The Power of Outdoor Play and Play in Natural Environments

Kemple, Kristen M.; Jihyun, Oh; Kenney, Elizabeth; Smith-Bonahue, Tina M.

doi:10.1080/00094056.2016.1251793

Cited by 93 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Nature exposure can also reduce stress during early childhood in comparison to the ones that did not have much access to similar outside stimuli ( Wells and Evans, 2003 ). Children highly exposed to nature also present great health and physical development (development and refinement of locomotor skills, for example), improved self-control (reduces inappropriate in-class behaviors), better communication and social development (more complex language), besides proper cognitive development (multi-sensorial stimuli that raise curiosity and creativity) ( Kemple et al, 2016 ).…”

Section: Brain Plasticitymentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 pandemic impact on children and adolescents' mental health: Biological, environmental, and social factors

Figueiredo

Sandre

Portugal

et al. 2021

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry

501

299

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Section: Brain Plasticitymentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 pandemic impact on children and adolescents' mental health: Biological, environmental, and social factors

Figueiredo

Sandre

Portugal

et al. 2021

Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry

501

299

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“…Recent research indicates that, over recent decades, children are left with less opportunities for free play, especially outdoors (e.g., [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]). Children’s spend more time indoor in sedentary activities, and less time in outdoor play and vigorous physical activity [ 11 ]. Similarly, research on outdoor play indicate that children rarely get opportunities to learn and master risk on their own account [ 9 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between Children’s Risky Play and ECEC Outdoor Play Spaces and Materials

Sandseter

Sando

Kleppe

2021

IJERPH

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Children spend a large amount of time each day in early childhood education and care (ECEC) institutions, and the ECEC play environments are important for children’s play opportunities. This includes children’s opportunities to engage in risky play. This study examined the relationship between the outdoor play environment and the occurrence of children’s risky play in ECEC institutions. Children (n = 80) were observed in two-minute sequences during periods of the day when they were free to choose what to do. The data consists of 935 randomly recorded two-minute videos, which were coded second by second for several categories of risky play as well as where and with what materials the play occurred. Results revealed that risky play (all categories in total) was positively associated with fixed equipment for functional play, nature and other fixed structures, while analysis of play materials showed that risky play was positively associated with wheeled toys. The results can support practitioners in developing their outdoor areas to provide varied and exciting play opportunities.

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“…Thus, promoting physical activity becomes an important strategy to prevent early onset of childhood overweight and obesity. Besides weight control, regular physical activity, especially outdoor play, can also help to promote children’s physical health as well as self-regulation, cognitive, and socio-emotional capacities [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Understanding the factors associated with young children’s physical activity can inform the development of early interventions to increase physical activity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mothers’ Perceived Neighbourhood Environment and Outdoor Play of 2- to 3.5-Year-Old Children: Findings from the Healthy Beginnings Trial

Wen

Hardy

et al. 2017

IJERPH

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Background: This study aims to investigate whether mothers’ perceived neighbourhood environment is associated with outdoor playtime of 2- to 3.5-year-old children. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted using data from the Healthy Beginnings Trial (HBT). Data on children’s outdoor playtime and mothers’ perceived neighbourhood environment were collected through face-to-face interviews with mothers when their children were 2 and 3.5 years old. Walk score was obtained from a publicly available website and population density data were obtained from Australian Census data. Multiple logistic regression models were built to investigate these associations. Results: A total of 497 and 415 mother-child dyads were retained at 2 years and 3.5 years. After adjusting for intervention group allocation and other confounding factors, at 2 years, mothers’ perceptions that ‘the neighbourhood is a good place to bring up children’, ‘it is safe to play outside during the day’, and ‘there are good parks or playgrounds in neighbourhood’ were positively associated with children’s outdoor playtime. At 3.5 years, living in a free-standing house was associated with more children’s outdoor playtime. Conclusions: Children may benefit from living in a neighbourhood that supports active lifestyle. Improving social and physical environments in neighbourhoods could be an important strategy for improving young children’s physical activity.

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The Power of Outdoor Play and Play in Natural Environments

Cited by 93 publications

References 30 publications

COVID-19 pandemic impact on children and adolescents' mental health: Biological, environmental, and social factors

COVID-19 pandemic impact on children and adolescents' mental health: Biological, environmental, and social factors

Associations between Children’s Risky Play and ECEC Outdoor Play Spaces and Materials

Mothers’ Perceived Neighbourhood Environment and Outdoor Play of 2- to 3.5-Year-Old Children: Findings from the Healthy Beginnings Trial

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