13/11/2025
On October 23 2025, DGASPC Harghita held the closing event of the Erasmus+ project Outdoor4MI – Outdoor Education for Pupils with Mobility Impairments in Kindergarten.
The event, hosted by the Șumuleu Ciuc Leisure and Vocational Training Center, brought together more than 40 ECEC teachers, psychologists, and professionals working in social sphare.
At the beginning of the event, Katalin Gál, head of the Directorate’s project department and host of the event, welcomed the participants and outlined the key moments of the program. This was followed by an opening address by General Director Zoltán Elekes, after which project assistant Ágota Biró–Szilágyi presented the project and the five short films created by the partners within the project framework.
During the multiplier event, Hajnalka Bene—ILF/ neurofeedback trainer, personal development specialist, and training expert—called attention to the harmful effects of early screen use.
“Early screen exposure slows speech development, prevents the development of social skills, and leads to attention difficulties. Excessive screen use can be particularly harmful because a young child’s nervous system is ‘programmed’ for real-life, multisensory experiences,” she explained. She added that excessive screen use may cause symptoms similar to autism, such as reduced eye contact, delays in speech and language, and social withdrawal. “The fast-changing images on screens can lead to sensation-seeking behavior, which in the long run hinders concentration, abstract thinking, and self-control. For a small child, excessive digital stimulation is comparable to encountering a drug: the constant need for visual stimulation can become overwhelming,” she warned. At the same time, she highlighted the enormous role of movement in child development, emphasizing that the question today is not whether children will learn to use smart devices—because that can be mastered in an hour—but whether they are able to put the device down, pay attention, move, and thereby naturally develop emotional regulation.
As part of the project’s closing event, Zsuzsa Tósa–Tankó, ECEC teacher representing the local project partner, Napocska Kindergarten, presented the institution’s guidelines and the results achieved within the Outdoor4MI project. She illustrated the colourful and engaging activities implemented at the kindergarten with photos, reflecting how much the children enjoy outdoor programs. Her presentation offered several ideas that can be realized with relatively little investment, providing inspiration for the attending early childhood educators.
The multiplier event concluded with comments from several participants, confirming the great importance of the topic and the need for continued work in this field.
OUTDOOR4MI is an innovative Erasmus+ project that supports outdoor learning in kindergartens through collaborative partnerships. The project runs from November 1, 2023 to October 31, 2025.
Project Coordinator:
CO&SO – CONSORZIO PER LA COOPERAZIONE E LA SOLIDARIETÀ – CONSORZIO DI COOPERATIVE SOCIALI – SOCIETÀ COOPERATIVA SOCIALE (Italy)
Partners:
Municipio de Lousada – Portugal
European University Cyprus, a higher education institution experienced in developing educational models and applying multimodal and IT-based approaches
Asociación Mundial de Educadores Infantiles (AMEI–WAECE), Spain
Newark School, Malta
Spazio Aperto Servizi Società Cooperativa Sociale, Italy
DGASPC Harghita, Romania
