Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning.

Outdoor play is important for children for many reasons. A 2022 study states that it is associated with healthy development. A 2021 study describes some of its advantages. Outdoor play is often:

• open-ended, allowing children to decide for themselves how to explore
• unstructured, giving children more possibilities for play and imagination
• less predictable than home or school, encouraging children to problem-solve
• in natural environments, involving exposure to plants, animals, and sunshine

These characteristics make outdoor play uniquely beneficial in comparison to indoor structured play. However, despite these benefits, outdoor play has declined significantly in Western countries over the past few decades.

Less outdoor play has links to:

• a more sedentary lifestyle
• disconnection from the natural world
• lower ability to navigate unfamiliar environments or deal with risk

Children can learn many skills while playing outdoors. For example:

• Physical abilities: Outdoor play allows children to learn physical skills that may be difficult to practice at home. This could include jumping, climbing, cycling, skating, or team sports.
• Autonomy: As outdoor play typically has less structure than indoor activities, children can direct their own activities, which encourages independence and decision-making.
• Creativity: In less familiar environments than the home or school, children have to think creatively about playing. For example, when using new play equipment or climbing a tree, they need to think about how to use it. They may use their imagination to invent games that make use of the space.
• Cooperation: When playing with others, children can also learn cooperation. For example, they may have to work together to decide which games to play or how to share the space.
• Knowledge: Being in a natural environment can teach children more about the world.
• Risk management: Although caregivers want to protect their children from all risks, it is important that they learn how to navigate minor risks, as this teaches them how to handle different situations and increases confidence.

Outdoor play can improve children’s physical strength. Physical activity can also help with maintaining a moderate weight and reduce the risk of developing weight-related health conditions, including

• type 2 diabetes
• high blood pressure
• heart disease
• cancer

Spending time outdoors may help lower stress and mental fatigue. This is because, while urban environments demand direct attention that can be tiring, being in nature can induce “soft fascination,” which is a type of unfocused attention that some scientists believe can restore mental energy.

Outdoor play can be more beneficial to children than indoor play because it provides multi-sensory stimulation and requires children to be more dynamic, using their physical, cognitive, and social skills all at once.

In contrast, indoor play tends to have fewer elements, takes place in a smaller environment, and may have more rules limiting what children can or cannot do. The home is also more familiar and can stop being as challenging to children as they grow up.

A 2018 study found that preschool children from five different child care centers who played outdoors were more active outdoors than indoors.