How often do you think carefully about outdoor play in your program? Do you have a philosophy for outdoor play? How about policies and guidelines? Is your play space safe, inclusive, and inspiring?  Do you spend the same amount of time developing outdoor play intentionally as you do for your classroom learning? These are a few of the questions outdoor play expert Vicki Ehlers posed to inspire thinking in her session The Early Childhood Administrator’s Role in Engaging Outdoor Play.

Vicki mentioned a lot of resources, which we posted on our Webinar Resources page, (including a few from our participants and some from Bethe Almeras, a play guru in her own right!)  The recording of the session and the slides are available now. (These are large files, so be patient while they load! They’re worth it!

The participants in the session generated a lot of  ideas and responses to Vicki’s challenges to think of ways administrators can “say ‘yes’ to outdoor play” in their programs.  The responses were outstanding! Take a look at some of the ingenious quotes from our participants:

Suggestions For Engaging Children in Outdoor Play

  • Have your staff go outside and model the correct way to use equipment, and take part in appropriate activities and interactions, so children will feel safe to explore and participate.
  • Take the indoors outdoors, bring books or puzzles outside if that is an interest to some children. This will make sure they get fresh air and observe their surroundings.
  • Bring outside tools related to your lesson plan and extend your theme into outdoor play.
  • Encourage the children to have a sense of ownership of the outdoor space by allowing them to help create rules for outdoor fun and safety.
  • Invite the children to think of ideas for outdoor activities.
  • Plan themes or investigations for outdoor activities, just like you would use in the classroom.
  • Create outdoor prop boxes.
  • Have a parade with the children throughout the neighborhood.
  • Let the kids have a “barefoot day”. Put away the bikes and and wagons, or anything else that can hurt their toes.  The kids will play differently.

Suggestions For Encouraging Safe Risk Taking

  • Always ask children what they think they can do and help them set up goals to work towards. Let them take charge, and then be there to support them in any way necessary (i.e. hold hands, offer a supporting hand for balance, etc).
  • Look at standards, developmental milestones, and teacher observations of individual skills in order to offer meaningful opportunities.
  • Offer levels of each activity to ensure that all children are included and challenged.
  • Have staff who provide good outdoor play examples mentor those who may need help.
  • Pay attention to what areas children are avoiding and encourage them to try them.
  • Always ask the children what they think they can do. Help them set up what they are working towards…letting them take charge.  And then being there to support them in any way necessary (i.e. hold hands, offer a supporting hand for balance, etc).

Suggestions For Outdoor Assessment and Supervision

  • Create an outdoor checklist for your teachers to use daily.
  • Rotate playground supervision so that the teachers get to see all areas of the playground every day.
  • Use a journal to keep track of what the children are observing outdoors, and build an indoor activity around their observations.

Suggestions for Inviting Infants & Toddlers into Outdoor Playscapes

  • Create an area with a canopy and outdoor carpet and a small playhouse they can hold onto once the become mobile.
  • Try incorporating a small hill for into the outdoor area so they can climb and use their gross motor skills.
  • For infant & toddlers – have an outdoor changing station area.

Suggestions for Outdoor Storage

  • Ensure there is adequate storage for outdoor equipment.
  • Rotate responsibility for keeping the storage area clean.
  • Involve the children in caring for the outdoor play space just like you would in the classroom.

Suggestions for Building Playscapes

  • Make sure you staff is a part of the planning team. Have them go outside and provide some ideas.
  • Get ideas from the children. Incorporate their ideas.
  • Ask parents to volunteer time to help set up a rich and playful environment.
  • Build natural hills for climbing and jumping.
  • Plant trees for science, nature, beauty, shade and comfort.
  • Incorporate seasonal materials, including winter items into the outdoor experience with sleds, shovels, pals, and other ice/snow-related materials.
  • Assess current play space using Head Start Body Start Outdoor Play Space Assessment tool (free download)  then create a plan.
  • Create a reading/comfortable lounging space.
  • Include an amphitheater.
  • Create a music space.
  • Tree stumps of various sizes.
  • Natural hill side slide.
  • Gardening.

Suggestions for Encouraging and Inspiring Teachers and Parents

  • Develop, publish, and adhere to a philosophy and policies about outdoor play.
  • Have an annual outdoor play day for teachers and parents.
  • Have an outdoor fair with parents and children with charts of objectives in each area of the playground posted so parents are educated about the value of outdoor play.
  • Include an outdoor play update in every newsletter for parents.
  • Invite one staff member to become the Outdoor Play guru– the person to whom others can turn to for advice and support about outdoor play.
  • Have professional development for outdoor play.
  • Ken Finch at Greenhearts, Inc. is spectacular at helping families and staff understand nature play and appropriate risks.
  • Include outdoor resources in your professional development library.
  • Staff contest to collect “wonderful stuff” for our playground.
  • Observe staff and give feedback to enhance outdoor play just like you would for their interactions in the classroom.
  • Get out from behind my desk and go outside to model appropriate and engaging outdoor play for the teachers.

Resources From Bethe Almeras