Nursery World - Lack of outdoor play in Year One limits children

A sharp decline in outdoor learning as children move from the Foundation Stage to Year One may reduce opportunities for them to develop their creativity and social skills, finds a new study.

The research, which highlights the importance of outdoor play and learning in helping children to make the transition from early years education to primary school, shows that opportunities for pupils to spend time outdoors decline sharply as they move into formal schooling.

A team of researchers from Plymouth University, the University of St Mark and St John (Plymouth) and the Institute of Education equipped 32 children in four foundation stage classes with digital audio recorders to record their play and conversations. They continued to follow 15 of the children into year one.

Two-thirds of the recordings took place outdoors while the children were in the EYFS, compared to one-third when the children were in year one.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included