wild about play blog

The evidence is in: Smartphones are too addictive and are hindering our children’s brain development even in small quantities. As a society we must seize this moment. Please say yes to free play, and no to smartphones.  5 KEY POINTS OF NOTE As parents of an almost...

There is no end to the literature on play and how this contributes to child and adult well being. However new science reveals regular play is an essential child activity laying the foundations for self-regulation and thriving later in life. Here are 3 things to think...

Struggling to go and play outdoors in this cold weather? Here are 3 things to think about that will get you running into the outdoors with your family. It’s all about building that wonderful quality we call RESILIENCE.   Here are three reasons why its growth is...

Got a 2-year-old who is ready for nursery/preschool? Then you’ll know how difficult it can be to choose between the different offerings from small local school provisions to independent forest schools, Montessori and hybrid models. Here are 7 tips to help you make your choice.

With studies showing the struggles that both schools and parents have faced during the past year of teaching from home in lockdown, is it about time we look to other methods of learning – such as outdoors learning – to ensure that our children are safe and engaged at all times? We look into this, and the advantages of outdoor learning, in this week’s blog.

In a new series of interviews, we’ll be speaking with our team members about outdoor play and it’s importance in the role of education. First up, we grilled our Setting Manager and outdoor learning master, Marlon Gibbins, about what drew him to outdoor learning and how we can bring it to our homes.

The choices between structured activities and unstructured play are oftentimes a cause of stress for parents. Many dismiss unstructured play as not being as profitable for their child’s development as participating in a sport or team activity. How else can children develop social skills, learn to understand and follow set rules or make friends? Surely “just” playing can’t be nearly as beneficial?

We’ve spoken often about the physical, social and cognitive benefits that outdoor play gives our children, such as in our previous blog about cold weather play. Discussion surrounding the mental benefits such as self-esteem and confidence are sometimes overlooked in favour of those previously listed impacts. And with the “acute crisis” the BBC have reported on recently, it is more important than ever to address how we can support our children.

We’re sure everyone has heard the age-old saying of “wrap up warm or you’ll get a cold!” when heading outside. It may even be something that you still tell your children before they go outdoors in the cold winter months. Whilst it’s true that going outside in winter underprepared is ill-advised, cold weather play actually gets a bad rap.