Helping pupils to understand their mental health with outdoor learning and play

Helping pupils to understand their mental health with outdoor learning and play

Mental health among young people is an extremely complex area, especially when factoring in the effect of the pandemic and ongoing lockdowns on children. Therefore, many schools and teaching staff are working towards helping pupils to understand their mental health and ways this can be integrated into the school day.

Outdoor learning and play can have a huge impact on children’s mental wellbeing, providing a range of benefits including: 

Exposure to vitamin D

Playing outdoors increases exposure to direct sunlight and so, increases production of vitamin D which releases the hormone serotonin in the brain. This can help to increase overall mood and lack of vitamin D has been proven to be linked to depression and anxiety.

Boost mood and emotions

Playing outdoors can help to increase overall mood and help children to regulate their emotions and understand how they are feeling. Outdoor play factors in fresh air, exposure to natural sunlight and other key elements which can have an impact on a child’s overall mood. 

Develop social skills and increase confidence

Encouraging outdoor learning and play can also help pupils work towards developing key social skills and increasing their confidence in social environments. Group play and games should be a key part of outdoor learning and play, no matter what the abilities of your pupils they should able to take part in social activities on the playground. 

Reduce potential stress and anxiety

Exercise and activity are proven to reduce potential stress and anxiety for children. Having a range of outdoor play opportunities such as mile tracks and traditional playground games provide pupils with the solution for increasing activity levels.

Our mindfulness playground markings

At UniPlay, we have been working with schools throughout the UK for many years and have an extensive knowledge in designing, manufacturing and installing playground markings. In recent years the schools we work with have been taking steps to help their pupils understanding their mental wellbeing with activities and new resources.

As part of this, our team are increasingly being asked about mindfulness playground markings which provide prompts for pupils to explore their emotions and feelings as part of break and playtimes. As we design everything in-house, we can create any bespoke playground marking and so, we have been creating unique markings for a range of mental health initiatives.

To learn more about our mindfulness playground markings simple browse our website, or get in touch with our team to find out more.

Speak to our team

If you would like to know more about the playground markings we provide, do not hesitate to get in touch with our experienced team. We work throughout the UK and have years of experience in working on playground marking projects for schools and public sector projects.

To speak with our team simply call 0333 321 6695 or email info@uni-play.co.uk and we will be in touch as soon as possible.