Playing outside

Access to outdoor play and learning experiences is vital for all children. It is important to consider whether your setting is ensuring that everyone can go outside to play and be outside in all weather conditions.

Figure 2.5  Just climbing a tree

Not everyone enjoys the wind and rain. If an adult is providing one-to-one support for a child, it is important that they are prepared to respond to the child’s preferences – especially if this means being outside in all weathers.

Activity 2.3  Tuning in to the unique child

Timing: Allow 15 minutes

In this audio you will hear a parent and key worker talking about Eilidh, who loved being outdoors and spent a lot of her time at nursery playing outside. While you listen, think about how Eilidh’s family and nursery made it possible for Eilidh to enjoy being outside.

Listen to Liz and Pamela and note down the key influences on Eilidh playing outside.

Download this audio clip.Audio player: Audio 2.1
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Transcript: Audio 2.1  Liz and Pamela on Eilidh’s outside play

EILIDH'S MUM:
I think I noticed her love of the outdoors so early on. I think she must've been about three weeks old. And we were in the papoose up Arthur's Seat. Not right to the top, but we were up in the hills with Archie, playing.
And I had gone out because I was frazzled with just baby crying. And she just slept and was calm the whole time. And I was like, right. I've got to get her out. This is what it is. This is what she likes. And that was easy because Archie loved to be out.
CAREGIVER:
He loved it.
EILIDH'S MUM:
He loved being out. And one of the reasons why, we chose the Cowgate for him, was so that he could get out to play. So yeah, it just seemed that that was a comfortable place for the three of us to be. And obviously then Walter at weekends, the four of us as a family, just to be outdoors.
CAREGIVER:
And I think because it was part of our ethos to be outside all day, regardless of what the weather was going to be like, helped, especially Archie at the beginning when he first started.
EILIDH'S MUM:
Oh yeah, he loved that getting his waterproofs on, and off he went. The more different the weather, the more she seemed to enjoy it. So she loved the wind. The rain, if there was damp in the air.
CAREGIVER:
As long as you didn't put her hood up.
EILIDH'S MUM:
Yes, of course.
CAREGIVER:
Did not like that.
EILIDH'S MUM:
She did not like that. And she was just so good at telling you. Like, oh, no, no, no. Yep, I'll full all of this. Waterproofs, whatever – you can wrap me up like a kipper. But you will not put anything on my head at all.
CAREGIVER:
I think at first when she first started, getting her out for us was a wee bit of a challenge, to be fair, because of the access. Could only get so far. But we soon found that if there was two of us there, like having the one-to-one with Eilidh was a big help because that was easy for us to see, right, we need help.
And then Sarah and I would go and get her out of the buggy. And she would play in the she would sit in the sand, the same as other children, or the swing. She loved to swing. And as long as she was there, and there was other children there, then even if she was just sitting, watching, it was just enough to be easier for her.
EILIDH'S MUM:
Well, she would have taken so much from just being outside that we take for granted, the feel of the air, the noises, and actually how in her echo chamber, all those different sounds would have been for her processing being so different. We just can't yeah, we can't comprehend really what it was that made it so different for her. But the whole thing was an experience, just being out.
CAREGIVER:
Yeah. We were able to take her further out outdoors as well when we took her to Dunbar Coast. And she was lying on grass. And she was rolling about. We had the parachute above her.
And she was watching the clouds. And just watching her and knowing her, you could see just by that that don't take me away. I'm in my element. Just leave me.
And all the children are running around. They were chatting to her. And she's just sitting there. And we had her standing up. Sarah and I helped her stand up. And she was like just amazement. She just loved it.
EILIDH'S MUM:
But always you asked questions. You and Sarah always talk, and asking me. So you were getting to know Eilidh, and then you would check out stuff with me – so even that communication.
And that then built our relationship because at no point ever did I never not trust you. And if you said, oh, you were taking her off to climb Mount Everest, I probably would have let her go. Because I was just like, oh, yeah, that's what they're doing, OK.
But yeah, and that because you were so interested in her. And you observed. And then we communicated about your observations. That then helped build our relationship as a parent and a practitioner.
And that relationship that, as a parent, we'd had with the OT, that she knew Eilidh and knew what we wanted. And she came out to the nursery and had to look about, and was then able to make the assessment, OK, this is the piece of equipment. I think that this is right.
And I think that getting the equipment right was key because the chair and we were lucky that that first chair worked. But I'm sure if that chair hadn't worked, we could have went back and said, actually, I think we need a different chair.
CAREGIVER:
It did get us outside. And that was good to a degree at first. But then once we redid the garden, and we were able to put ramps in in certain places – lower things so that Eilidh could get into the house and get into underneath the slide structure, that was good because she loved being in there, having little cups of tea with…
EILIDH'S MUM:
And the other kids.
CAREGIVER:
…with Annika and Esme and a few other little ones that were really friendly with her. And I think just being able to do that was such a big difference for her.
EILIDH'S MUM:
Well, was that all a little adventure…
CAREGIVER:
No, so it was further down the garden. You're not just stuck into the one little bit and the swing. You were able to get right down to the bottom of the garden, get in and out and roundabout and up and down. She liked that, going up and down.
EILIDH'S MUM:
And obviously, Eilidh's behaviour changed when she was outside. But the other children noticed these behaviour changes when they were outside, even like the tone of their voice or how they did. And that would have been such a like, on a sensory level, would have been really exciting for her as well. And the boys that were there would use their indoor voices, and then use their outdoor voices. And she'd be wanting, I'm sure.
CAREGIVER:
She was just right in amongst it. She just wanted to be there where they were, regardless of who was out. If there was someone on the swing, she wanted to go and watch.
End transcript: Audio 2.1  Liz and Pamela on Eilidh’s outside play
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Audio 2.1  Liz and Pamela on Eilidh’s outside play
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Figure 2.6  Eilidh playing on the grass
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Discussion

Some influences that Liz and Pamela mention are:

  • Eilidh loved being with other children and wanted to be where they were, which was often outside.

  • A confident, outdoor-loving family with an older sibling who loved being outdoors.

  • A staff team who enjoyed spending time outdoors and valued it for children.

  • Availability of staff and one-to-one support.

  • A space and resources that were physically accessible.

Including all children in outdoor play

How confident are you that all children are able to access outdoor play when they choose to? How do you support the additional needs of children who are deaf when playing outside? For example, it will be important to consider their safety when they can’t hear what is being said. They may need to use a hearing aid to help them to hear voices, or a visual aid in case of an emergency.

You might find that thinking about what you need to do to make outdoor play more accessible to one child has the effect of making it more accessible and inclusive for all children.

The next section looks at your role in relation to reducing conflict during play so that it is as inclusive as possible for all children.

2.3  Inclusive play

2.4  Play conflict and the role of the adult