THE IMPORTANCE OF OUTDOOR SPACES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN'S COMPETENCIES AND MOTOR AND SOCIAL SKILLS
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Since the second half of the 20th century, changes in the habits of the general population have been observed, namely regarding food and active behavior. The diet started to include foods with a higher sugar, fat and salt content. This change is associated with a sedentary lifestyle (with a reduction in physical activity among children and young people, with 80% of the adolescent population being insufficiently active). Several changes have occurred over time that has resulted in more inactive children, with less outdoor activity. There is a higher percentage of children who spend more time indoors, with a sedentary lifestyle and increasingly hypercaloric eating habits. The use of new technologies such as mobile phones, computers, and televisions has been shown to compete with active behaviors. The outer spaces of day-care centres and kindergartens are, often, considered “secondary”, not proving to be attractive or promoting exploration, discovery and mystery, and they can even be considered not very challenging and “poor”, both in terms of planning - little consideration given to the impact of space on children's free play activities or about materials and equipment, which do not promote the child's action and which are reduced in their most, to pieces/structures manufactured and inspired by technology, isolated in the middle of a smooth and synthetic floor without coherence and attribution of functional meaning by the child. This paper reflects on the importance of rethinking outdoor spaces, namely in educational settings, to solve some of the problems of the current times. It is a reflection based on the literature shreds of evidence that use a qualitative methodology, through heuristic and hermeneutic processes intending to systematize several ideas on this issue. The literature review shows that spaces must be increasingly “diversified, stimulating, challenging, incorporating natural elements, and inviting children to explore and move their bodies. It has also had to be charming and mysterious perusing creativity, imagination, and recreation. It also highlights that outdoor spaces for children are transversal to ethnic groups, age groups, genders, and levels of development. They must function as spaces of acceptance, adapted to all children, where they feel accepted and at ease to explore the space freely.
