Providing challenging and authentic outdoor environments for toddlers and pre-schoolers

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Providing challenging and authentic outdoor environments for toddlers and pre-schoolers
The purpose of this essay is to enlighten the reader about the aspect of providing challenges and
diverse outdoor environment to the toddlers and pre-schoolers in order to groom them physically
as well as mentally. A child’s mind is developed only when he or she is opposed to various
diverse challenges in the environment. The challenges and events help them to increase their
thinking capabilities and find out the solution to various issues. Further, the below-mentioned
essay evaluates the approaches, beliefs and ideas that help in providing a challenging and
authentic outdoor environment for children. It also explains the research on risks that affect the
interest of the toddlers to attain physical development outcomes. Lastly, it evaluates the
justification of the value of risk while promoting physical skills, health and wellbeing for
children (Kepper, et. al., 2016). Further, it should be noted that no parent could develop the brain
and physical abilities of their children by keeping them involved in the internal activities only.
For the overall development of a child, it is important for them to provide them with challenging
outdoor activities as well. Further, more details about the essay are discussed below:
It is important to provide the opportunities of outdoor learning to all the toddlers so as to develop
their mind and body appropriately. Indoor activities can enhance the learning skills and catching
skills of a child but it cannot develop the physical abilities of a person. Outdoor activities help in
learning from the environment as it helps the toddlers in communicating with people, resolving
attitude related issues and exploring nature as well. With this type of activities, the toddlers get to
learn about nature and environment as well and gain knowledge about the field in which they are
best (True, et. al., 2017). Not all children have interest in indoor activities, some like to play
outdoor activities like baseball, cricket etc. This type of learning helps them in recognizing areas
of their interest. Further, this activity helps in the overall development of a child. Outdoor
activities develop the mind as well as the body of a toddler. Further, it also boosts up the
creativity of kids and opens them in the natural surrounding which stimulates the imagination.
Team building and personality development are the two other aspects that help in grooming
toddlers and increasing positivity in their behaviour (O'Sullivan, & Corcoran, 2016).

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(Source:
https://dimensionsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/youngchildrenauthenticplay.pdf )
Furthermore, talking about different approaches that can help educators to provide challenging
and authentic outdoor environments, it should be noted that there are various ways to initiate
such a process. As discussed in the above-mentioned stanzas that it is very important to help
toddlers play in the outdoor environment so there are many approaches and ideas that can ensure
that the same type of environment attributes are followed. Initially, the parents and school
management should develop the play areas at different height, levels and angles as well. This
process will ensure that the interest of children is maintained while playing in the outdoor event
(Harms, Clifford, & Cryer, 2014). Also, it should be noted that children love spaces that are
innovative, creative and interesting due to which different angles and tools will certainly gain the
interest of children while playing. Many kids play under the table or love climbing on the
bookshelves or stairs etc. as it certainly makes them involved in the creative activities. Toddlers
usually stack things on the top of the each other to create a height, there are many building
games are also made to develop the balancing capacity of the kids. There is as such no reason for
this type of activity, but the kids like assembling things and them destroying them and then re-
doing it again (Monti, et. al., 2017). This activity increases the balancing ability of the mind and

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provides the opportunity to identify various angles as well. Playing at heights will enhance the
complete development of the body of toddlers and reaching on height will require them to stretch
their body due to which their body parts will gain strength (Livingstone, 2010).
(Source:
https://dimensionsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/youngchildrenauthenticplay.pdf )
Further, this type of approach will reduce the vulnerability of toddlers toward diverse
environmental changes as well. Outdoor games will make the pre-schoolers to develop their
immune system according to the environmental conditions that will help them to grow without
attracting diseases. The toddlers need daily start their day at school with physical activities so as
to wake up their body along with their mind. Outdoor events will also help them to attain an
adequate amount of vitamin D through sunlight (Gray, et. al., 2015). The educators should also
record the ideas of the toddlers and then further help them to play such kind of activities and
teach them in similar ways. In this way, the toddlers will not get bored while learning at schools
as well. The children should be indulged in activities with kids of different age groups so that
they can effectively learn while playing (Bilton, Bento, & Dias, 2016). Providing a diverse,
challenging and authentic environment to children will help the parents to analyse the areas of
the interest of their kids, any physical disabilities, and it will help the incomplete development of