Time spent outdoors during preschool: Links with children's cognitive and behavioral development

This study examined the concurrent and long-term relations between the amount of time children attending daycare spend outdoors and their cognitive and behavioral development during preschool and first grade. We applied a multi-informant design using cognitive testing and ratings from parents and teachers to follow 562 Norwegian preschoolers (298 girls; mean age at first assessment = 52.45 months, SD = 15.96) over a period of four years. Children's attention skills were tested with the digit span test while teachers rated their behavior. Growth curve analyses showed a positive relation between outdoor hours and children's digit span scores, and an inverse relation between outdoor hours and inattention hyperactivity symptoms, controlling for a host of possible confounds. Results indicate that outdoor time in preschool may support children's development of attention skills and protect against inattention hyperactivity symptoms. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.