Ways Outdoor Learning Helps Child Personal Development
1. 93% of schools reported that children’s social skills improved with outdoor learning. (Source: GOV.UK)
2. Similarly, 95% of teachers indicated that working outdoors helped pupils communicate and work with their classmates more effectively. (Source: Grow To School)
3. Studies show playing outdoors for 40 minutes a day can help sleep disorders, with children who snored seeing the issue resolve after 3 months. (Source: National Wildlife Federation)
4. Studies show that outdoor environments help boost confidence in childen and help them develop their independence.(Source: Forest Research)
5. Playing outdoors can reduce stress levels in children by 28%, with a 20 minutes walk each day helping children with ADHD focus.(Source: Trust for Public Land)
How Outdoor Learning Boosts Academic Performance
6. Pupils who took part in outdoor learning projects saw their general maths and mental arithmetics ability increase by an average of 6 months. (Source: Learning through Landscape)
7. 85% of teachers noted that student’s gained a deeper knowledge of their curriculum. (Source: Grow To School)
8. Learning in an outdoor environment helps children learn core skills that they use in the classroom to develop academically. (Source: Absolutely Education)
9. Learning outside teaches children fundamental scientific processes like critical thinking and evidence evaluation in a real life scentific setting. (Source: American Institutes for Research)
Nature and Outdoor Learning Can Also Benefit Teachers
10. 72% of teachers found that working outdoors had a positive impact on their health and wellbeing. (Source: Teach Outdoors)
11. Teachers taking part in outdoor projects reported a 31% increase in teaching confidence. (Source: NatureScot)
12. 79% of teachers stated that their teaching practices had been positively affected by working outdoors. (Source: GOV.UK)
13. Outdoor learning helps teachers identify the most effective learning techniques for their students by trying new teaching methods. (Source: PGL)
14. 1 or 2 hours of outdoor learning each week increases teachers’ job satisfaction. (Source: Childhood By Nature)
Do People Want Children to Spend Time Outdoors?
15. NHS England advises that toddlers and preschoolers should spend 3 hours a day being physically active both inside and outdoors. (Source: NHS)
16. 83% of children stated that protecting the environment is important and that they wanted to spend more time outdoors to do so. (Source: GOV.UK)
17. 72% of adults believe children should be spending more time learning outside in natural settings. (Source: The Wildlife Trust)
18. The National Trust found that more than ¾ of children said they wanted to spend more time outdoors in nature. (Source: The Guardian)
19. 87% of children want to spend time outside, stating that being amongst nature made them happy. (Source: GOV.UK)
Why Are Children Lacking Outdoor Playtime?
20. Only 51% of children play outside with their parents every day due to the parents having busy schedules. (Source: CBS News)
21. 41% of children reported they’d been told not to play outsite by adults due to fears of children being too noisy. (Source: Save the Children)
22. Lack of funding for schools prevents opportunities to learn outside, with £10 million pledged by the government being deemed inefficient for disadvantaged areas. (Source: Schools Week)
23. 49% of parents don’t want their children to play outside due to the danger posed by strangers. (Source: BBC News)
24. Lack of teacher confidence found that between 2013-2015 only 8% of children in England visited outdoor environments in school. (Source: The London Economic)
25. Parents fear injury or accidents in residential areas and 89% of parents reported they won’t allow their child to cross the road unsupervised. (Source: Safe Kids)
What Types of Outdoor Play Do Children Enjoy?
26. Cycling has become a popular activity with 439,802 children learning how to cycle in under a year. (Source: Bikability)
27. 64% of children spend the most time outside in playgrounds or parks. (Source: GOV.UK)
28. Football has seen a steady increase in popularity with 38.5% of children playing the game in 2021/22. (Source: Statista)
29. Children walking, cycling or scootering outdoors has risen by 11.5% in the past 5 years, with 1 million more children choosing this type of outdoor exercise. (Source: Sport England)
30. Around 27% of 7-16 years old swim in the average week, totalling 1.88 million young people swimming in the UK. (Source: Swimming.org)
How Can We Increase Outdoor Learning? With a School Canopy!
A school canopy is ideal for helping children learn outdoors. With a canopy you’ll be able to enjoy a range of benefits including:
- Protection from wind and rainy weather
- A safe shaded area for children to play
- Additonal outdoor seating
- More room for studying
At A&S Landscape we have a range of fully bespoke canopies to help enrich your outdoor lessons. From school sade sails to playground canopies, we have all the options you need to ensure your students can enjoy the outdoors all year round.
