Taking children out of the classroom for some outdoor education can offer a number of benefits. These benefits include improved concentration, a boost in confidence, and improved behavior.
Active, kinesthetic learning
Whether you are an educator or a parent, active, kinesthetic learning can help your child develop life skills. Studies have shown that students who do hands-on activities or engage in games tend to learn better and retain information more effectively.
Kinesthetic learning benefits the whole student by promoting independent education, encouraging students to work for themselves, and providing an opportunity to practice new skills. It can also help develop positive social interactions and communication skills.
If you are a teacher, you can take advantage of your students’ kinesthetic learning style by incorporating physical engagement into your lessons. For example, clapping can be used to teach multiplication tables. You can also use physical games to teach math concepts.
Incorporating physical engagement into your lessons will also help increase productivity. You can get your students moving around the office, which will improve their focus and concentration.
Improved concentration
Getting out of the classroom and onto the school grounds can offer a plethora of mental health benefits. Among other things, spending time outdoors can reduce stress, improve concentration, and boost productivity. It also helps to reduce the number of time kids spend staring at screens. Having an outdoor education program in place can also help reduce costs associated with classroom technology.
As for the best way to go about getting outdoors, there are many options. The best way to go about it is to implement a clear and well-defined plan. You can use your time outdoors to learn more about yourself and the world around you. Getting outdoors is also a great way to connect with others. It’s also a great way to exercise your mind and body.
Improved behavior
Despite the positive outcomes associated with outdoor education, the effects of nature-specific outdoor learning on well-being have not been fully studied. This review aims to synthesize the international evidence of nature-specific outdoor learning and its benefits to school-aged children. It identifies the outcomes of such knowledge and assesses the quality of the research.
The included studies indicate that nature-based outdoor learning has positive impacts on social and psychological development, as well as on physical activity. In addition, some evidence suggests that learning in natural outdoor settings can lead to academic improvement. However, these results need to be replicated across different age groups and environments to be fully substantiated.
Research designs included randomized controlled trials, noncontrolled pseudo-experiments, and mixed methods. The overall quality of the research was medium. Only English-language, peer-reviewed studies were screened.
Build confidence in actions and abilities
Among the numerous benefits of outdoor education is the ability to enhance confidence. In fact, research has shown that a natural environment can improve alertness and involuntary attention while providing a more holistic and well-rounded experience.
The question of the day is, how can local authorities take the next step and promote confidence? Aside from providing a suitable training program and a structured peer support structure, they may consider introducing an incentive scheme to motivate staff and encourage pupils to get outside and experience the great outdoors.
For starters, there are numerous outdoor programs and initiatives that demonstrate the wide-ranging benefits of this ‘green’ activity. These include Outward Bound and Deep Springs, which offer a variety of experiential and adventure-based activities that teach life skills such as leadership, communication, and teamwork.
Long-term benefits
Several studies have shown that learning in nature has positive long-term benefits on academic, social, and psychological development. These include positive effects on self-concept, social skills, self-regulation, motivation, and engagement. However, the research on the mental health benefits of outdoor learning is limited.
This review aims to clarify the types of outcomes measured and the duration and contexts of outdoor education programs. A total of 147 studies were included. These studies met the study design criteria (e.g., curricular lessons in the local outdoors).
The majority of studies were conducted in the United Kingdom and North America. Most studies involved secondary students. The research had a moderate to high quality. This included an average research quality rating of 5.28. Qualitative studies were also evaluated. However, fewer studies used mixed-method design.