ABSTRACT

In this chapter, the author presents some of what has learned about Forest School over the last few years, presented, specifically, with physical development in mind. She provides an overview of an outdoor education initiative which focuses on play in natural environments: Forest School. The author discusses how Forest School, and similar enterprises, can help initiate opportunities for children to engage in physically active play to meet their physical development needs across a range of ages and enable them to confidently navigate challenging spaces and refine their gross and fine motor skills. She examines an overview of what Forest Schools are, ways in which they may contribute to a child’s physical development and how they might map onto the Physical Education of children. Using the principles set out earlier, Forest School aims to teach children a range of problem-solving and cooperation abilities as well as developing their confidence, motivation and self-esteem through a range of play-based learning opportunities.