Outdoor Play
Our Outdoor Play Strategy is built on the scientific evidence base that establishes outdoor play, with its risks, as essential to healthy child development.
But children’s experiences in the world are increasingly structured, technology-based, and divorced from nature. We are missing a healthy balance between letting kids explore and take risks and taking reasonable measures to keep them safe. A growing outdoor play sector in Canada seeks to increase opportunities for outdoor play in all settings. We have learned the importance of working with multiple sectors and stakeholders in order to create opportunities for outdoor play in distinct settings. As we move forward, we are focusing our multi-sector approach to benefit children’s outdoor play in early childhood education programs. Through our funding, we support adult education, training, and policy development to increase children’s opportunities for outdoor play. We convene our grantees to support sharing and learning, and we use robust evaluation and knowledge mobilization to measure and leverage our results.
Outdoor Play Strategy: A Phased Approach
Exploring outdoor play as an essential element to supporting the healthy development of children and youth.
Exploring a focus on early childhood education.
Building adult capacity in Early Learning and Child Care
Understand our Impact
Access information about our granting history and the projects that we fund in our Grants Navigator.
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Recent posts
Child and Youth Diabetes Strategy: Lawson Foundation invests over $3 million in Indigenous-led initiatives
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Taught by the Land: Canadian Roots Exchange shares how land-based education empowers Indigenous Youth across Canada
Staff Contact
Christine Alden
Our Areas of Focus
Related News and Updates
Report | Funding for Outdoor Play in Canada
"Funding for Outdoor Play in Canada" supports funders and grant seekers in finding common ground and building partnerships to advance the multiple issue areas that overlap with outdoor play July 29, 2021 - A new report from The Lawson Foundation and Outdoor Play...
Article | Why the outdoors should be an integral part of every early learning and child-care program
Our program director, Christine Alden, put pen to paper to make the case on why the outdoors should be an integral part of every early learning and child care program. She explains outdoor learning and its benefits to kids’ development and provides some policy...
Outdoor early learning helps kids. Provinces should do more to support it
Check out our latest update on early learning and childcare in First Policy Response, "Outdoor early learning helps kids. Provinces should do more to support it," by our very own Christine and Kayla Ritchie, and Frank Welsh. From the article: "We reiterate our call to...
Lawson Foundation invests $4.95 million in 8 demonstration projects to build adult capacity to support outdoor play in Early Learning and Child Care
The Lawson Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of the second phase of its Outdoor Play Strategy and an investment of $4.95 million in 8 demonstration projects that will benefit Early Learning and Child Care across Canada. This strategy and investment are...
Outdoor Play Strategy | First Phase Evaluation
The Lawson Foundation’s Outdoor Play Strategy is an integral part of our overall strategic direction. It is driving our comprehensive approach to exploring how outdoor play supports the healthy development of children and youth in communities across Canada. Our...
Media Release | Opportunities for outdoor play critical for children during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic
Go outside and play! Opportunities for outdoor play critical for children during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic Lawson Foundation shares recommendations for policy makers, early learning and child care, and post secondary early childhood education programs to...