Forest Childcare Association

Forest Childcare is about giving small children the opportunity to spend time in the great outdoors on a regular basis. Outdoor play and outings contribute to learning and health, and most importantly help children grow to appreciate the natural environment.

We are in an ideal position to provide weekly outdoor outings, whether these are simple trips to the park, duck pond, and urban green spaces, or planned trips to our local ‘wild’ areas like woods and nature reserves. They can offer the children they look after the positive outdoor experiences that they may otherwise miss out on.

Children do not live in a risk-free world, and it is one of the principles of Forest Childcare that children should be encouraged to learn to take some risks for themselves. This means that while there is a risk that the toddler will slip over in that muddy puddle and hit his head on a tree root, as a Forest Childcare Provider we aim for them to take that risk.

We have signed up to the five principles set out below.

The Five Principles of Forest Childcare

1. The Forest Childcare Provider takes the children to an outdoor environment normally once a week.

2. Forest Childcare outings are made as safe as is reasonably possible by the childcare provider while encouraging children to learn to take their own risks.

3. Forest Childcare outings are taken all year long, so children go outside whatever the weather.

4. The Forest Childcare Provider offers a mixture of planned and child-led play activities to the children.

5. The Forest Childcare Provider is first aid certified.

The Outcomes of Forest Childcare

There are lots of positive outcomes that can be achieved for children by Forest Childcare outings, and these are directly linked to all areas of the EYFS. These benefits range from the health benefits of running around in the great outdoors, to improvements in emotional wellbeing, as well as learning an appreciation for the environment that they will carry with them into adulthood. Don’t forget that most of these benefits also apply to you!

Forest Childcare can help to:

• Teach children to appreciate trees, fields, ponds and woods by spending time in the natural environment

• Improve emotional and physical wellbeing of children and the adults who look after them

• Improve children’s concentration, perseverance, cooperation and motivation skills

• Help children to stay fit and counter obesity because children move around naturally outdoors while they play

• Get fresh air and vitamin D from the sunshine

• Let off steam

• Access the therapeutic and stress-relieving effects of viewing natural scenes

• Improve children’s social skills and language (older children helping younger ones, or cooperating to help each other to drag a piece of wood)

• Provide opportunities for developing harmonious relationships with others, through negotiation, taking turns and cooperation

• Improve physical skills, build muscles and opportunities to practice running and balancing

• Build knowledge and understanding of the world

• Stretch their imaginations, inventiveness and resourcefulness

• Encourage children to take sensible risks