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In the dynamic world of early childhood development, the role of outdoor play equipment in nurturing the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) 7 Areas of Learning and Development is both fascinating and crucial. This comprehensive guide delves into the profound impact that well-designed outdoor play environments have on young children's growth, specifically focusing on the prime areas: Communication and Language, Physical Development, and Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Literacy, Maths, Understanding the World, and Art and Design
The statutory framework for early years foundation stage recognises the importance of communication and the development of spoken language in children as crucial to all seven areas of focus. The verbal interactions of very young children ‘form the foundations for language and cognitive development’.
Frequent conversations with peers throughout the day play a large part in this growth. Engaging them actively in stories and then ‘providing them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts will give children the opportunity to thrive’. As a result, they become comfortable ‘using a rich range of vocabulary and language structures…through conversation, story-telling and role-play, where children share their ideas’.
How Outdoor Play Equipment Helps Children Develop Communication And Language Skills
‘Playing outdoors is the natural setting for children to practice their communication skills’, says Creative Play’s Tim Broster, ‘being away from the classroom allows them to employ all they have learned in a practical way. When they are playing together outdoors the possibilities for communication and language are endless’.
‘At one end of the spectrum are the more obvious pieces of equipment that can help, such as the talk tube panel, which encourages children to engage with one another vocally across a short distance. There are plenty of other apparatus, however, which on the surface appear less focused on developing language skills, but in fact contribute to the advancement of communication in much greater depth’.
‘Several children sat in a sandpit will often talk to each other about what they are doing. Messy play tables necessitate a need for children to ask for items to be passed over to them. Water chutes frequently encourage cooperation. Climbing areas or steps regularly lead to children discussing inclusive strategies’, explains the Outdoor Play Expert.
‘Then there’s the centrepieces such as castles and pirate ships’ says Tim, ‘which bond children into teamwork via role-playing, encouraging them to adopt the language of lives very different from anything they will have experienced first-hand, wiring their brains for creativity and problem-solving skills required for attending school’.
Outcome: As expected by the end of the EYFS, as set out by the ELG criteria, outdoor play equipment will help contribute the following to communication and language development:
A crucial part of a child’s development highlighted by the statutory framework is physical activity, ‘enabling them to pursue happy, healthy and active lives’.
Early childhood is when gross and fine motor skills emerge, ‘starting with sensory explorations and the development of a child’s strength, coordination and positional awareness through tummy time, crawling and play movement… Gross motor skills provide the foundation for developing healthy bodies and social and emotional well-being. Fine motor control and precision help with hand-eye coordination, which is later linked to early literacy’.
The creation of games and scheduling plenty of outdoor activity is a great way for providers to ‘support children to develop their core strength, stability, balance, spatial awareness, coordination and agility’ which allows children to ‘develop proficiency, control and confidence’.
How Outdoor Play Equipment Aids The Physical Development Of Children
‘New experiences mean putting different muscles to work, ones which have likely never been used before by small children’, points out Outdoor Play Expert Tim, ‘for many of them this is their first exposure to play, so we need to accommodate that timid approach they are making towards trying something new’.
‘Just imagine what it’s like for a young child walking a balance board for the first time. The fear, risk, and challenge followed by belief and confidence. As amazing as it is for developing strength and agility, it’s as much a psychological journey as it is a physical one’.
‘Of course outdoor play equipment that encourages a lot of physical activity is great for combating obesity, but the physical benefits go way beyond that’, continues Tim, ‘we really need to help develop those gross and fine motor skills’.
‘Playing with rope, for example, not only aids in developing hand-eye coordination, but the very act of using their hands in this way for the first time helps prepare them for ‘pinching’ a pencil, which is something they will need to be ready for when they begin school. The same goes for leg muscles, they need to get regular exercise so that they’ll one day be able to start learning to ride a bicycle’.
‘There are some children who need help getting used to using stairs, which is another one of those skills EYFS requires providers to prepare them for before attending school. The developmental benefits of playing on an entire adventure trail a couple of times a day truly are incredible!’
Outcome: As expected by the end of the EYFS, as set out by the ELG criteria, outdoor play equipment will help contribute the following to physical development:
Amongst the many other requirements for healthy personal, social and emotional developments outlined by the Early Years Foundation Stage framework is the need for interaction with other children to ‘learn how to make good friendships, co-operate and resolve conflicts peaceably’, which are essential attributes for providing ‘a secure platform from which children can achieve at school and in later life’.
How Outdoor Play Equipment Helps Children With Their Personal, Social And Emotional Development
‘Unfortunately, there are some children that have very little interaction with others their own age outside of a learning environment’, says Outdoor Play Expert Tim, ‘so encouraging them to engage with others is vital to the development of their emotional, psychological and social abilities. Role-playing is not only one of the more popular activities of early years children when outdoors, but by its’ very nature encourages communication among peers’.
‘One of the best enablers of role-play are shop fronts, which lead children into assuming real-world roles and engage others with purpose. By pretending to be a shopkeeper and performing tasks for customers, children begin to appreciate the value of doing things for others. It may sound simple, but by queuing when playing the part of a customer they can learn patience and the merit of waiting their turn’.
‘But well-rounded personal, social and emotional development requires much more than role-play alone’, admits Tim, ‘growing a healthy confidence for interacting with the world and their peers is paramount to overcoming behavioural issues that can result from feeling like an outsider or less able than others at activities’.
‘Early years foundation stage is, somewhat literally, when many children take their first steps into a larger world. They need to be challenged, tested and made to face, overcome and eventually embrace new experiences. That’s how progress is made, and confidence achieved’.
‘While virtually all outdoor play equipment offers a challenge the first time they are encountered, items that involve height seem to offer a particular psychological trial. A log bridge or zig-zag beams may only be a foot and a half off the ground, but the first time a child attempts a crossing is likely one of the most awe-inspiring encounters of their life so far’ proffers Tim.
‘In fact, the first ten or so times they do this can make for a thrilling experience until they start to master it and gain the confidence to do so without considering it a major hazard. As a result, a child can achieve a sense of independence via resilience and perseverance’.
Outcome: As expected by the end of the EYFS, as set out by the ELG criteria, outdoor play equipment will help contribute the following to personal, social and emotional development:
The EYFS framework explains that although language comprehension starts at birth, skilled word reading, which involves ‘both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words’ is a skill that grows a little later during the preschool period. As a result, there is an onus on providers to help develop children’s literacy skills and cultivate a life-long love of reading.
How Children Develop Literacy Skills With The Assistance Of Outdoor Play Equipment
‘Aside from the wonderful versatility offered by chalkboards, one of the primary choices of outdoor play apparatus when it comes to literacy for the under-fives should be a phonics panel’, offers Creative Play’s Tim, ‘which exposes children to letters every time they enter the play area’.
But there are other pieces of outdoor equipment that have a tremendous, less obvious influence too. ‘Play town panels such as a fire station, garage, post office or a doctor’s surgery allow children to role-play and use all the words they have been hearing and reading in class. Putting what they have learned into practice during playtime, a time they don’t consider to be about learning, really thrusts their comprehension and use of language to another level’ says Tim.
He highlights that ‘it is important children get the opportunity to speak with one another in this way, as sadly not all youngsters have the chance to practice talking with others their age outside of an educational facility’.
Outcome: As expected by the end of the EYFS, as set out by the ELG criteria, outdoor play equipment will help contribute the following to literacy development:
Far from the confines of scribbling in a textbook surrounded by four walls, the EYFS framework acknowledges that mathematics is also about children developing their ‘spatial reasoning skills across all areas of mathematics including shape, space and measures’, highlighting that ‘it is important that children develop positive attitudes and interests in mathematics, look for patterns and relationships, spot connections… and ‘have a go’… and not be afraid to make mistakes’.
How Outdoor Play Equipment Helps Children Develop Mathematics Skills
‘Some colourful floor markings can be an amazing asset for early years children to develop their maths skills,’ says Tim, ‘Snakes and Ladders is a favourite as it encourages the use of a dice – children learn to recognise numbers, count out their steps, understand rules, and even work in teams, all while simultaneously being physically active’.
‘The visual impact is really great’, continues the Creative Play specialist, ‘but the fact that the colours are so appealing to children merely gets them interested in the activities,’ he says, ‘the true power of the colourful, aesthetically appealing markings and equipment go much deeper than being eye candy, they are actually a tool to aid learning by making numbers and letters more memorable to children’.
Other outdoor equipment that can aid in the development of mathematics abilities in early years children include various activity playboards, play town panels (particularly shop fronts such as the café, market, train station and, of course, the bank), and chalkboards.
Outcome: As expected by the end of the EYFS, as set out by the ELG criteria, outdoor play equipment will help contribute the following to mathematics development:
‘Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community’ says the EYFS framework, ‘the frequency and range of children’s personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them’. We should therefore do all we can to foster an understanding of broad sections of society and roles that often stand out to children such as nurses, police officers and firefighters.
Any activity that helps them understand the diversity of the world culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically also ‘extends their familiarity with words that support understanding across domains’, which aids in broadening their vocabulary for future reading development.
How Outdoor Play Equipment Assists Children With Understanding The World
‘There’s a broad range of play activities that can help children understand the world around them’ says Tim, ‘something as simple as weaving posts can show a child how they can physically change their environment, helping them grasp some rudimentary concept of construction and that what they do influences their surroundings’.
‘Of course there are also the various shop and services play boards which allow them to understand their community and roles within it. Opportunities for role-play have a big part in this portion of their learning. Playing on a ship, pretending to be a part of a pirate crew, doesn’t just offer up fun fantasy, it provides openings for teamwork and peer interaction in which they get to flex their burgeoning ideas of diplomacy, negotiation and instructing others’.
‘A squirrel feeder maze, compost wormery and bug hotels, along with planters can safely expose children to the natural world up close. This can be a magical experience for many children, as not all of them will have the chance to see these sorts of things in their home life’.
‘Something else that a few children might not be getting much experience of is road safety. Many children are driven to school and don’t find themselves facing pedestrian road etiquette until they are older. By including play town traffic lights and signs, floor-painted zebra crossings and motor car play panels, early years children can get their first notions of how roads work, and how to safely cross them’.
Outcome: As expected by the end of the EYFS, as set out by the ELG criteria, outdoor play equipment will help contribute the following to understanding the world:
An awareness and involvement in arts and culture plays a large role in sparking imagination and creativity. According to the EYFS framework, ‘it is important that children have regular opportunities to engage with the arts, enabling them to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. The quality and variety of what children see, hear and participate in is crucial for developing their understanding, self-expression, vocabulary and ability to communicate through the arts’.
They continue, ‘the frequency, repetition and depth of their experiences are fundamental to their progress in interpreting and appreciating what they hear, respond to and observe’.
‘Some of the best items for introducing children to the arts are musical panels’ enthuses Outdoor Play Expert Tim, ‘drums, xylophone, bells, and chimes are all great entry points for early years children as their tactile aspect helps make the connection in their heads that touching things can aid in expressing themselves’.
‘As a result, by the time they reach school and are introduced to musical instruments the concept isn’t alien to them’, continues Tim, ‘there’s an embedded confidence for using items to make sounds and a general enthusiasm for tackling new situations without fear’.
‘Of course, when it comes to making touchy-feely connections with art and expression, we would be remiss not to mention paint boards and chalkboards, which offer fantastic opportunities for realizing ideas into the world’.
‘It is also important not to overlook less tangible assets’, he advises, ‘offering children a small outdoor stage affords them the chance to stand up in front of their peers and express themselves both physically and verbally’.
‘Even if they are only mimicking what they have seen elsewhere, being on a stage adds the extra dimension of ‘performance’ to their understanding of interactions, the idea that communication is not limited to being a dry, functional necessity used solely for getting through the day’.
Outcome: As expected by the end of the EYFS, as set out by the ELG criteria, outdoor play equipment will help contribute the following to expressive art and design development:
In conclusion, outdoor play equipment plays a pivotal role in the holistic development of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The integration of such equipment into the daily activities of young learners is not merely a provision for physical play but a strategic approach to support their comprehensive growth across the EYFS’s seven areas of learning and development.
Through thoughtfully designed and engaging outdoor play settings, children are given invaluable opportunities to enhance their communication and language skills. They learn to articulate thoughts, engage in meaningful conversations, and develop a rich vocabulary – all of which are fundamental to their cognitive development and future academic success.
The physical development fostered by outdoor play is equally critical. It extends beyond mere physical fitness to encompass the development of fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and a sense of spatial awareness. These skills lay the groundwork for academic pursuits, particularly in areas like writing and mathematics, and foster a lifelong appreciation for an active lifestyle.
Perhaps most importantly, the social, emotional, and personal development facilitated by these environments is profound. Outdoor play encourages children to interact, collaborate, and empathise with their peers. It allows them to experience both the joys of friendship and the challenges of conflict resolution, fostering resilience, confidence, and emotional intelligence. These are skills that will serve them not just in their school years but throughout their lives.
In essence, the contribution of outdoor play equipment to the EYFS framework is significant and multifaceted. It nurtures a child’s growth in a natural, engaging, and dynamic environment, laying a solid foundation for future learning and personal development. As children explore, play, and learn in these thoughtfully designed outdoor spaces, they are not just having fun – they are building the skills, confidence, and understanding they need to thrive in school and beyond.
