire station. Children can take roles and designate different areas of the outdoor space for particular activities (e.g., sorting the mail, paying for the groceries, or making spaces for all the zoo animals!)
Do things outside that you cannot do inside. Children need time every day to:
- Play. Staff provide active supervision, stay close, listen to children, but do not intervene unless necessary. Children practice cognitive, social, and emotional skills while playing.
- Run, jump, roll, climb, hop, balance, spin, and more!
- Play “I Spy” or “Simon Says”
- Use their “outside” voices.
- Get fresh air and natural light.
Many teachers feel their circumstances mean they can’t bring their children outside. Here are some concerns I’ve heard and some suggestions on addressing them.
My center does not have an outdoor play space or my family child care home does not have a yard.
No problem. You can look for safe parks or other open areas where many of the ideas above can be implemented. In the absence of available space, you can go for a walk and still do many of the things outlined in no. 3 above. Infants can go in strollers, and toddlers can walk or have a combination of stroller and walking. Preschoolers can walk around the block and further as they build stamina.
My center has outdoor space, but no playground equipment.
No problem. Research has shown children may actually get more exercise and use their imaginations more when there is no play structure. You can play games, like “Simon Says” and “Red Light, Green Light.”
You can also help by bringing classroom items like manipulatives, balls, mats, baskets, chalk, a parachute, small toy animals, people and vehicles outside for imaginative play. Even without classroom items, you can dream up worlds with the children. For example, children could outline a “pond” with stones and use sticks as fishing rods. The possibilities are endless and the more they do, the more they will imagine.
It is cold and snowy where I live.
No problem. Children in many Alaska programs go outdoors almost every day, even when it is very cold. To be successful, children and staff need appropriate clothes for the weather. Mittens are warmer than gloves on very cold days, and hats should cover children’s ears. Consider keeping donated coats, hats, mittens, and boots for children to use at school. Some programs keep a complete set for each child, which is ideal.
Remember, children often move more, making them more comfortable than adults outside in cold weather. You can move with them — roll big snow balls, walk around the play area. Active supervision promotes engagement and keeps you warm! Watch children to make sure no one is shivering or showing other signs of being cold.
On days with torrential rain, high winds, or poor air quality, stay inside. But when it is not dangerous to go out, try to get outside.
Note: During the pandemic, you will have to wash items used by different children on different days. If needed, program funds may be used for warm clothing children for outdoor program activities.
Be safe, be well, and learn and play outside almost every day!
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Amanda Bryans is the Education and Research to Practice Supervisor for the Office of Head Start