‘Play in all its rich variety is one of the highest achievements of the human species, alongside language, culture and technology. Indeed, without play, none of these other achievements would be possible. The value of play is increasingly recognised, by researchers and within the policy arena, for adults as well as children, as the evidence
mounts of its relationship with intellectual achievement and emotional well-being’. (David Whitebread)
Around a decade ago, I began my career as an outdoor educator. This journey, which has profoundly shaped my life, did not start in a forest school, outdoor adventure/education centre or any other more formal educational setting, but rather as a Park Ranger at a Haven holiday camp on the East Coast of Yorkshire.
As a child, like many of my generation, I had the freedom to play outdoors relatively unrestrained—whether in green spaces or more urban areas within my locality. I always felt drawn to the outdoors, and this natural affinity led me to pursue a career working with people in natural environments.
Over time, this work evolved into something deeper. My understanding of outdoor education has grown to focus on fostering meaningful connections between young people and nature, the land, and each other through a variety of activities and nature-based initiatives.
Looking back, since the moment I took on that initial role, countless experiences have shaped my appreciation for the vital importance of play in connecting people to the natural world.
There are numerous ways to connect people of all ages and backgrounds to nature, and a growing body of evidence and research supports these approaches. Among them, one of the most effective and universal methods is play. In this discussion, I aim to illustrate the power of play in fostering connections to nature, drawing on both academic research and my own first hand experiences.
My career has been shaped by helping groups experience nature through play. My understanding of its role in my work began when I started facilitating nature-based initiatives for groups visiting the holiday camp I worked at situated near the beautiful Reighton Sands. I didn’t come into this field through an academic route but instead learned through hands-on experience.
Initially, I was handed a set of structured activity plans to run in wild coastal spaces. With no prior experience, I followed these plans in a formulaic, linear way. But something quickly became clear: every person and family who joined my sessions wanted to engage with nature on their own terms. They wanted to explore, play, and experiment in ways that felt personal and meaningful to them.
For instance, what was meant to be a structured nature trail—with predefined areas and landmarks to observe and explore—often evolved into something entirely different. While I always stayed within the boundaries of the risk assessments, I allowed the groups the freedom to roam off the prescribed path. What unfolded was magical. By giving them permission to engage with the environment at their own pace, the sessions transformed from leader-led to group-led.
I initially felt a pang of guilt—after all, I wasn’t sticking rigidly to the plan. But the results spoke for themselves. Families, many of whom had saved for these holidays and travelled from urban areas like Halifax, Bradford, and Leeds, found immense value in these unstructured moments of play and exploration. Parents and grandparents, who had grown up freely playing outdoors, seemed to come alive as they rediscovered the joy of engaging with nature alongside their children. It became apparent, long before I read any academic resources, that providing space for people to explore, experiment, and immerse themselves in the natural environment created beautiful, meaningful moments.
This shift also deepened my own learning. As groups ventured into nature, they often discovered things I couldn’t identify. This pushed me to expand my knowledge, enabling me to facilitate even richer experiences over time. Through these "light bulb" moments, I realised that rigid structures didn’t align with how I wanted to connect participants to the natural world. Instead, embracing flexibility and fostering curiosity proved far more effective in creating lasting, impactful experiences.
Activities such as nature trails, bushcraft, fossil hunting, minibeast hunts, and pond dipping—originally designed as educational exercises—gradually evolved into play-based, group led experiences. This transformation was inspired early in my career by a parent whose children attended a city based forest school in Sheffield, who introduced me to the concept of play-based learning and its numerous benefits. She explained how a less structured, more
exploratory approach could deepen engagement and foster curiosity.
Over six years, I ran these sessions up to five times a day, gaining invaluable experience in working with groups but particularly young people in outdoor settings. Through this work, I saw firsthand how play could transform a simple activity into an enriching, immersive experience, fostering not just learning but a profound connection to nature.
My time in this role at Haven laid a strong foundation for my current position at Rewilding Youth, where I work as a Youth Environment Education Worker. In this role, I engage with children, young people, families, educators, and communities across Hull and East Riding, helping them access, connect to, and engage with the land, natural environment, and the green and blue spaces around them.
Over the past three years, I have worked in diverse landscapes and with a wide variety of groups. This experience has taken me on a journey to deepen my practice and understanding of how to foster meaningful connections between people and the natural world. Time and again, I have found that play is central to this process.
I frequently emphasise the importance of play outdoors, but the benefits of play extend far beyond the natural world. Whether in green spaces, blue spaces, or other environments, play proves to be a powerful tool for encouraging engagement and nurturing creativity and connection. Its versatility and impact continue to shape my work and guide my approach to environmental education.
But, recognising the importance of play is not new: over two millennia ago, Plato extolled its virtues as a means of developing skills for adult life, and ideas about play-based learning have been developing since the 19th century’. Many of the young people we work with face challenges in maintaining focus for various reasons. For these groups, offering permission to play and experiment, rather than adhering to a rigid agenda or structure, has been crucial. This flexible approach keeps individuals engaged, encourages creativity, and helps them stay on task, ultimately allowing them to gain the most from learning new skills and knowledge. Children who perceive an activity as play are more focused, attentive, motivated and show signs of higher well-being while on-task (Howard & McInnes, 2013; Sawyer, 2017). This suggests that perceiving an activity as play creates active engagement and joy, which leads to children being in the appropriate cognitive and emotional state to remain on-task and process information. This increased level of engagement, and the dopamine chemical reward system activated through joyful experience, is likely to underpin the efficacy of learning through play in all contexts and types of playful activity. But in addition to this, various studies show how social interaction, meaning and iteration can also be important factors in children’s learning. Gray (2009), in a review of anthropological studies of extant hunter-gatherer societies, reported the unfettered, playful lives of children in these cultural groups, the context in which humans evolved over tens of thousands of years until the very recent evolutionary past (c.10-12,000 BC).
He argued that humans have evolved to learn through playful behaviour.
Through both research and experience, it is clear that approaching education through the lens of play fosters higher levels of joy and active engagement. Key findings highlight the benefits of play in learning:
Cognitive Development: Play helps children to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and memory skills. Through play, children are able to explore the world around them, experiment with cause and effect, and build a foundation for more complex learning.
Social Skills: Play encourages social interactions, teaching children essential social skills such as communication, cooperation, sharing, and empathy. Engaging with others in play helps them learn to navigate social dynamics and resolve conflicts.
Emotional Development: Play is also a space where children can explore emotions and develop self-regulation. It provides a safe environment for them to express their feelings, build confidence, and manage frustration.
Creativity and Imagination: The role of play in fostering creativity. When children engage in imaginative play, they can explore new ideas, roles, and scenarios, which supports creative thinking and the ability to adapt to new situations.
Physical Development: Physical play, such as running, climbing, and engaging in sports, contributes to children’s motor development, coordination, and overall health. It also helps them develop an understanding of their bodies and spatial awareness.
Learning through Play: One key assertion is that play is a natural and highly effective learning tool. Research shows that playful activities allow children to learn concepts, languages, and skills in a more engaging and enjoyable way than traditional instructional methods.
This evidence underscores the transformative potential of integrating play into educational practices.
With this, I hope anyone reading this feels inspired to follow a similar path in outdoor/environmental education and gains a deeper appreciation for the importance of play. For those who work with children, young people, adults, or families, I encourage you to integrate play into your methods of engagement, education, and practice. Play is a powerful, simple, and transformative tool—so let’s embrace it. Let’s PLAY!
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