Recent years has shown a rapid upward trend of a decline in students overall well-being and academic output in elementary education. Physical health is declining and students are more frequently being diagnosed with anxiety, depression, behavioural, and attention disorders. Children spend most of their developmental years in school and education plays a large role in cultivating child development and academic success. Traditional teaching frameworks largely focus on children’s academic output, often paying less attention to their developmental needs. Through my experiences as an elementary educator, I have witnessed the positive impacts of facilitating outdoor and playful learning experiences that focus on developmental needs and academic success for a more holistic learning approach. Outdoor and play-based education are powerful teaching pedagogies that enrich and provide a more meaningful learning experience that cultivates whole child development; physical and mental health, cognitive development, and social emotional learning (SEL). Being outdoors and using play as a learning tool provides students with whole body development, because they are exposed to fresh air, hands-on learning experiences, and creative thinking opportunities. My paper will advocate that outdoor and playbased education is an important method of curriculum delivery as students receive an enriched and holistic learning experience. For educators to support students personal and academic growth, we must advocate for the implementation of outdoor play-based education through exploring the benefits and practical applications.
