Active Play
Our Active Play programme boosts physical activity in children and helps them develop fundamental movement skills such as coordination and balance, all through playing physically active games.
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All Scotland’s children will thrive
Playing and learning outdoors is fundamental for all our children to achieve their full potential, boosting health, wellbeing and development, and is a universal right. Thrive Outdoors works to embed outdoor play and learning into the fabric of Scottish life so that all of Scotland’s children can thrive.
Play is a life-enhancing experience
Boosting physical activity and promoting happiness and wellbeing, outdoor play is vital for children’s health and wellbeing. That’s why we’re leading on the delivery and development of outdoor play opportunities in communities, nurseries and schools across Scotland.
We want every child in Scotland to be happy, healthy, resilient, and have the best possible start in life. We want them to be able to form friendships, learn new skills and have fun.
We support communities, charities, schools, outdoor organisations and public bodies to collaborate, innovate and develop in outdoor play and learning, sharing best practice and feeding into research to promote better understanding of the importance of outdoor play.
We are committed to use our experience to empower and equip families, childcare professionals and educators with the confidence, enthusiasm and skills to encourage and support our children and young people to play and learn outdoors.
Outdoor play is a life-enhancing experience and we want all of Scotland’s children to thrive outdoors.
We have a wealth of resources available for you to download and use, so that you can join in with our mission to get all of Scotland’s children outdoors!
Get in touch if you would like to discuss how we can help you.
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Thrive Outdoors Newsletter
Sign up for sector news and updates, tops tips on outdoor play and learning, charity spotlights, what we’re currently reading and more!
Play resources
Make time for outdoor play
We’ve worked with our network of practitioners to develop a wealth of hints and tips for ELC practitioners, parents and carers to help make outdoor play a reality for more young people. Our tips provide fun activities as well as more informative tips, like how to build an outdoor shelter.
More hereNational Position Statement
Playing and learning outdoors is life-enhancing.
Help us make playing and learning outdoors an everyday activity for all children in Scotland by signing up to the national position statement.
The national position statement on outdoor play and learning has gained more than 100 signatories since its launch. These include national organisations and charities, local authorities, government and public bodies, and NGOs.
Find out moreOrganised Outdoor Community Play Fund
The Organised Outdoor Community Play Fund supports childhood health and wellbeing through outdoor play.
Read moreOutdoor Early Learning
Outdoor Nurseries, a partnership between Inspiring Scotland and Glasgow City Council are improving children's health, well-being and development through outdoor play-based learning.
Read moreToolkit
Loose Parts Play!
Play helps children unlock their creativity and let’s their imaginations soar. Find out how to create imaginative, creative and fun play with crates, pebbles and bits of string with our Loose Parts Play toolkit.
Thrive Outdoors
Portfolio of charities
Thrive Outdoors
PEEK
Part of Organised Outdoor Community Play Fund and GCC Active Play Fund. Possibilities for Each and Every Kid was established in 2000 and has been operating for 20 years as a charity supporting children and young people aged 0-25 years and their families impacted by poverty across Glasgow. Through play, creative arts and community development
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Thrive Outdoors
The Jeely Piece Club
Part of Organised Outdoor Community Play Fund and GCC Active Play Fund. The Jeely Piece Club, based in the Castlemilk area of Glasgow, delivers a range of services for children from pre-school upwards and is based in a purpose built play centre. Inpiring Scotland works with The Jeely Piece Club in all three strands of
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Thrive Outdoors
Smart Play Network
Part of Organised Outdoor Community Play Fund. Smart Play Network (SPN) are the national organisation supporting and delivering play opportunities for the benefit, health and wellbeing of children and families across Scotland. They provide a range of support and practical tools to 394 members, from starting up a new service, through policy development and delivery
Learn MoreOur news
21.01.2022
Thrive Outdoors Blog Series: Sharing learning from the Wee Garden
This month for the fifth instalment of our Botanics Blog series we hear from Caroline Walsh an Early Years Outdoor Learning Officer at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Caroline shares her experience of the project so far and the key learnings along the way! I came into this exciting research project full of ideas. I had a vision
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17.12.2021
Thrive Outdoors blog series: researching the magic of the Botanics’ Wee Garden
This month for the fourth instalment of our Botanics Blog we spoke with Selvarani Selvaraja, a medical doctor from Malaysia, currently pursuing MSc Education (Early Childhood and Froebel) at The University of Edinburgh. Selvarani has been involved in this project as part of the research team, led by Dr. Lynn McNair, Head of Cowgate Under Fives Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland, and a Lecturer in
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19.11.2021
Thrive Outdoors Blog Series: Nurseries experience so far
This month for the third installment of our Botanics Blog we caught up with Edzell Nursery and Outdoor Nursery Edinburgh (ONE), the two nurseries involved in the project, to see how the experience has been so far. Edzell Nursery is based within a church hall at Goldenacre very close to the Botanic Gardens. Being based
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We work with experts from the voluntary, public, private and academic sectors. Get in touch if you want to help us build a better Scotland.
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- A brilliant and #inspiring blog from @FunderHub sharing some fantastic ideas from #Funders on new ways to work toge… https://t.co/HJQuFopwsV