Reimagining outdoor learning: Understanding agency from risk to resilience

Reclaiming agency

Across the early years sector, we speak passionately about independence, curiosity and child-led learning. Yet when we step outside into our outdoor spaces, the reality sometimes tells a different story. Children hesitate around mess, avoid challenge, and repeat adult warnings long after the adult has stepped away. These patterns reveal something important: outdoor environments are not inherently liberating. They become liberating through the stance adults take, the language we use, and the opportunities we intentionally design.

This article draws on Close-to-Practice (CtP) research and the development of the Reimagining Outdoor Learning: Outdoor Agency Toolkit to explore how risk, agency and adult discourse shape children’s outdoor experiences and how practitioners can reclaim agency as a lived entitlement, not a lost word of childhood.

A Research-informed approach to outdoor practice

Agency, a child’s capacity to choose, act, influence and shape their environment, is central to high-quality early years practice. Its foundations lie in sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978), ecological systems thinking (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) and the Reggio Emilia view of children as protagonists in their own learning (Edwards et al., 2012). Yet recent revisions to the EYFS Framework (DfE, 2024) and Development Matters (DfE, 2023) make no explicit reference to agency. This policy silence risks widening the gap between policy and practice, narrowing provision towards outcomes and compliance rather than autonomy, exploration and child-led learning. In contrast, Birth to 5 Matters (Early Education, 2021) positions agency as fundamental, emphasising children’s right to choose, influence and express preferences. The Outdoor Agency Toolkit builds on this stance, offering a practical way for practitioners to keep agency visible and valued in everyday practice, even when statutory and government guidance no longer names it.

The research emerged from a CtP inquiry conducted in partnership with an EYFS unit in Nottinghamshire. The project explored a deceptively simple question:

How do children experience agency outdoors, and how do adult narratives around risk shape that experience?

Through observations, child-led photography, focus groups and iterative action research cycles, a clear picture emerged: children’s choices were deeply shaped by adult routines, environmental design and the language used around risk. As one child explained, “I don’t like getting wet and dirty clothes” — a phrase that echoed adult anxieties more than children’s instincts.

The CtP research methodology was essential here. As BERA (2018) notes, CtP creates a ‘third space’ where practitioner knowledge and academic insight are co-constructed. This approach ensured the toolkit was not theoretical or prescriptive but grounded in children’s lived experiences and the realities of practice.

This methodological stance aligns with sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978; Edwards, Gandini & Forman, 2012), ecological systems thinking (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), and the Mosaic Approach (Clark, 2017), all of which position children as active agents whose experiences are shaped by relationships, culture and environment. It also reflects the funds of knowledge perspective (Amanti, Gonzalez & Moll, 2005), recognising that children bring rich cultural and experiential resources into their outdoor play.

Inspiring rather than prescribing practice

One of the strongest messages from the research was that practitioners do not need another checklist. They need tools that help them think, reflect and adapt provision to their own communities.

The Reimagining Outdoor Learning Toolkit was therefore deliberately designed to avoid fixed prescriptions.

Instead, it offers:

• reflective prompts
• environmental enhancers
• adult role cards
• risk-positive language guides
• PhotoVoice tools
• home–school alignment materials
• an action research cycle

These resources are intentionally flexible and invite practitioners to consider:

• What messages does our environment communicate?
• Where do children hesitate, and why?
• How does our language enable or constrain exploration?
• Whose needs are prioritised — children’s or adults’?

This shift, from doing the right thing to thinking the right way, is central to reclaiming professional autonomy and resisting the narrowing influence of policy documents.

Risk, agency and children’s development

Risk is often misunderstood as the opposite of safety. Yet our research showed that risk is a catalyst for agency. When children encounter manageable challenge, they learn to:

• judge what feels safe
• understand their bodies
• make decisions
• persist through uncertainty
• trust their instincts

As one child explained during the research, “I might hurt myself” — a phrase that revealed how deeply adult caution had been internalised. However, what we noticed when adults shifted to risk-supportive language, was how children’s confidence grew. They climbed higher, explored further, and engaged with previously avoided areas.

This aligns with Sandseter’s (2010) work on risky play, which highlights its essential role in developing resilience, emotional regulation and self-awareness. It also echoes Bilton’s (2010) argument that outdoor learning’s potential is shaped less by the physical environment and more by adult attitudes, routines and priorities.

Risk-positive practice is not about encouraging unsafe behaviour. It is about helping children learn how to manage risk thoughtfully and confidently; a key component of agency.

The role of educators in outdoor play

Adults shape children’s outdoor experiences more than any piece of equipment ever could. The research identified six key adult roles that support agency:

1. Facilitator – offering open-ended materials and invitations to explore

2. Co-learner – modelling curiosity rather than directing outcomes

3. Observer – watching before intervening

4. Risk supporter – helping children assess challenge

5. Responsive planner – adjusting provision based on children’s interests

6. Nature guide – drawing attention to the natural world

When adults stepped back, children stepped forward. When adults used enabling language, children took ownership. When adults trusted children, children trusted themselves.

Tina Bruce’s (2011) reminder resonates strongly here, advocating that adults should stand back enough for children to take responsibility for their own learning. The evidence basis also aligned closely with Vygotsky’s (1978) emphasis on co-constructed learning and Edwards et al.’s (2012) view of children as protagonists in their own learning.

The significance of adult language

Language emerged as one of the most powerful influences on children’s agency. Phrases such as “be careful”, “don’t get wet” or “that’s too high” were echoed back by children during their PhotoVoice discussions. These messages shaped their internal sense of what was permitted and perceived acceptable acts of play outdoors.

In contrast, risk-positive language opened up possibilities:

• “How could you do this safely?”
• “What do you think your body can manage?”
• “Show me how you’re thinking about doing this.”

Our research reminded us that language is not neutral. It communicates trust — or anxiety. It expands children’s choices — or narrows them. It invites exploration — or restricts it.

This aligns with Clark’s (2017) argument that adult discourse shapes children’s meaning-making, and with Amanti et al.’s (2005) view that children’s experiences are mediated through cultural narratives.

Risk management and thoughtful planning

Traditional risk assessments often focus on preventing harm rather than enabling learning. The toolkit reframes this through a risk management planning tool, encouraging practitioners to weigh developmental value alongside potential hazards.

This approach supports practitioners to:

• feel confident in offering challenge
• articulate the benefits of risk to families and leaders
• design environments that are safe because they include risk, not because they remove it

This mirrors the iterative nature of action research cycles and aligns with Bilton’s (2010) call for environments that balance safety with meaningful challenge.

Connecting home and setting

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (1979) reminds us that children’s experiences are shaped across interconnected environments. The research revealed this clearly. Children avoided swings because they were “not allowed at home” or avoided climbing because they had once “banged their nose”.

Understanding these home influences helps practitioners:

• scaffold confidence
• respect starting points
• build shared understanding with families
• align messages about risk and independence

The toolkit therefore includes parent leaflets, questionnaires and conversation prompts to support this alignment. When home and school share a consistent message, children experience greater confidence, security and agency.

A call to the sector

Outdoor spaces are not inherently liberating. They become liberating when adults adopt a stance of trust, curiosity and responsiveness. Agency is not a fixed trait; it is co-constructed through relationships, routines and the environment.

The Outdoor Agency Toolkit is an invitation:

• to listen more closely
• to step back more often
• to trust more deeply in children’s capabilities

If we want children to become confident, resilient, self-directed learners, we must create outdoor environments that honour their choices, celebrate their independence, and support them to take meaningful risks.