Contribution of Outdoor Play Activities to Infant and Toddler Development

Abstract

The natural environment has generally a structure to support all areas of development of children. It can be said that the interior spaces are deprived of naturalness and have less stimulation compared to outdoor spaces. Playgrounds outdoors have forms, textures, heights, and mobility in a natural or artificial landscape have the energy to encourage children to play and move. The first years of the early childhood period are of a vital importance in terms of all areas of development. Pedagogues or parents should provide the activities and environments that will enable the infants and toddlers to get pleasure out of life and that can create a learning skill and give new skills to the children at same time. Therefore, in this study, outdoor and outdoor play activities that will support the development areas of 0-36-month-old children will be discussed.