The staff at Kimberly Park Elementary School desires that all children have the opportunity to play! Outdoor play strengthens our bodies and minds and builds self-esteem and confidence, and fosters empathy to grow socially and emotionally stronger.  It teaches us how to communicate and solve problems and develop the skills we need through life. It allows us to experience the awe and wonder of nature. Play is how we learn and grow.  Outdoor play is vital to being human. 

Children need to remain active throughout the day. Outdoor play allows children to get fresh air and explore their environment more. Hands-on learning, the natural environment, and loose parts in the outdoors stimulate children’s senses through what they hear, touch, see, and feel.  Outdoor play allows children to recharge actively and reinvigorate themselves to learning tasks more successfully while utilizing their social and emotional learning skills and specifically incorporating those during playground time.  

Effectively used, outdoor play can be a catalyst or stimulus for classroom activities, such as discussing social and emotional learning skills learned on the playground. Outdoor play allows us to connect with nature.  Outdoor play is so essential, the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights declares it “a right of every child.”​