Benefits

What’s outstanding about the outdoor preschool model is how many benefits it brings to children. We believe that all families should be able to choose this option for their children.

Physical Health Benefits

  • Promotes physical activity, reduces sedentary behaviors, and improves overall cardiorespiratory fitness

  • Supports gross and fine motor development, muscle and bone health, and spatial awareness and coordination

  • Strengthens immune systems by exposing children to microorganisms in a critical period of their development

  • Improves eye health

  • Predicts lifelong engagement in physical activity

  • Reduces risk of transmission of communicable diseases

Mental Health Benefits

  • Reduces stress, anxiety, and depression in children 

  • Improves self-confidence, self-worth, autonomy, self-resilience, strength, coordination, focus, problem-solving, and teamwork skills 

  • For children with ADHD, walks in nature can improve focus comparatively to ADHD medication

Learning & Developmental Benefits

  • Supports all developmental learning domains

  • Supports creativity and problem-solving skills

  • Enhances cognitives skills and higher executive functioning

  • Improves academic performance

How does outdoor preschool support learning?

Although there is strong evidence that outdoor programs support academic outcomes in children, we are still uncovering the mechanisms of how, exactly, it does that. A comprehensive literature review strongly supports the following mechanisms: 

Outdoor environments are:

  • Calmer, quieter, and safer

  • More cooperative

  • Encourages autonomy and creative play

Outdoor environments support early learners by:

  • Increasing focus and rejuvenating attention

  • Boosting self-discipline

  • Increasing motivation, enjoyment, and engagement