Across Europe, children's opportunities for outdoor play are steadily declining. Urbanisation, increased screen time, safety concerns and rigid curricula are limiting access to environments where children can explore, experiment and learn through direct experience. At the same time, education systems are placing a growing emphasis on STEM learning and social-emotional development. However, these subjects are often taught in isolation from one another and from children’s everyday realities. Many educators also lack the support and confidence to bring these areas together in meaningful and inclusive ways. These challenges are particularly pronounced for children from disadvantaged communities, who face additional barriers to accessing high-quality learning opportunities.
OUTPLAY – Outdoor Play Labs addresses this issue by combining outdoor play, STEM education, and social-emotional learning (SEL) into a unified approach. Rather than treating these areas as separate subjects, the project positions outdoor environments as dynamic learning spaces where children aged 3–10 can develop curiosity, problem-solving skills, collaboration and emotional awareness through hands-on, play-based activities.
At the heart of OUTPLAY is a focus on practical and scalable solutions that support educators in incorporating outdoor learning into their daily practice, equipping them with new competences in outdoor STEM and SEL pedagogy that directly benefit the children they teach. The project involves the development of an Outdoor STEM & SEL Toolkit comprising ready-to-use, curriculum-aligned activities, as well as a comprehensive training approach incorporating a Training of Trainers model and national-level workshops. These methods are piloted in schools and early years settings in Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia and Poland to ensure they are tested and refined in real-world contexts. Outdoor Play Labs and community events extend learning beyond the classroom, actively engaging families and local stakeholders. Crucially, the DIY Outdoor Learning Labs model is specifically designed to be low-cost and adaptable, ensuring that schools with limited budgets and resources can also participate and benefit. To promote sustainability and wider adoption, all resources are made available via an open-access digital platform. Policy recommendations that encourage the integration of outdoor learning into education systems are also provided.
OUTPLAY is implemented by a transnational consortium of organisations working in the fields of early childhood education, research and community engagement. It is led by Škola dokorán – Wide Open School (Slovakia) in partnership with International Child Development Initiatives (the Netherlands), Fundacja Pro Fil (Poland), Pučko otvoreno učilište Korak po korak (Croatia), Pedagoški inštitut (Slovenia) and International Step by Step Association (the Netherlands). Together, the consortium brings complementary expertise in play-based learning, STEM education, social-emotional development, inclusion and policy. The project is funded by the European Union.
By connecting practice, research and community engagement, OUTPLAY contributes to more inclusive and responsive education systems where outdoor play is recognised as a powerful pathway for learning and development, not an 'extra'. It demonstrates how children can build knowledge and skills in engaging, relevant ways that are grounded in their lived experiences, while also fostering a sense of belonging and connection to the natural world.
To learn more about OUTPLAY – Outdoor Play Labs and explore project resources, visit the project page on the ISSA website: https://issa.nl/outplay/home
