Know

Outdoor environments are natural settings for physical activity. In fact, a lot of us may be more likely to associate physical activity with being outdoors. Think about times when you took a walk or a ran in your neighborhood, hiked, or played games in the park, when you explored a nature trail, or time spent gardening and cleaning up your backyard. Those activities probably made you feel good, energized, and even rejuvenated.

Outdoor Physical Activity in Preschool

For preschool children, outdoor physical activity is as important as physical activity inside the classroom. As stated in the Healthy Environments course, all preschool children should have at least two or three opportunities to play outdoors each day, weather permitting (Caring for our Children, 2011). To help children engage and remain active outside, be sure to include a few adult-led games or activities. The total time a preschooler spends outdoors each day should be at least 60 to 90 minutes. Preschool children do not need to be engaged in vigorous physical activity for the entire duration of outdoor time to receive health benefits. Children can benefit from short or moderate bursts of activity, as these short bursts add up over the course of the day.

Safety First!

As a preschool teacher, your utmost priority is the safety of children in your care. Make sure you familiarize yourself with your program’s safety and security policies. Consider the following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help ensure that children are safe outdoors. You may recall some of these from the Safety Environments course.

• Follow your program’s policies about inspecting play areas to make sure they are safe. Debris, rocks, water, and other hazards should be removed from play areas. 
• Inspect any toys or equipment you use for outdoor play to ensure they are in good condition. Also, make sure you know how to clean and sanitize the equipment properly. 
• Be aware of weather conditions and be ready to move children indoors or to a safe area in case of bad weather. 
• Encourage children to drink plenty of fluids before, during, and after activities. You should offer fluid breaks to children every 30 to 45 minutes, or more frequently during warmer weather. 
• Follow your program requirements about sunscreen and insect repellent on children. 
• Make sure children are appropriately dressed for the weather and activities. Communicate with families about any particular dress preferences you may have (e.g., loose-fitting clothing, sneakers, bathing suits). It may be a good idea to remind families that young children often get dirty while playing!
• Have well-stocked first-aid kits available at all times and follow your program’s policies about using them. 
• Be aware of your program’s emergency action plan and make sure that staff members working with you are aware of their roles in an emergency situation.

Supporting the Physical Development of All Preschoolers Outdoors

In the Explore section of this lesson you will have an opportunity to think about and respond to additional scenarios like the one above. The Kids Included Together (KIT) program, Building Blocks, and Kara’s Kit can be a valuable resources from the Council for Exceptional Children Division for Early Childhood for ideas on practical, real-world ways to help children succeed in their environments.

See

What does outdoor physical activity look like in preschool? What can you do to support preschool children’s physical development outdoors? There are many answers to these questions. Take a look at these videos to learn more and to see examples.

Do

Try some of these ideas when engaging children in outdoor physical activities. Remember, the outdoors can provide numerous opportunities to gather information about a child’s development through observation on their movements during play.

• Provide a variety of fun activities, such as riding tricycles, playing tag, scavenger hunt games, balancing games, changing direction games, obstacle course, follow the leader, dancing, freeze tag, or parachute games. 
• Encourage children to work together to create their own games and activities.
• Include sensory experiences for children and consider bringing some of the examples that were shared in Lesson Three (Supporting Physical Development: Indoor Environments and Experiences) outside your classroom. Encourage children to use their senses outside by exploring the natural world around them; all it’s different colors, textures, shapes, sizes, and smells.
• Model enjoyment for physical activity outdoors by joining with children in play, running, dancing, games, and other activities.