Discover the Top Benefits Of An Early Outdoor Education

All primary and secondary schools in Australia must adhere to the national curriculum. This doesn’t necessarily provide much wriggle room to indulge in additional activities.

Yet, research shows that children learn best through play. This suggests that children should have more freedom, specifically to enjoy the outdoors.

Fortunately, early learning facilities, such as this great center for early learning Chatsworth, don’t have to adhere to the national curriculum. They can offer your child an early outdoor education experience.

What Is Outdoor Education? 

Put simply it’s the opportunity for children to do things in nature. This encourages them to understand nature and respect the natural world.

Children can learn through playing with sand or mud. They can develop map reading skills by understanding how charts show where you are and where you want to be. The principles are the same even if the map reading is much simplified.

The Benefits of Early Outdoor Education. 

There are several benefits worth noting for your children.

• Appreciation for the environment

Playing outdoors encourages children to learn about the environment they are in. This is a great opportunity for them to learn the importance of the environment to human life on Earth. By understanding this at an early age they will choose actions based on what is best for themselves and the planet. 

In effect, you’re encouraging the next generation to save the planet.  

• Independence

Undertaking outdoor activities encourages your child to become more independent and rely on the skills and knowledge they are developing. They may seem young but it’s surprising how capable small children can be, with the right guidance.

Gaining independence will help them to build their own confidence and be ready to tackle an array of situations when they are older.

• Survival skills

It’s even possible to teach children basic survival skills when they are in early outdoor education. While you hope that they will never need to use them, they will have the skills if they ever need them. This could make a critical difference in certain situations.

Don’t forget, they don’t need to be lost in the wilderness to know how to survive, just finding their way back to you in a busy mall is a great achievement. 

• Fun!

Outdoor education is fun. It’s never too early to remind children that education and life need to be fun. Embracing the fun of outdoor education will help them to be emotionally and physically ready for anything in life. While children don’t generally think of the shortness of life, it is important that they adopt a fun attitude and try to maintain it through life.

Outdoor education needs to work alongside traditional education. This ensures that your child gets the best of both worlds and should be a well-rounded individual.

Of course, developing confidence in themselves and their abilities will also help them to deal with issues as they go through school. That’s a survival skill worth learning in itself!