09/22/2026
And yes, playing outside applies to academic skills, too. Let us explain...
We can teach a preschooler to name a shape or recognize a sight word. But being able to repeat the right answer is a narrow measure of learning. It doesn’t tell us whether a child can focus, hold information in mind, adjust when a plan fails, communicate an idea, or keep trying through frustration.
Those abilities rely in part on executive functions: working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control. They help children make use of what they know, and they need practice in real situations.
That’s one reason outdoor play matters so much. Even on a regular school playground, children have space to run, climb, swing, build, and invent games. Their vestibular and proprioceptive systems process movement, balance, and body position while their brains plan actions and respond to what changes. A climbing route doesn’t come with an answer key. A game with friends rarely goes exactly as planned. Children have to pay attention, adapt, communicate, and try again.
They’re also using language and early math: counting turns, comparing distances, negotiating rules, and explaining their ideas. These skills are connected to something they’re actually doing.
Research links physical activity and motor skills with executive function and aspects of early learning. So when we take away outdoor play to fit in more worksheets, drills, and sitting still, we may be trading broad, repeated practice in the skills that support learning for more practice giving answers adults already know.
Preschoolers need time to use their brains and bodies together. So please, give them more time outside. They need it and they deserve it.
