Bush Kinder

YMCA Victoria - Bush Kinder

“We’re seeing children use sticks and things as drawing instruments. Building huts, measuring sticks and learning about heavy and light, all those sorts of concepts. And collecting natural life articles and items, making patterns, children were loving doing that. They really were interested in the ants, birds, and wildlife. We did a project on ants and found out more about them.” (Kindergarten teacher)

Physical literacy outcomes

YMCA Victoria - Bush Kinder helped children develop across all four domains of physical literacy – physical, psychological, social and cognitive.

PHYSICAL

The environment provided an opportunity for children to develop many physical skills through self-directed play. Through trying, failing and trying again, children were able to assess risk and practice many physical elements, including:

• Movement skills and coordination - climbing trees and ropes
• Movement skills and agility - running and jumping over various surfaces, such as puddles and rocky ground
• Object manipulation - moving rocks around to explore and building camp fires (with supervision)
• Stability/balance - balancing on logs
• Strength – undoing bolts.

PSYCHOLOGICAL

• Motivation - the physical design of Bush Kinder and the opportunity to play outside the traditional class environment provided a high level of motivation for the children.
• Engagement and enjoyment - the variety of play opportunities provided high levels of excitement and enjoyment for the entire duration of the visits.
• Self-regulation (emotions) – deliverers built trust with children, helping them learn to regulate emotions such as fear of climbing trees, or not being able to do something. Deliverers achieved created trust through conversations about the children’s fear or guiding them through the activity verbally.
• Self-regulation (physical) – children were encouraged to explore risk and reach their pinnacle of activity and ability. This supported children to explore their own physical limits and make independent judgements.
• Confidence – self-directed learning allowed children to build confidence and challenge themselves

SOCIAL

• Relationships and collaboration - the unstructured sessions allowed children to develop collaboration and relationships skills with each other to play - including games such as role play and building sets for stories.
• Ethics - self-directed play meant children were required to play fairly with each other, and if required, to solve their own conflicts.

COGNITIVE

• Content knowledge - self-learning in an outdoor natural setting facilitated the development of knowledge relating to how to move their body in a variety of landscapes and weather conditions. Teachers observed these skills were transferred back into their kindergarten setting.
• Rules - having no rules (beyond the safety of physical boundaries) allowed children to make up their own rules for games - this supported children to better understand how rules can affect play.
• Strategy & planning - a constantly changing natural setting provided an opportunity for children to plan strategies to consider how they can move and interact with others and the environment.
• Safety & risk - a natural outdoor setting with minimal rules allowed children to consider their own safety, and to assess their movement and consider consequences e.g. if balancing on a thin log it could break, and what would happen if it does.

Key findings

1

The program was successful in developing key elements across all four domains of physical literacy in young children which will support them to continue to be active.

2

Allowing children the time and space for self-directed play provided the opportunity for children to explore risk. This resulted in building confidence and improving their independent judgment and thinking around physical activities.

3

The program built the confidence of teachers and volunteers around how to facilitate unstructured play in a natural outdoor setting.

4

YMCA staff provided parents with information on suitable family camping locations and built their confidence and enthusiasm for being more active in nature.

“Some of them were a little bit nervous about climbing trees to start off with. Obviously, they’ve never climbed a tree before or never had that opportunity. So they stay off the ground saying ‘I’m stuck! I’m stuck!’ As we went on, their confidence built.”(Kindergarten teacher)