All elementary school children benefit from spending time outside. Whether the child is wrapped up in solitary observations or taking part in group or team activities, getting outside makes them healthier, happier, and better equipped for the life ahead of them. The natural world even assists in teaching math, language, and a stronger vocabulary.
Physical Activity
Running, jumping, climbing, and throwing are important physical skills that are improved with practice. Active outdoor time allows Montessori elementary school students to flex muscles, improve coordination, and promote the development of critical thinking skills, math concepts, and more in the process. To provide a single example, throwing a ball requires strength, dexterity, and the ability to calculate distance, wind speed, and other factors subconsciously.
Healthy Exercise
Exercise does more than build stronger bones and muscles. Exercise promotes a healthy body, including things like a healthy heart rate, maintaining acceptable blood pressure, and improved lung function. Exercise is good for the whole body, and children who do not get enough exercise struggle with the potential of many types of maladies that include diabetes, obesity, and susceptibility to allergens. Aerobic exercise has been proven to benefit blood flow, but it also causes endorphins to be released into the bloodstream which promotes a better mood and improves mental focus.
Social Interaction
Playing together is great for muscular development, but it is also a critical part of developing strong social skills that will have a permanent effect on children as they get older. Learning to share, working as a team, and negotiating are all social skills that take place during active outdoor activities, and all three are necessary for the development of leadership skills.Creative Discovery
An open field or a clump of trees are both sources of a wealth of nature-based educational opportunities. Learning to plant vegetables, collecting ripe fruit, and learning what types of insects are found in different biomes use the natural world for scientific instruction, and these activities help children learn to develop the bounty and complexity of nature as they learn. Maria Montessori recognized that children learn readily from nature, and outdoor activities have been a vital part of the Montessori Method since its original conception.It is true that children should take part in a wide range of outdoor activities, but getting aside and doing anything at all is a good place to start. There is no limit to the number of ways that children can apply outdoor time, and every one of them provides benefits that positively affect the body, the mind, their attitude, and how well they can interact with others.
