Stepping outside is not just for the school day, we want to make going outdoors a way of life for children and their families. It’s a total mindset adjustment for many people, we are used to coming home from school or work and getting cosy on the sofa. We plan evenings around the telly, games consoles and homework, done inside in most cases. Most, but not all, after school activities for children bring them back inside too. So, how do we change that and make going outside a daily norm for us all?
Schools can help
Teachers and schools can help to make going outdoors a way of life for their pupils in a few ways.
- Instil a culture of outdoor learning and play at your school. Make it normal to head outside for curricular activities, PE and give children as much time to play outside as possible. Set them up to succeed in the outdoors with spare warm layers and rainwear.
- Set homework that takes them outside to explore and discover. Ask them to take photo evidence of their outdoor adventures. Many schools include wellness work in their homework schedules, take this outside too. Things like a weekend mindfulness walk or nature spotting activity go a long way to get pupils and their families outside.
- Walk to School Week is a helpful event to get cars off the road and get people moving, but can you take that one step further? Can you incentivise pupils to walk or cycle all year and have a class competition to see how many car journeys they can save. And those who need to arrive by car can still help by parking a street further away and walking the last stretch. It still gets them moving and limits emissions near the school entrance.
Role model healthy attitudes
It’s easy to complain about the weather or temperature and it’s firmly ingrained in our British culture to do so! However, words carry great weight and we start to believe our own weather mantra, as do the children around us. And before you know it, none of us want to go out and limit our time outdoors.
If we can watch our language and approach the weather with a positive attitude we can stop being our own worst enemy to reap the benefits of outdoor time. We can also encourage more children to get out more often and enjoy themselves. Children tend to care less about the weather and are happy to go out, so long as they have enough layers to be comfortable. If we get them into a positive mindset around going outside now, it lays the foundation for lifelong, healthy outdoor habits.
It helps to kickstart this mentality now before the cold of winter shows its face. You will feel better for getting out, move more and feel more connected to the natural world – all good things!
Ask yourself why
Ask yourself what is really stopping you and/or the children in your life making the outdoors a way of life?
Is it having enough time on a busy day? Is it access to safe places to play and learn? Is it a dislike of being cold or wet? Does health or mobility make going outside difficult? Is it culturally uncommon in your community and you’re not sure where to start? Is it a lack of suitable clothing and footwear? Is it the draw of the indoors and the lure of a screen?
All of these reasons could be a part of what keeps people inside instead of spending regular time outdoors. Some of them are really strong reasons and make getting outside to explore especially challenging, such as safety. These issues may need larger interventions and support from schools, local authorities and community members.
And some of them simply require a brave step outside with a positive attitude and good intentions. So take that walk, explore that park or have that cuppa in the garden and then find ways to support your local community with outdoor access. The more time we all spend outside the better!