Now that spring is here, it is time to take a fresh look at how your outdoor space can be enhanced to offer more learning opportunities, while supporting risk, challenge and inclusive practice.
Outdoors free-play allows children to develop self-regulation, problem-solving skills, resilience and freedom to subjectively assess uncertain situations. Whatever a nursery's situation, there are always ways to ensure children are involved in outdoors experiences, with the primary consideration being that of enthusiastic adult involvement and a child-centred approach.
Sarah Watkins is an author, associate lecturer at University of Worcester and is also owner and Forest School leader at Dandy Lions, an outdoor play provision in Herefordshire. Sarah has first-hand knowledge of settings overcoming limited outside play space. ‘An outdoor learning environment that supports risky play is one that balances challenge with safety, allowing children to explore, experiment and grow,’ she says. ‘It's not about removing risks entirely but about creating a space where children can test their limits in a controlled, supportive way.’
What does this look like in practice? ‘It varies widely, as I've seen in my role at the University of Worcester, where I visit a range of settings,’ she explains. ‘Last week, I observed a nursery with daily access to a sprawling woodland and another with a tiny outdoor area. While the woodland offered natural opportunities for risky play, the smaller setting relied on expeditions to provide similar experiences.
‘What unites these spaces is child-centred practice by the adults and a flexible environment that adapts to the children's evolving needs. Crucially, a space that truly supports risky play is unlikely to look pristine or overly manicured – it's a place where children can dig, climb, build and explore freely.’
Sarah emphasises the importance of Dr Jean Ayres, the pioneering occupational therapist who advocated finding ‘just the right challenge’ for children. ‘This principle is at the heart of risky play,’ she says. ‘For example, in one small outdoor space I work in – a pack-away setting with just one tree – we bring in items like ladders, crates, planks and tools. The children decide how to use these materials, building structures, testing their balance and problem-solving together. In larger, non-shared spaces, natural resources like tree stumps, mud pits and loose parts create a sense of “productive uncertainty”, encouraging children to take calculated risks and learn from their experiences.
‘Sandseter's categories of risky play – great heights, high speed, dangerous tools, dangerous elements, rough-and-tumble play, and getting lost – are a helpful framework, but they're not a checklist. What matters is that children have opportunities to engage in a variety of challenging activities. Loose parts, for instance, are fantastic for this: children can build climbing frames, roll cable reels at speed, or create dens.’
Practice is continually evolving. Sarah says she sees a growing emphasis on the role of risky play in supporting communication and language development. ‘Recently, I worked with children who were displaying challenging behaviour. Around the fire, they began to connect and collaborate. When using tools one-to-one with me, they named the tools and processes, expressing pride in their achievements. This highlights how risky play isn't just about physical challenge – it's also a powerful tool for building confidence, social skills and language.’
ON AN OUTDOOR JOURNEY
Lucy Owen-Collins is director and head of adventures at Bee in the Woods Kindergarten, Brighton – an ‘outdoors all day’ setting. Lucy has learnt from experience that a considered approach is needed when investing in toys for outside explorative play, with resources built for open-ended discovery proving the best investment.
Lucy says, ‘We opened in 2018 as a Forest School, with the principles of child-focused, holistic learning in nature all-year-round already deeply embedded in our approach. However, undertaking the EYTS/MA in Early Education at Sussex University was a transformational opportunity that enabled me to explore educational pedagogies, really reflect on our values and practice and develop our own educational philosophy. The philosophies of Froebel, Reggio Emilia and Te Whāriki really sang to us. These philosophies collectively emphasise child-centred learning, connection with nature, and holistic development.’
Lucy says her team have been on quite a journey when it comes to resources – they have learnt as they go along that some resources work in the woods, while some don't!
‘We couldn't live without loose parts; these include planks, pipes, crates, blocks, ropes, string, coloured materials, containers for water and mud, natural finds such as pinecones, mud kitchen pots and pans, and our favourite loose part – sticks! These can become dens, obstacle courses, climbing frames, pirate ships, museums, shops, racetracks… anything little imaginations can think of.
‘Structures such as our Longhouse and Roundhouse provide refuge and offer spaces for rest, creative activities and quiet time. And, of course, weather-appropriate clothing is vital.’
She adds, ‘Items such as magnifying glasses, digging tools and art supplies enable hands-on exploration and creativity. A “tinker” area enables children to practise woodwork and bring their creative ideas to life. Staff are fully trained in tool use and woodwork.’
MANAGING RISK
Lucy explains that Bee in the Woods adopts a balanced approach to risk, with each activity being evaluated for potential risks and benefits, ensuring that the learning opportunities outweigh any hazards.
‘Maintaining high adult-to-child ratios allows for attentive supervision and immediate response to any issues,’ she says. ‘All staff are trained in risk assessment and regular reviews of risk assessments are part of our meetings.
‘Children are also taught to assess risks themselves, fostering independence and decision-making skills. Every day we discuss our Golden Agreements as a group. These are: “We Look After Ourselves” (staying safe), “We Look After Each Other” (playing together and playing safely) and “We Look After Our Environment” (stewardship for the natural world). By exploring these three agreements, the children have daily conversations about how to play safely in a woodland environment.’
LEARNING BENEFITS
Lucy continues, ‘Spending the day outdoors offers numerous developmental advantages; from the benefits of being free to jump, climb and develop motor skills, to enhanced communication skills – there's so much to talk about outside! Every area of the EYFS is covered, with real-world problem-solving and sensory engagement in nature stimulating cognitive development and creativity.’
Bee in the Woods places an emphasis on emotional wellbeing. ‘Nature exposure has been linked to reduced stress and improved mood, supporting emotional regulation – we definitely find the outdoor environment a calmer space to work in. Listening to birdsong, focusing on the movement of leaves, or the tiny world of ants, has a calming effect that supports educators and children alike.’
Lucy's top resource picks
- Loose parts: ‘Having access to a varied treasure trove of open-ended materials ensures that every day is full of imaginative and creative play.’
- Climbing ropes, swings and hammocks: These facilitate physical challenges that promote strength and co-ordination. Swinging among the trees also supports children with proprioception development and self-regulation.
- Child-sized tools: Having child-sized tools encourages children to participate in the ‘jobs’ of the day.
- Good storage: ‘From rain and mud to mice and magpies, when you work outdoors, the biggest challenge is looking after resources. Baskets and crates look pretty, but they can't protect resources from mice wanting to eat their way through your crayons. We have sturdy plastic boxes with lids that are labelled clearly and stacked in our shed.’
DAILY MILE
Ursula Krystek-Walton is head of quality development at Thrive Childcare and Education, based across Scotland and the North-West of England. Ursula has first-hand experience of providing outdoor play and learning experiences where there is a lack of outdoor space directly available through the nursery or home environment.
‘Our approach to learning at Thrive encompasses three core components: “My Body, My Brain, My World.” These core components, each as vital as the other, when nurtured, act as a strong foundation for children to learn, develop and thrive for the long term,’ she says.
‘Threaded through these is a focus on nature, outdoor play and learning. We believe children's access to outdoor learning should not be restricted by the physical outdoor space they have, and so each setting considers how best to maximise the space and opportunities available.’
She reports that the group's urban settings, which might have less space than rural locations, still promote appropriate risk and challenge for children. Climbing, building, gardening and physical exercise are very much part of the daily offer.
‘For example, our Media City nursery has an exciting variety of climbing opportunities utilising large logs and tree stumps; our nursery at Salford Royal features an area containing large rocks for children to negotiate; and our Princes Dock nursery in Liverpool has a beautiful allotment area to grow and care for flowers, fruits and vegetables,’ she says.
‘Many settings take part in “The Daily Mile”, which sees staff and children taking part in 17 minutes of walking, jogging or running each day in whatever space they have.
‘In smaller gardens, we create defined spaces of interest, usually using natural resources to enhance learning, such as bug hotels, den spaces, storytelling outdoors and mud kitchens. We also utilise the local community areas for listening or discovery walks.
‘Strong attachments, positive interactions and scaffolding learning are key for us when maximising learning outdoors. We don't let limited outdoor space restrict learning about the world. We like to see nature and natural resources within our indoor spaces too, allowing for continuous learning and extension of ideas, bringing the outdoors in. Where available, free flow between the indoors and outdoors is encouraged.’
A core resource is loose-parts play because of how well this promotes open-ended play and learning, supports schemas and allows children to experiment, explore, test, imagine and find out.
‘We purchase good-quality purposeful loose parts in a range of sizes, including blocks, containers and guttering, and also encourage nurseries to collect natural, free and found items that can be useful for play and learning, sharing ideas with parents about how they can use these experiences and resources at home,’ Ursula says.
‘We show children it's important that our loose parts are cared for and respected in the same way as other play resources, books and toys would be. We find that role-modelling respect for these items helps children to understand their value.’
She adds that at Thrive, sustainability and conservation are important, encouraging children to recycle items and use them for art and crafts.
‘In some settings, children use litter pickers in the community, while learning about caring for the planet, plants and creatures that live in our outdoor spaces,’ she says. ‘We also prefer to purchase good-quality wooden outdoors equipment to maintain the natural aesthetic that is sympathetic to the natural spaces we provide.’
Ursula's top resource picks
- Wooden bridges.
- Balance bikes.
- Water cascades.
- Mud kitchens.
Recommended resources
- Outdoor Rustic Wooden Messy Kitchen (pictured, right) from Hope: www.hope-education.co.uk
- Children's Large Indoor and Outdoor Montessori Climbing Frame Dome with slide (pictured, right middle) from Little Helper: www.littlehelper.co.uk
- Outdoor wooden rope ladder from TTS: www.tts-group.co.uk
- Set of Rakes & Spades 2 rakes and 2 spades from Early Excellence: www.shop.earlyexcellence.com
- Real Woodworkers Starter Kit – Pack of 15 Collection of 15 real working tools by Cosy: www.cosydirect.com
- Potion Bench (3 station) (pictured, right) from Early Years Direct: www.earlyyearsdirect.com
MORE INFORMATION
- The Power of Risky Play in the Early Years (available to pre-order) by Sarah Watkins and Zoe Sills, Sage Publications: bit.ly/42mNAJ2
