Encouraging Outdoor Sports for Children
Getting children interested in outdoor activities might seem like the simplest thing to do, but it is not as easy as it sounds. With physical education or P.E. as part of the school curriculum, making sport appeal to children is not as automatic as playing in the outdoors.
The fact that so many children like to ‘bunk off’ for this part of the school timetable is a worry to say the least. The best way to encourage this is to help introduce nature and to make things a little bit more fun.
Children of all ages can learn a great deal from making connections with the outside world. This means exploring their surroundings and using what they learn to help them in other parts of the learning cycle. By combining nature with exercise, children will not only learn about science and the environment, they will learn problem solving and team building skills too.
Primary School Age Children Outside
Younger children tend to have a shorter attention span and providing a list of outdoor activities that utilise this, is essential to holding their interest. So, if you are planning an outdoor walk it will have to bear other factors in mind, such as toileting needs, meal times and the weather. If you are planning a walk then make it short and use the elements of nature to keep the children occupied. For example making a nature trail or treasure hunt for different elements in nature; will make the exercise seem like a fun trip. Younger children also need to be supervised by an adult too.
Other fun ways to disguise exercise is to play hide and seek or blind man’s bluff; even trying to camouflage yourself against the environment will make the walking activities seem like a game. Adding excitement and interest to the outdoors can work if there is a trip to a nature park or farm, where the animals can provide that interest. Remember to supervise at all times, so safety is a key point to remember.
What They Learn
- How to name favourite plants and animals.
- Learn about the environment, such as habitats and ecosystems.
- Learn about changes in the environment and how it affects people.
- Learn about the basic skills for surviving outdoors.
- Understanding how to read maps.
Middle School Age Children Outside
Older children like to form groups, because they are at the stage where they have established good bonds of friendship. To get the best results of older children means getting them involved in team building exercises. That means performing team based games or sports activities will work really well.
Due to the higher energy levels that older children possess, the type of activity undertaken should be a little more strenuous. Such examples include cross country cycling, running, orienteering and role playing. If you establish a game that incorporates nature, you can play a more advanced version of hide and seek in which children role play. They can pretend to be a different creature in the food chain and use this to learn about ecology and the environment.
What They Learn
- How to identify why living organisms have to adapt to their environment.
- How to distinguish between different ecosystems.
- Learn how to use tools such as compasses and maps.
- Learn how to identify different organisms
High School Age Children Outside
At this age children tend to be highly independent and as such their activities are tailored towards that. This also means that they need less supervision than the younger children. Due to the more dangerous nature of the activities that they can get involved in, there still needs to be an adult present. They can also spend a lot more time outside too.
The kinds of activities that they can undertake range from swimming, rock climbing, canoeing and more. To bring the environmental learning into the equation, try setting a troubleshooting task. This might involve taking a particular problematic environment and identifying the issues to be addressed.
What They Learn
- Learn how to lead other children in outdoor activities.
- An understanding of aquatic situations.
- How to identify different environmental problems and find solutions.
