Environment and materials – outdoors

The outdoor environment should be different from the indoor one. It should make the most of the natural world and the benefits children can gain from time spent outdoors.

Even a small outdoor space can be used imaginatively. Slopes and hollows and uneven ground support physical development. Bushes, dens and secret spaces give children the privacy to build their own worlds and develop their social skills together. The space to be messy and boisterous allows children the environment they need to be themselves. Most importantly it should be a space to be healthy, happy, inquisitive and support children’s general well-being.