4 Reasons Why Our Childcare Centres Promote Outdoor Play, Even During Winter

Youngacademics, 21 Jun 2021

As Sydney’s winter weather is settling in, it sure is warmer to stay indoors, however, at our childcare centres, we encourage children to play outdoors when suited, as long as they are adequately dressed. Educators at our centres ensure that each child is appropriately dressed and warm before allowing them to play outdoors. Outdoor play during winter, spring, summer and autumn is extremely beneficial to children and should not be undervalued.

4 reasons why our childcare centres in Sydney promote outdoor play during winter

  1. Helps children understand more about nature and the world

    Most children explore plants, trees and nature at large during spring and summer, however, exposure to winter, allows children to fully comprehend the ecosystem. As the world around us changes during winter, children should be able to see exactly what that means for their environment. Falling leaves, wet grass and dried up flowers are all a part of helping them to comprehend the changes that their world goes through.

    Though they may learn about these changes at our centres as well, seeing these seasonal differences allows them to become active learners.

  2. Promotes physical development

    Maintaining physical activity throughout winter is incredibly important for keeping children on a steady path of development. Physical development is important for children because it helps build a healthier body composition, stronger bones, and muscles; it also improves the child's cardiovascular fitness and their development of motor skills and concentration ability. During winter, it is important to keep this up for children so that they develop at a consistent pace.

    Though our Young Academics centres have incredible indoor play resources, the benefits of outdoor play are just as vital. Interacting with natural elements as well as acquiring vitamin D are just two of the many benefits that children gain from playing outdoors during winter.

  3. Improves social development

    Winter presents new challenges for children outdoors as they battle with cold weather, morning dew and rain. With the emergence of new variables in a rainy/cold environment, they now have to collaborate and problem-solve with peers on how to navigate their surroundings and make it work for their structured and unstructured group play and activities.

    At Young Academics, our educators ensure that your children safely play outdoors during winter. Through structured and unstructured group activities, we encourage children to interact with each other which helps to maintain a consistent stream of social development benefits.

  4. Promotes emotional wellbeing

    Outdoor activities can also promote emotional health benefits, such as self-confidence, and the ability to assess risks. By encouraging outdoor play, children learn to identify hazards such as slippery surfaces, and adjust their behaviour to ensure their safety.

How do our childcare centres prepare children for outdoor play during winter?

A fair question that many parents have for our educators is what steps we take to ensure that their children are safe when they play outdoors during the winter seasons. At all of our Young Academics centres, every educator follows the guidelines below:

  • Ensure that every child is dressed appropriately for the weather.
  • Ask every child if they are comfortable playing outdoors on that day.
  • Constantly supervise children while they are playing outdoors.
  • Monitor the weather every day. If it starts to rain, we do not allow the children to play outdoors.

While our Young Academics educators want children to enjoy playing outdoors so that they can enjoy all of the benefits that come with it, we also understand that their safety is a priority. These guidelines were developed to allow every child to enjoy a safe but fun experience outdoors.

We hope that this article provided insight into how our educators harness the benefits of outdoor play during winter while also keeping your children safe. Our educators are committed to your children’s best interest.

If you have any questions for our Young Academics team, do not hesitate to contact us.

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