The Importance of Outdoor Play and Sensory Processing

By SensorytOTspotSensory Out and About, Uncategorized

Several weeks ago we took our boys to Ellms Family Farm down the road from us.  This is a well known farm in our area that hosts tons and tons of kid and family friendly activities each fall.  The best part is that the majority of these activities are very well suited for children seeking sensory input.  The activities that they offer range from bike rides, climbing in mudpiles, digging in sand, to bouncing on bounce pads; and that doesn’t even begin to cover it all.  My kids love it so much, we make it an annual outing for our family every year.  While my two very energetic boys love all the active, movement based activities that they offer; I think the thing I like the most from this particular outing is the fact that it is all offered outdoors.  Unlike so many of the activities and events geared towards children are nowadays.

Obviously the time of year and weather conditions do dictate whether it is safe for our little one’s to be playing outside.  However, outdoor play is so important for their sensory needs and development.  Yet, the amount of outdoor play that our children are being offered and actually getting appears to be dwindling.  There are a lot of explanations for the amount of outdoor play decreasing including:

  1. Increased use of electronic devices throughout the day:  For a lot of children, when given the choice, will choose the tablet or television.  The blue light and stimulation from electronic devices has been proven to have addictive effects on the brain, meaning that when it is on children have a hard time turning it off, even if their body is craving more outdoor gross motor type of play for their sensory system.  In addition, I myself have a hard time letting go of my phone.  I feel “naked” with out it.  When children see their parents and other role models hooked on their phones they quickly learn that this is a sought after device and want a piece of the pie as well.
  2. Increased demands and educational standards placed on young children: With educational demands being pushed down into the preschool setting, we are now expecting our little one’s to sit still for the majority of their day engaging in seated work and circle time for more than their little bodies can tolerate.  Preschoolers are expected to learn so much just to prepare them for kindergarten and every grade following.  With all the information and curriculum being packed into each year of school, we have seen a decrease in the amount of free play and outdoor play allotted in classroom and day care settings.  I mean you can only do so much in a day.
  3. Children’s schedules are busier than ever before: I don’t know about you, but on work days it’s like a constant run to get everyone where they need to go from sun up to sun down.  It’s a rush to get home, get a decent dinner on the table, and get bath time and bedtime done; and it only starts all over the next day.  Even the days where we are home and don’t have to run seem to be packed with play groups and errands, it’s a constant bustle from one thing to the next.  Children are on the go more than ever before.  Between day care, school, and extra-curricular activities children are bouncing between one activity to the next.  Between all this commotion where are we supposed to fit in unstructured outdoor play?

So now that we know some of the causes of this drastic decrease in outdoor play in young children, the question is why is outdoor play so important and what does that have to do with our children’s sensory processing?

Outdoor play fosters movement and exploration in a natural setting.  It gets children outside where their surroundings are natural, subdued in color and lighting.  Going outside allows children a nice sensory break from all of the stimulation from bright colors, fast moving graphics of television screens and electronics, and artificial lighting that are in all of our homes.  And the best part is it’s almost impossible to become overloaded by sensory input from the natural environment.  I say almost because external factors can have an overwhelming effect on our little one’s.   Like if the outdoor environment is crowded and overrun with people, while this is not a direct result of the natural environment the external factor can impact our children’s sensory processing.

In addition, going outside and being in that natural environment encourages children to move freely in a variety of positions.  Children can run and jump freely without being told “no jumping on the furniture” or “no running in the house.”  We need to get back to the days where children spent hours a day playing outside without set rules or adult interference.  That’s not to say that we should not play with our children.  However, instead of us running the show and creating the rules and play schemes, we need to follow our child’s lead and let them explore their bodies, their sensory systems, and their imaginations.  Let your child play with sticks, jump in puddles, or make mud pies; and better yet, do it all alongside them.

I know what you’re thinking, my child does get gross motor play during all the soccer, baseball, swim, and gymnastics classes we attend.  While these classes have sensory benefits and do in fact get our little ones moving, which is an important piece of the sensory processing and regulation puzzle.  These classes are structured and adult directed in nature; they restrict children’s movement and exploration to only the movements and activities we want them to do.  There is something to be said about letting your child move freely and explore their environment and body without constant direction.  In addition, the majority of these classes are now offered indoors at YMCA’s and sports complexes out of convenience; this way you don’t have to worry about the weather or climate as much.  While these motor play groups have their sensory benefits and place in improving our little one’s sensory processing and development; we cannot discount the benefits of unstructured free play outdoors.

If you are still on the fence about how important getting little one’s into nature is; I am going to give you a simple example of an outdoor activity and compare it to an indoor sensory activity to show how important outdoor play is.  I want you to imagine taking your child to a secluded beach.  What’s in the environment and what does it feel like?  Think of the warm sand on your feet, the feel of wet sand as you approach the water, the deep pressure of the water as it hits your body.  Maybe the water is cold or maybe it’s warm like bathwater.  The warm sun is shining down on you.  You see and hear birds in the distance.  You hear the water move and waves crash.  The environment is open and natural; it’s free for you to run, jump, swim, or dig in the sand.  Maybe you will go swimming in the water, look for seashells, dig in the wet sand…. there are so many things for you to do.  Now I want you to picture a small sensory bin sitting on a child sized table inside.  The bin is filled with sensory sand and has small shovels and toys to dig and find.  The texture is limited to the sand only.  Furthermore, the activity is limited to digging and finding the small toys and this activity does not encourage movement of the whole body.  Outdoor sensory experiences are much more open ended and offer vast arrays of multi-sensory experiences utilizing not a single sense, but multiple.  This is why outdoor free play is so important.  As we know from sensory integration theory, when multiple senses are utilized together it creates more connections in the brain leading to improved sensory processing, regulation, and learning.

This is how young children learn, through their senses.  So, it makes sense to have them engage in activities that incorporate the maximum amount of senses at one time versus just one or two solitary senses.  Sensory bins and indoor sensory play tasks definitely have their benefits and place in the sensory processing realm, however, when given the choice of the two I highly recommend choosing an outdoor activity versus the latter.  Save those indoor activities for times when the weather is not cooperating.

I myself find it difficult as a busy working mom of three little ones to find time to get this outdoor play in, especially with a three month old.  However, this trip to Ellms Family Farm last month reiterated to me the importance of allowing my boys this time outdoors.  Their sensory systems were more than regulated and the smiles on their faces at the farm said it all.  They were having fun and being kids!  I myself need these gentle reminders to let the housework go and take them outside.  I mean they are only little once right?!  So here’s to making outdoor play an important part of our everyday routine regardless of how busy life may get or how much housework still needs to be done.  I’m going to choose jumping in puddles and making mudpies with my boys over chores.  Who’s with me?!

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