Inspirational quotes about children, nature and outdoor play

Outdoor play quotes help us to feel inspired to get our children outdoors, in nature. For them to feel empowered and close to nature, they help us to feel deeply about our values and our place in nature.

Outdoor play quotes for children, parents and educationalists:

'If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.' Vincent Van Gogh.

'Mother Nature has the best box of crayons.' Unknown.

'Not all classrooms have four walls.' Margaret McMillan.

'The outdoors offers limitless potential to young children. It becomes a place where they can go to relax their mind, to be inspired and to deep dive into the world of imagination. It's a place where they can design, create and explore. The possibilities are endless.' Angela Hanscom.

'Anything you teach in an indoor classroom can be taught outdoors, often in ways that are more enjoyable for children.' Cathy James.

'No barefooted, tree climbing, mud pie baking, cloud spotting, puddle stomping, bird calling, wild foraging, star gazing, firefly chasing, den building, stream paddling, rock hunting moment with Mother Nature ie ever wasted.' Nicolette Sowder.

'Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs.' James L Hymes Jr.

'When a flower doesn't bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.' Alexander Den Heijer.

Children naturally live in the moment and they allow that moment to be what it is; magical and beautiful in every way!' April Peerless.

'We must teach our children to smell the earth, to taste the rain, to touch the wind, to see things grow, to hear the sun rise and night fall – to care.' John Cleal

'Children grow up hearing how broken the environment is, how broken beyond repair. Plant strawberries together, make wild medicines, paint the sunrise. Show them proof that for every act of destruction, they can sow a seed, however small, of beauty.' Nicolette Sowder.

'Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.' Fred Rogers.

'Play is the highest form of research.' Albert Einstein.

'Most of what children need to learn during their early childhood years cannot be taught; it's discovered through play.' Ruth Wilson.

'There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.' Walt Streightiff.

'Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.' Kay Redfield Jamison.

'If we want our children to move mountains, we first have to let them out of their chairs.' Nicolette Sowder.

'Play isn't the easy route! It's complicated, complex and often difficult to watch unfold. It takes patience, trust and a level of skill to allow a child to truly lead their own learning.' Sally Wright - The Ark Group.

'Playing is the most important work you will ever do.'

'The mud will wash off but the memories will last a lifetime.'

'Sad child? Nature. Cranky child? Nature. Bored child? Nature. You're welcome. Penny Whitehouse.

'The more that you read, the more things that you'll know, the more that you learn, the more places you'll go!' Dr Seuss.

'When children play in natural spaces, they’re far more likely to invent their own games than in more structured settings – a key factor in becoming self-directed and inventive adults later in life.' Richard Louv

'Teaching children about the natural world should be treated as one of the most important events in their lives.' Thomas Berry.

'As children observe, reflect, record, and share nature’s patterns and rhythms, they are participating in a process that promotes scientific and ecological awareness, problem-solving, and creativity.' Deb Matthews Hensley.

'Let nature be your teacher.' William Wordsworth.

'Children are born naturalists. They explore the world with all of their senses, experiment in the environment, and communicate their discoveries to those around them.' The Audubon Nature Preschool.

'When life gives you rain, jump in muddy puddles!'

'Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.' John Lubbock.

'The best education does not happen at a desk, but rather engaged in everyday living – hands-on, exploring, an active relationship with life.' Vince Gowman.

'Don’t just tell your children about the world, show them.' Penny Whitehouse.

'They’re not just playing in nature, they are: Learning, creating, sensing, believing, relaxing, exploring, observing, wondering, connecting, discovering, appreciating, understanding, experimenting…' Penny Whitehouse.

'Our challenge isn’t so much to teach children about the natural world, but to find ways to sustain the instinctive connections they already carry.' Terry Krautwurst.

'The ultimate gift we can give the world is to grow our tiny humans into adult humans who are independent thinkers, compassionate doers, conscious questioners, radical innovators, and passionate peacemakers. Our world doesn’t need more adults who blindly serve the powerful because they’ve been trained to obey authority without question. Our world needs more adults who question and challenge and hold the powerful accountable.' L.R. Knost.

'Restore balance. Most kids have technology, school and extracurricular activities covered. It’s time to add a pinch of adventure, a sprinkle of sunshine and a big handful of outdoor play.' Penny Whitehouse

'Tell me and I'll forget, teach me and I'll remember, involve me and I'll learn.' Benjamin Franklin.

'A teacher takes a hand, opens a mind and touches a heart.'

'The best classroom and the richest cupboard are roofed only by the sky.' Margaret McMillan.

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