The Early Years Outdoor Learning Certification Program is a well-designed, thoughtful, and inspiring professional learning experience. It provides a rich balance of knowledge, reflection, and practical application that supports educators in deepening their confidence and competence in outdoor learning environments.
I found the program to be fluid, intentional, and highly relevant to the realities of early years education. As someone who is passionate about risky play and empowering both children and educators to engage meaningfully with nature, I leave this program feeling affirmed, inspired, and eager to continue applying these principles in my work.
This Outdoor Play and Learning Course comprises approximately 30 hours of self-paced learning. It is designed to be an introduction to outdoor play and learning in the early years, providing a strong foundation with many practical ideas you can implement in an early years context.
A growing body of research from child development specialists, academic researchers and advocates provides evidence that outdoor active play is essential for healthy child development and illuminates the multitude of health and well-being benefits young children experience when they spend time outdoors. Play is the foundation of how children learn in early childhood and is at the core of what early childhood educators support. The opportunities for play in the outdoor environment are more varied and expansive than in the indoor environment, as children can move their bodies in different ways, use their voices with more enthusiasm and interact with the Land.
This certification will help you gain confidence in facilitating outdoor active play and taking your learners outside in all types of weather. The purpose of this course is to support you in embedding outdoor play and learning into your practice, providing you with skills and tools to help guide you in creating engaging and meaningful experiences outdoors with all children in your program.
You do not need a background in outdoor play to successfully integrate the course materials, this course will meet you where you are at and support you to increase the time you spend outdoors with children in any setting. Curiosity and a willingness to try new ideas is all you need!
The course includes:
Please note this certification course is not currently recognized by a governing body; it is part of our extensive offering of professional development.
After completing this course, you will be able to:
There are 10 modules to help you progress as you develop understanding and begin to implement Outdoor Play and Learning concepts into your professional practice. It will take 30 hours to complete this online certification course.
The 10 modules are:
This course has been created for you by two non-profit organizations with over 30 years of expertise in Outdoor Learning in the formal, informal, recreational, and other educational sectors. It reflects the most up-to-date research, pedagogy, and practice from researchers and practitioners in Outdoor Learning and features the support and resources of more than 100 Outdoor Learning organizations across North America and beyond.
This course beautifully demonstrates why outdoor learning matters and how educators can make it happen in their own settings. It’s meaningful, practical, and deeply inspiring. As someone already working in this field, I truly value seeing more opportunities like this that strengthen and grow our outdoor learning community.
The Early Years Outdoor Learning Certification Program is a well-designed, thoughtful, and inspiring professional learning experience. It provides a rich balance of knowledge, reflection, and practical application that supports educators in deepening their confidence and competence in outdoor learning environments.
I found the program to be fluid, intentional, and highly relevant to the realities of early years education. As someone who is passionate about risky play and empowering both children and educators to engage meaningfully with nature, I leave this program feeling affirmed, inspired, and eager to continue applying these principles in my work.
