Outdoor movement education during COVID-19: What kindergarten teachers think

Abstract

During the lockdown physical activity had a decline. What is the status now? A questionnaire was administered to 69 kindergarten teachers in 11 Italian regions to investigate the outdoor physical activity of children. Twenty-six percent of them report that they implement activities in their school garden (67% have a space larger than150 sqm) or park;42% report that children engage in 3 to 7 hours of physical activity per week, 51% from 1 to 2 hours per week, and 7% do no practice physical activity. In September-October 11% of teachers never go outside, in November-December 22% and in March-June 15%. 52% of teachers believe that children should not be taken outdoors because of cold, wind, or rain and 30% of parents agree that it is better if children do not go outside. 76% of teachers say that it is important for children to have contact with nature and 90% of teachers say that outdoor activities are not risky. Although teachers report that outdoor activities are a resource for kindergarten the data do not support this.