It is increasingly recognised that playing and being outdoors are very important for children. The combination of natural daylight and fresh outdoor air helps children concentrate better in the classroom.
Jantje Beton and IVN Natuureducatie have been working together on Healthy Schoolyards since 2013 and have organised the National Outdoor Learning Day annually in April since 2016. With this day, they aim to encourage teachers to take children outside more often. In total, more than 2,400 primary schools took part in the 2018 National Outdoor Learning Day.
In recent years, research has been conducted among teachers to gain insight into their opportunities and needs regarding providing more outdoor lessons, as well as the learning outcomes they expect from them. The appreciation of outdoor lessons and their perceived added value for the children themselves had not yet been mapped. The report ‘Students’ appreciation of and perceived added value of outdoor lessons’ does so. The research was conducted by ResCon on behalf of Jantje Beton and IVN Natuureducatie.
The aim of this research was to gain insight into children’s experience of outdoor lessons and the perceived added value compared with traditional education. The research results will be shared with teachers, school boards and, by extension, policymakers, to provide them with insight into how children experience outdoor lessons. They can use the results when choosing, implementing and promoting outdoor lessons in primary schools.
According to the report, the importance and added value of outdoor lessons lie in:
- Children participate more actively
- A welcome change
- More collaboration
- More enthusiasm
- Better connection with the teaching material
Read the full report here.
You can find an infographic with the main results here.