Physical Literacy and the development of the Outdoor Classroom with Playground Markings

Develop your outdoor play areas to be used as additional aids for teaching

Recently the terms Physical Literacy and Outdoor Classroom have become buzzwords within government and educational departments, but what do they actually mean.

Physical literacy can be considered to be the ability of a child to use a range of basic movement skills in an organised and controlled manner, with the ability to apply them with confidence leading to sustained involvement in sport and physical activity.

These basic skills include skills hopping, jumping, climbing or catching at levels of agility, balance and coordination appropriate to their own personal ability. A child’s general movement confidence will develop as they become more competent in performing these skills.

The idea of using the Outdoor Classroom has evolved over the years with some European countries already including compulsory outdoor learning in all weathers, such as Germany.

Our aim at first4playgrounds is to work with schools to develop their outdoor play areas to be used as additional aids for teaching. Many schools design their playground to have a combination of Numeracy and Literacy markings as well as more active games such as the activity trail which encourages more physical involvement and hence helping to include the physical wellbeing of the child and reduce the risk of obesity. These playgrounds can be split into separate play areas for Key Stage 1 children and Key Stage 2 children or be a combination of both.