Some effects of unstructured outdoor plays on a child: A case study from New Zealand

Abstract

Outdoor education is one of the popular subjects in education recently and used synonymously with different concepts such as adventure education, nature education, museum education, recreation education or experiential education. It is also considered as complementary of mainstream education and a rich learning environment by the researchers. The literature mentions different positive outputs of outdoor plays. There are not many studies related to unstructured outdoor plays. The aim of this study is to determine some effects of unstructured outdoor plays on a child in New Zealand. Qualitative approach is used within a case study. The defined themes at the end of the study are observing, exploring, cognitive development, creativity and self-confidence. It is needed more experimental studies with control groups.