Outdoor Pre-school

Discovering exploring and learning though play and nature

In2play outdoor preschool achieved an outstanding rating from ofsted in 2019.

View and download the Outdoor Pre-school Parent Welcome Pack

See our OutdoorPre-School FaceBook page.

About Outdoor Pre-School

The “Outdoor Pre-school” concept originated in Scandinavia, where schools use local woodland areas to hold outdoor activities which foster children’s problem-solving and cooperation skills, as well as their confidence and self-esteem.

In2play Outdoor Pre-school offers a more holistic approach, supporting children aged 2-5, to explore, develop confidence and self esteem, it stimulates their cognitive and communication development and skilled practitioners are able to offer creative and absorbing literacy, maths and science opportunities.
Early education theorists have explained since the beginning of the last century how children learn best from real experiences and the outside environment offers practical opportunities for children to connect with the natural environment.

Benefits

Other benefits of Outdoor Preschool include:

• Learning and playing outdoors supports the development of healthy and active lifestyles by offering children opportunities for physical activity, freedom and movement, and promoting a sense of well-being
• Gives children contact with the natural world and offers them experiences that are unique to the outdoors
• Playing and learning outside also helps children to understand and respect nature, the environment and the interdependence of humans, animals, plants, and lifecycles
• Outdoor play also supports children’s problem-solving skills and nurtures their creativity, as well as providing rich opportunities for their developing imagination, inventiveness and resourcefulness
• Children need an outdoor environment that can provide them with space, both upwards and outwards, and places to explore, experiment, discover, be active and healthy, and to develop their physical capabilities
• For many children, playing outdoors at their early years setting may be the only opportunity they have to play safely and freely while they learn to assess risk and develop the skills to manage new situations.

Being Outside

We live in a world which is becoming faster paced and demanding all the time, stress and anxiety is becoming common place in our children.
In recent years there has been a cultural shift in our society that has reduced the access and use of outdoors for many young children.
Contributory factors include technological advances leading to an overwhelming prominence of more sedentary indoor activities, such as television, video and computer games.
Japan is now offering “forest therapy” to reduce mental health problems and china offers “nature therapy”, being outside and being physically active reduces stress for all of us.

Why not start with our youngest members of society?
If they build up an understanding and an interest in the outdoor world maybe we can offer long term health benefits alongside a unique early education.