With the Decline of Outdoor Play Spaces, Indoor Play for Kids Matters More Than Ever

by | Sep 6, 2025 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

In many towns and cities, outdoor play spaces for children are shrinking. Housing developments, parking lots and safety concerns mean kids have fewer safe places to run, climb and explore. For parents, this raises an important question, if outdoor play is harder to come by, how do we make sure our children still enjoy the benefits of active, creative play? At Little Scholars Playground, we believe the answer is simple, nurture indoor play for kids with activities that spark imagination and joy.

Why Outdoor Play Is Declining

  • Fewer playgrounds and green areas – urban planning often favours housing over parks.
  • Screen time overload – with less access to outdoor spaces, children spend more time on tablets, TVs, and phones.
  • Safety concerns – parents worry about traffic, crowds, or unsafe neighbourhoods.

This decline in free outdoor play means children may miss out on valuable opportunities for physical activity, social interaction and creativity.

The Power of Imaginative Indoor Play

Indoor play can never replace fresh air completely, but it provides:

  • Creativity & problem-solving – scavenger hunts, pretend play and puzzles spark curiosity.
  • Family bonding – printable kids’ games bring siblings and parents together.
  • Confidence & learning – play-based learning builds resilience and independence.

With the right activities, a living room can transform into a magical adventure zone. If outdoor spaces are limited, our STEM activity cards bring the fun indoors, keeping little ones busy and excited to learn new things and spark their curiosity.

Little Scholars Playground’s Commitment

We’re passionate about helping families find affordable, fun and educational printable kids’ activities that; encourage learning through play, keep kids entertained indoors and reduce screen time while boosting creativity and learning. Even if outdoor spaces are shrinking, your child’s imagination doesn’t have to.

Looking for fun, affordable ways to keep your child busy indoors? Explore our collection of STEM activity cards. Minimise the number of times you hear ‘I’m booored!’ with our STEM flip books. They’re great for entertaining the kids and can help to reduce screen time. Shop our STEM activity flip book here.

STEM activities for kids
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Author

Natalie is the co-founder and illustrator at Little Scholars Playground. She is passionate about literacy, learning, illustrating, women in STEM and the Montessori practice.

Why it’s important to support your child’s brain development in the first 3 years of life

by | Aug 9, 2022 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

4 mins

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Did you know by the age of 3, a child’s brain has reached 80% of its adult volume? This is why it’s very important to support this massive brain development in the first 3 years of their life. Engaging with your child, providing a safe environment and creating solid foundations is paramount in their early years development. Children’s brain development happens so fast, so don’t leave it until it’s too late. By the time a child starts school it is more difficult for them to take advantage of the learning environment created in the classroom if an optimal learning experience or nurturing environment has not been created at home.

Our top 3 tips on how you can support your child’s brain development

1) Research your child’s current stage of development

2) Regularly observe your child. What skills are they practicing? What are they interested in? What activities do they love to do repeatedly?

3) Finally, research how you can support their development in these areas

STEM Activity Cards

Our new STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) activity cards are great for developing children’s brains. The experiments and activities are fun, easy and can be created using everyday items found in the supermarket. They can be purchased here. Our STEM activity cards will:

– Introduce STEM in a hands on way
– Create a love for STEM subjects early on
– Enhance a child’s collaborative learning, as STEM often
encourages children to work together
– Amplify a child’s problem solving skills, which is a critical skill in
the early years
– Enhance a child’s memory through experimental learning
– Help to reduce screen time

It comes without saying that children are very much affected by their surroundings. The environment a child is in, in their early years can have affects which last a lifetime.

Natalie

Little Scholars Playground
info@littlescholarsplayground.com

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About the author

Natalie is the co-founder and illustrator at Little Scholars Playground. She is passionate about literacy, learning, illustrating, black women in STEM and Montessori.

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