Tag: child development

The Benefits of Play for P7 Students

Currently there is a great deal of time and resources being spent on the development of play, especially at early and first levels here in Aberdeenshire. It is somewhat ironic that when I did my initial teacher training in the past century, play was the main driver of early years education, which in those days was 4 to 8 year olds. It lost favour when it was discovered that facilitating learning through play requires significant skill and planning, especially when balancing it with the explicit teaching of literacy and numeracy. Now teaching P7, I found myself with limited knowledge about the benefits of play for older students. With time constraints already restricting play opportunities in my classroom, I wanted to understand what the research actually says about play at this stage.

Children engaging in collaborative play outdoors, fostering social-emotional skills and creative problem-solving.

The research is clear: play remains vital for P7 students, even as they transition toward secondary education. At ages 10-11, my students are developing increasingly sophisticated cognitive abilities while still requiring opportunities for creative expression, social negotiation, and physical activity. Studies consistently show that play enhances executive function, problem-solving skills, and emotional regulation, all critical meta-skills within Curriculum for Excellence. In fact, play supports the development of abstract thinking and hypothetical reasoning that P7 learners need as they tackle more complex mathematical concepts, scientific inquiry, and nuanced literary analysis.

What particularly struck me in the research is how play strengthens social-emotional competencies like collaboration, conflict resolution, and empathy, skills that become increasingly important as peer relationships grow more sophisticated during this developmental stage (Zhao & Gibson, 2021). Physical play and movement also remain crucial, with active play increasing blood flow to the brain and improving concentration and memory consolidation (Donnelly et al., 2016). Given the pressures my P7 students face around transition to secondary school, play provides essential stress relief and helps maintain their intrinsic motivation for learning.

The Challenge: Curriculum Time Pressures

Despite these well-established benefits, finding time for play within the P7 curriculum presents significant challenges. The reality of preparing students for secondary school transition, meeting numeracy and literacy benchmarks, and covering the breadth of Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes leaves little room in the timetable for extended play opportunities. The pressure to ensure students are “secondary ready” can squeeze out the very activities that support their development as confident, capable learners.

Traditional classroom time is often dominated by structured lessons, assessment activities, and targeted interventions. While these are undoubtedly important, they don’t always provide the space children need for self-directed exploration, creative problem-solving, and social learning through play. The question becomes: how can we honour the developmental needs of P7 students while meeting curriculum demands?

Outdoor Education as a Solution

Outdoor education provides a powerful answer to this challenge. By dedicating one session per month to entirely free outdoor play, alongside regular outdoor learning opportunities, many of the benefits of play can be achieved without compromising curriculum coverage. In fact, outdoor education enhances rather than detracts from academic learning.

During outdoor free play sessions, students naturally engage in the kinds of activities that support executive function and social development. They negotiate rules for games, resolve conflicts, take managed risks, and exercise creative problem-solving, all without direct adult intervention. These sessions build resilience, independence, and collaborative skills that transfer directly into classroom learning.

Regular outdoor learning activities that blend curriculum content with exploratory, play-based approaches offer additional opportunities. Mathematical investigations conducted outside, scientific observations in natural settings, literacy activities inspired by the environment, and physical challenges all combine curricular outcomes with the developmental benefits of play. The outdoor context itself encourages different types of interaction, movement, and engagement than the classroom allows.

The physical benefits of outdoor play are particularly significant for P7 students. Running, climbing, building, and exploring provide the active movement their developing bodies need while also supporting cognitive function. The sensory richness of outdoor environments, varying terrain, weather conditions, natural materials, engages students in ways that indoor spaces cannot replicate.

Perhaps most importantly, outdoor education addresses the wellbeing needs of P7 learners during a potentially stressful year. Research with children aged 9-11 has found that exposure to the natural environment through outdoor learning plays a significant role in improving positive mental health and wellbeing, with particular benefits for stress reduction during the transition period (Marchant et al., 2019). Time outside, particularly in unstructured play, reduces anxiety and provides the emotional regulation support that formal curriculum time often cannot accommodate. Students return to classroom learning refreshed, more focused, and more motivated.

Woodland listening develops multiple meta-skills at once: self-awareness, emotional regulation, and mindfulness. This outdoor learning experience supports health and wellbeing while teaching children that wellbeing is an active practice, not just an abstract concept.

Achieving Play-Based Learning Goals Through Outdoor Education

By prioritising outdoor education, including dedicated free play sessions, I can achieve my goals for play-based learning without sacrificing essential curriculum time. The monthly outdoor free play sessions provide concentrated opportunities for self-directed play, social negotiation, and risk-taking that would be difficult to replicate in shorter classroom bursts. These extended sessions allow students to develop complex games, undertake ambitious projects, and engage in sustained collaborative activities.

Complementing these with regular outdoor learning sessions that weave play into curriculum delivery means students experience the benefits of play consistently throughout the year. A systematic review of 147 studies confirms significant support for the benefits of nature-specific outdoor learning, particularly for social and academic learning outcomes in primary aged students (Mygind et al., 2022). This approach acknowledges the reality of P7 curriculum demands while refusing to compromise on what children need developmentally. Outdoor education becomes not an addition to an already crowded timetable, but a strategic solution that serves multiple purposes simultaneously; delivering curriculum outcomes, supporting wellbeing, and providing the play experiences that research tells us are essential for this age group.

In this way, outdoor education allows me to balance the competing demands of P7 teaching, ensuring my students are both academically prepared for secondary school and developmentally supported through a crucial transition year.

References

American Academy of Pediatrics (2018). The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children. Pediatrics, 142(3), e20182058. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/3/e20182058/38649/

Donnelly, J.E., Hillman, C.H., Castelli, D., Etnier, J.L., Lee, S., Tomporowski, P., Lambourne, K., & Szabo-Reed, A.N. (2016). Physical Activity, Fitness, Cognitive Function, and Academic Achievement in Children: A Systematic Review. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 48(6), 1197-1222. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4874515/

Marchant, E., Todd, C., Cooksey, R., Dredge, S., Jones, H., Reynolds, D., Stratton, G., Dwyer, R., Lyons, R., & Brophy, S. (2019). Curriculum-based outdoor learning for children aged 9-11: A qualitative analysis of pupils’ and teachers’ views. PLOS ONE, 14(5), e0212242. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6544203/

Mygind, L., Kjeldsted, E., Hartmeyer, R.D., Mygind, E., Bølling, M., & Bentsen, P. (2022). Getting Out of the Classroom and Into Nature: A Systematic Review of Nature-Specific Outdoor Learning on School Children’s Learning and Development. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 877058. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.877058/full

Zhao, H., & Gibson, J.L. (2021). A Comprehensive Analysis of the Relationship between Play Performance and Psychosocial Problems in School-Aged Children. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(14), 7486. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9329709/

The Benefits of Unstructured Play in the Woods

The woods offer children something that no manufactured playground or structured activity can replicate: complete freedom to explore, discover, and create on their own terms. Without adult-directed activities or predetermined outcomes, woodland environments offer unique opportunities for development that cannot be replicated indoors or even in traditional playgrounds.

Misty Woodland Morning
Photo: R.Galloway

The forest provides an ever-changing landscape that challenges children’s brains in remarkable ways. As they navigate uneven terrain, climb trees, and balance on fallen logs, they develop crucial motor skills while strengthening neural pathways in the prefrontal cortex—the brain’s command center for planning and decision-making. This kind of play also engages the hippocampus, enhancing spatial navigation and memory formation. Research demonstrates that these activities help regulate emotional states by engaging lower brain regions sensitive to rhythm and movement.

One of woodland play’s greatest gifts is its invitation to take calculated risks. When a child decides whether to climb higher in a tree or cross a stream by stepping on rocks, they’re practicing risk assessment in a meaningful context. Studies show that children who engage in risky play develop better judgment not only for physical challenges but for other types of risks throughout life. This builds confidence and resilience—qualities that serve them well into adulthood.

The woods also excel at fostering creativity and problem-solving. Unlike manufactured toys with predetermined purposes, natural materials are wonderfully open-ended. A stick becomes a fishing rod, a wand, or a building material. Children must use imagination to transform their environment, and this kind of inventive thinking strengthens cognitive flexibility. When they encounter obstacles—a stream to cross, a fort to build—they must devise solutions independently, developing executive function skills that are essential for academic success and life management.

Social development flourishes in woodland settings in ways that structured environments cannot match. Forest play naturally encourages cooperation, as children work together to build shelters, create imaginary worlds, or navigate challenging terrain. When conflicts arise over game rules or resource sharing, children are motivated to resolve them independently because the play itself is so compelling. This teaches negotiation, empathy, and communication skills that form the foundation for healthy relationships.

The sensory richness of woodland environments engages children on multiple levels simultaneously. They hear birds calling, feel rough bark and soft moss, smell damp earth and pine needles, and observe the interplay of light through leaves. This multi-sensory stimulation sharpens awareness and helps children become more attuned to their surroundings. Research indicates that this connection to nature in childhood creates lasting benefits, including lower stress levels, improved mood, and a 55 percent reduction in the risk of psychiatric disorders later in life.

Perhaps most importantly, unstructured woodland play cultivates a deep relationship with the natural world. Children who spend time freely exploring forests develop an intrinsic appreciation for nature that typically endures into adulthood, making them more likely to become environmental stewards. In an era of climate change and biodiversity loss, raising a generation that values and protects the natural world may be woodland play’s most vital contribution of all.

Research Sources

This article draws on the following research and expert sources:

  • National Geographic (2025). “Letting kids run wild outside is surprisingly good for their brains” – Article on outdoor play and brain development featuring research from Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter (Queen Maud University College), Bridget Walsh (University of Nevada, Reno), and Louise Chawla (University of Colorado Boulder)
  • 2024 review of school-led green space programs showing improvements to students’ mood, activity, and peer connection
  • European longitudinal study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2019) linking early-life green space exposure to 55% lower risk of psychiatric disorders
  • 2018 study on declining outdoor play time in American children (Kamik Outside Free Play Survey)
  • Pellegrini, A. & Holmes, R. – Research on outdoor play breaks and attention to cognitive tasks
  • American Academy of Pediatrics (2018). “The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children” – Clinical report on play’s role in brain structure and executive function
  • Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development – Research on outdoor play’s influence on social and cognitive development
  • Medical News Today (2023) – Review of outdoor play benefits for children’s health and development