Updated 6 August 2026
Children move more outdoors
Research highlighted by the Swedish National Agency for Education shows that preschool children move roughly twice as much outdoors as indoors, and that a varied outdoor environment with greenery contributes to both physical and mental health. Outdoors there is room for the big things: running, climbing, jumping, rolling – movements that build strong bodies and brave children.
What is recommended for the youngest?
The Public Health Agency of Sweden recommends that children of preschool age get to move in different ways several times a day, and that longer periods of sitting still are broken up with movement. The preschool curriculum points in the same direction: play and movement are to have a central place in preschool education, and children are to be given the conditions to develop broad movement skills and an interest in being physically active.
Nature as a learning environment
Outdoor time is teaching, too. Outside, children meet the changing seasons, the tiny creatures under the stone and the physics of the puddle. Questions awaken here that become the start of conversations about science, sustainability and care for our shared world – fully in line with our vision of nurturing little global citizens.
Out in all weathers – all year round
For us there is no such thing as bad weather – only different kinds of outdoor days. Snow becomes building material, autumn leaves become treasures to sort and count, and a sunny spring day offers the first buds to discover. Every season has its own experiences, and children who get to meet them all come to know nature for real. Outdoors, the senses get to work: the wind on your face, the smell of rain, the sound of crunching leaves under your boots. Play also takes up space in a different way than indoors – the open areas leave room for wild games and quiet moments alike, and the children choose their own pace and company. After a morning outside, appetite and rest come naturally; fresh air does both body and mood good. You can see it in the children – and, honestly, in us adults too.
How we do it at SIF
We are outdoors every day – in our yards and on outings in the neighbourhood. Our educators are active and present outdoors as well, so that outdoor time is rich in both movement and connection. The only thing we need from you at home is clothes to match the weather – we take care of the rest.
Further reading: Guidelines and recommendations for physical activity and sedentary time – Public Health Agency of Sweden Multifunctional outdoor environments in preschool for sustainability and health – Swedish National Agency for Education
This article was translated from the Swedish original with the help of AI.
