Outdoor play is more than a break from the classroom. Research shows that regular time outdoors supports children’s physical development, including strength, balance, coordination, bone health, endurance, and vision.
Decades of developmental science show that regular time outdoors supports children’s physical development in ways indoor environments cannot, supporting:
- strength
- coordination
- vision
- endurance
- long-term health
These benefits are not accidental. Uneven terrain, natural materials, open space, and sustained movement invite children to move differently, adapt constantly, and engage their whole bodies in meaningful ways. When children learn outdoors, physical development is not a separate goal. It is woven naturally into how they explore, play, and grow.
The following research highlights why outdoor learning is not optional for healthy development. It is foundational.
Outdoor learning is often framed as enrichment. The research tells a different story.
1. Gross Motor Strength, Balance, and Coordination
Children who spend significant time outdoors consistently demonstrate stronger gross motor skills than peers in primarily indoor settings.
Why nature matters
Natural environments are dynamic and unpredictable. Uneven terrain, slopes, tree roots, rocks, and fallen branches require children to make constant postural adjustments. Climbing, lifting, carrying, balancing, and navigating space strengthen core muscles, joint stability, and whole-body coordination.
Unlike fixed playground equipment or indoor movement activities, outdoor movement is self-directed and varied. Children are not repeating the same motions. They are adapting in real time, which is exactly how motor systems develop.
Research support
Systematic review evidence suggests nature-based ECE is positively associated with reduced sedentary time and improved balance, with mixed but often positive links to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and other motor outcomes.
Outdoor time in childcare is a reliable driver of more active minutes and less sitting, which directly supports gross motor strength and coordination through daily repetition of whole-body movement.
Key sources
– Journal of Physical Activity and Health
– Early Childhood Research Quarterly (via systematic review coverage of nature-based ECE evidence)
– Preventive Medicine (childcare, outdoor play, and MVPA meta-analysis context)
Study citations
Johnstone, A. et al. Nature-based early childhood education and children’s physical activity and motor competence, systematic review.
Truelove, S. et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis on physical activity and sedentary time during outdoor play periods in childcare.
2. Bone Density and Musculoskeletal Development
Weight-bearing activity during early childhood is essential for healthy skeletal development.
Why outdoor environments support this
Outdoor play naturally includes running, jumping, climbing, squatting, and lifting. Irregular surfaces create varied impact forces that stimulate bone loading more effectively than flat indoor floors.
Early childhood is a critical window for skeletal growth. The movements children choose outdoors support this process in developmentally appropriate ways.
Research support
Reviews of bone development consistently identify rapid, higher-magnitude, weight-bearing loads (like jumping) as especially effective for improving bone mineralization in children.
School-based and child-focused exercise interventions show measurable improvements in bone outcomes when impact style activities are included.
Key sources
– Frontiers in Endocrinology (early childhood physical activity and bone)
– Sports Medicine Open (early-childhood interventions for bone outcomes)
– British Journal of Sports Medicine (school-based activity and bone mineralisation evidence base)
Study citations
Gunter, K. and colleagues, review on osteogenic effects of activity in children, highlighting jumping and rapid loading.
Rico-González, M. et al. Review of early-childhood-based interventions influencing bone outcomes, including jumping.
3. Cardiovascular Health and Physical Endurance
Children move more when they are outside. This is one of the most consistent findings across child health research.
What the research shows
Outdoor environments increase both the duration and intensity of movement. Children engage in sustained physical activity for longer periods and require less adult prompting to stay active.
Research support
Meta-analysis evidence indicates outdoor play periods in childcare are associated with more MVPA and less sedentary time, which are core drivers of cardiovascular conditioning in early childhood.
Nature-based ECE evidence syntheses generally support outdoor time as a meaningful lever for increasing daily movement, even when results vary by setting design and measurement method.
Key sources
– Preventive Medicine (childcare, outdoor play and MVPA meta-analysis)
– Journal of Physical Activity and Health (nature-based ECE evidence synthesis)
Study citations
Truelove, S. et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis on outdoor play periods and activity intensity in childcare.
Johnstone, A. et al. Systematic review on nature-based ECE and physical activity.
4. Fine Motor Development Through Natural Materials
Fine motor development is not limited to pencils and scissors.
Nature-based fine motor work includes
- Handling sticks, stones, leaves, pinecones, and tools
- Digging, tying, building, weaving, and drawing in dirt or snow
- Managing clothing layers, zippers, snaps, and outdoor gear
These tasks require precision, strength, coordination, and bilateral control.
Research support
Studies on natural playscapes show that when environments shift from traditional playground equipment to more natural features, children’s play becomes more varied and includes more constructive and exploratory behaviors.
Research on loose parts play supports its role in enriching open-ended manipulation and construction, which increases opportunities for hand skill practice through play.
Key sources
– Children, Youth and Environments (natural playscape installation study)
– Peer-reviewed loose parts play literature and reviews housed in open-access medical databases, plus early childhood outdoor play affordance research
Kuh, L. et al. The impact of a natural playscape installation on young children’s play behaviors (shift from traditional to natural features).
Cankaya, O. et al. Review synthesis on loose parts play, emphasizing open-ended manipulation and constructive play pathways.
Loebach, J. et al. Nature-rich outdoor play spaces and the diversity and quality of play affordances.
5. Vision Development and Reduced Risk of Myopia
This is one of the most robust and widely cited findings in child health research.
What the research actually says
Increased outdoor time is associated with a significantly lower incidence of childhood myopia, or nearsightedness. Protective factors include exposure to natural light and frequent opportunities for distance viewing.
Research support
A school-based randomized trial found that adding outdoor time at school reduced myopia incidence over the follow-up period.
Large cohort research and newer wearable-measured exposure studies continue to support outdoor exposure as a meaningful protective factor for myopia onset.
Key sources
– JAMA and JAMA Network Open
– Ophthalmology and vision science journals (myopia prevention and outdoor time research base)
He, M. et al. JAMA trial on increased outdoor time at school and reduced myopia incidence.
Lingham, G. et al. Cohort evidence estimating reduced myopia risk with increased outdoor time.
Chen, J. et al. Wearable-measured outdoor exposure and myopia-related outcomes.
6. Injury Resillience and Body Awareness
Contrary to common assumptions, outdoor play does not increase injury risk when environments are thoughtfully designed.
What research shows
Children who regularly navigate natural environments develop stronger proprioception, or body awareness. They learn balance, risk assessment, and safe movement through experience rather than restriction.
Research support
A major systematic review on risky outdoor play found meaningful benefits for physical activity, social health, and risk competence, while also outlining how injury risk is shaped by supervision and environment design.
Forest school and outdoor learning scholarship highlights that risk is inherent but can be managed, and that learning to navigate risk supports competence rather than recklessness.
Key sources
– International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health or equivalent public health outlets covering risky play reviews
– Outdoor learning and forest school research literature
Study Citations
Brussoni, M. et al. Systematic review on the relationship between risky outdoor play and health outcomes in children.
Harper, N. J. Review and synthesis on forest and nature school, risk, and development.
7. Immune System Support Through Movement and Exposure
Outdoor learning supports physical resilience and immune regulation, not by “boosting” immunity in a simplistic way, but by supporting the systems that help the body respond appropriately to its environment.
What the research shows
Regular physical activity in childhood is associated with improved immune regulation and reduced chronic inflammation. Movement supports circulation of immune cells and helps regulate stress hormones that can suppress immune function when elevated long-term.
In addition, exposure to diverse outdoor environments has been linked to healthier microbial diversity in and on the body. Early microbial exposure plays a role in immune system training, helping the body distinguish between harmful and harmless stimuli.
Why outdoor environments matter
Outdoor play exposes children to a broader range of natural microbes found in soil, plants, and air
Natural settings reduce chronic stress, which supports immune balance
Physical activity outdoors supports overall physiological resilience
Research support
• Pediatric health research shows that regular physical activity supports immune function and reduces markers of systemic inflammation in children
• Environmental health studies link exposure to biodiverse outdoor environments with increased microbiome diversity, which is associated with healthier immune regulation
• Longitudinal research supports the “biodiversity hypothesis,” which suggests that reduced contact with natural environments may contribute to rising rates of immune-mediated conditions in children
Key sources
– Frontiers in Immunology
– Pediatrics
– Science Advances
– Environmental Health Perspectives
Rook, G. A. W. (2013). Regulation of the immune system by biodiversity from the natural environment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Haahtela et al. (2015). The biodiversity hypothesis and immune regulation. Allergy
Fyhrquist et al. (2014). Acinetobacter species in the skin microbiota protect against allergic sensitization.Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Walsh et al. (2011). Physical activity and immune function in children. Pediatrics
Outdoor learning vs. learning with nature
Outdoor learning:
This is primarily about location.
Learning happens outside rather than indoors
Often focuses on physical activity, fresh air, space, and exposure
Can look very similar to indoor learning, just moved outdoors
Nature may be the backdrop, not an active participant
Examples:
Doing circle time on a lawn
Worksheets or teacher-led lessons taken outside
Structured activities that could happen anywhere
Outdoor learning is valuable, but it can still be adult-directed and content-driven.
learning with nature:
This is relational and philosophical, not just spatial.
Nature is treated as an active collaborator, not scenery
The environment shapes the curriculum
Children respond to real conditions, seasons, materials, and change
Learning emerges from interaction, observation, and inquiry
Examples:
Investigating ice because it froze overnight
Changing plans due to wind, rain, mud, or animal tracks
Using sticks, stones, soil, and water as primary learning materials
This is where Reggio thinking lives.
In Reggio philosophy, the environment is the third teacher. That principle changes everything.
While our programs integrate the outdoors, it goes beyond outdoor learning. Children are not simply learning outside. They are learning with nature. The natural world shapes the curriculum, invites inquiry, and acts as a partner in the learning process.
