Play in natural outdoor spaces as a context for learning and language development

Natural settings are gaining increasing recognition as important learning environments because of the associated benefits such as health, fitness, and environmentalism. However, this is under theorised as a context for language development. The three concepts of play, language and natural outdoor environments are intertwined. Through play, children adapt to and shape their environments, while the context influences the nature of their play, and their talk. Nature based outdoor environments are dynamic settings, providing multiple clues and meanings for new words to be learnt within that context. Different environments offer different opportunities and influence on language development. Multi-sensory experiences in natural settings help children to develop the theories necessary for constant intellectual growth, through stimulating imaginations and affording an ideal environment for resourcefulness, inventiveness, and language development. Both in the literature and in my experience, the benefits of play, relative to other strategies, is that children can be more focused, imaginative and innovative which allows for further practice, and to play with newly developing language. When learning a language and playing in the outdoors, children are learning much more than words. They are learning about life itself and how their world works.