The Importance of Play

At Lemon Tree Preschool we are committed to the importance of daily outdoor play and physical development in all children regardless of their age and stage of development. All activities will be made accessible to children with learning difficulties and disabilities to ensure all children are able to freely and independently use the outdoor area and physical play opportunities to best effect.

Children need regular access to outdoor play in order to develop their large and small muscles, experience an environment that is different to the inside of the preschool and more importantly access sunlight in order to absorb vitamin D more effectively. The outdoor areas, both within the preschool grounds and in the local community have a wealth of resources which help children to develop in a variety of ways, including independence, exploration and investigative skills, risk-taking and self-esteem all of which support children to develop skills for now and the future.

The preschool will ensure all areas are safe and secure through close supervision and the use of robust risk assessments and safety checks. Staff are informed of the importance of these procedures and are trained appropriately to ensure these procedures are followed effectively. Parents’ permission will be sought before any child leaves the preschool during the day, this includes short outings into the local community. Please refer to the visits and outings policy for further information on this process.

All outdoor play opportunities and outings will complement the indoor activities and provide children with both adult-led and child-initiated opportunities to enable children to learn and practice new skills, knowledge and behaviours.