Surprising benefits of bush kindergarten

Kids who play and learn outdoors reap these surprising skills and benefits — but the program isn’t offered at many kinders.

Kinder kids who play outside in the bush or at the beach are more likely to perform better in maths, science and technology when they start school.

A new study by Deakin University has found that four- and five-year-olds who attended “bush kinder” – where they learn in parks, paddocks or in the sand – developed betters skills in these areas than peers who stay inside.

Girls had the biggest improvement in these subjects when iPads and gendered toys were replaced with nature, the researchers discovered.

The study, which looked at children attending weekly bush kinder for a year, found kids aged between four and five were more confident and likely to ask questions.

Study co-author from Deakin’s School of Education Chris Speldewinde said girls learned the most science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills.

He said this was because kids didn’t gravitate towards traditional “boy” toys such as trucks and sandpits, or “girls’” preferences, including dolls or pretend cooking.

“Unstructured, outdoor play allows girls and boys to put away their dolls and stuffed toys and interact creatively with the environment around them to learn crucial STEM fundamentals,” he said.

Bush kinder gets kids to be reliant on sticks and rocks for imaginary play. Picture: Alex Coppel

“For girls in particular, it takes away associations of gendered play and gets kids to be reliant on sticks and rocks for imaginary play.

Mr Speldewinde said it would improve academic performance in STEM subjects, including design and food technology, mathematics and science, because more girls would take an interest in them.

The shift to outdoor learning mirrors an international trend, with “forest schools” having been a popular part of early childhood education in Europe since the 1950s.

Mr Speldewinde called for the weekly program to be adopted more widely.

Only 150 Victorian kindergartens implement it into their weekly curriculum.

Department of Education guidelines for bush kindergartens require boundaries around the site and making sure children are kept away from large bodies of water.

Natalie Cross, who runs Bush Kindergarten in Glen Eira, said she had seen gender stereotypes disappear when kids played outdoors.

“You would typically see boys playing in STEM areas and often the boys will dominate inquiry sessions, whereas in an outdoor setting, everybody has the chance to participate,” she said.