90 Minutes a Day: Why KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse Sends Children Outside More Than Any Other Preschool in Singapore

Why Outdoor Play Matters

During the first years of life, a child’s brain is developing at an extraordinary pace, establishing new neural connections at a rate of roughly a million per second.

Everyday experiences during these years help shape skills such as concentration, memory, emotional regulation and problem-solving. 

Outdoors, children have to respond to things that change around them. The ground may be uneven. A puddle may be deeper than expected. A friend may want to use the same space. A leaf, stone or insect can suddenly become the focus of play.

A child might be judging where to place their feet, adjusting their balance, deciding what to do next and responding to another child at the same time. 

Experiences like these draw on executive function, the set of skills children use to remember instructions, control impulses, shift their attention and work out what to do next. 

These skills matter in ordinary preschool moments. They help a child remember what a teacher has asked them to do, wait for a turn, cope when a game does not go their way and try another solution when the first one fails. 

Research has also linked regular outdoor play during the preschool years with better social and emotional outcomes later in childhood. One long-term study followed more than 4,000 children and found fewer reported symptoms of anxiety, depression and behavioural difficulties among those who regularly played outdoors. 

That makes outdoor play part of the learning itself. Children are moving, experimenting, communicating and making decisions while they play. 

In other words, outdoor play is much more than a break from learning. It is the learning.

Outdoor Play Is More Than Recess at KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse

In January 2026, KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse introduced up to 90 minutes of outdoor play every day for every preschooler across its centres, becoming the first preschool in Singapore to make this a defined, everyday commitment.

While plenty of preschools describe themselves as nature-friendly, few explicitly commit to a number, and fewer still build their day around it. 

At KiddiWinkie, outdoor play is built into the preschool day as part of its Natural Rhythm® pedagogy, which is based on the idea that children develop at their own pace and benefit from sensory experiences, purposeful play and child-led exploration.

It also connects with the Nature-Based Learning pillar of the Sustainable Education™ framework created by Babilou Family, KiddiWinkie’s parent group, which incorporates nature and outdoor experiences into children’s everyday learning environment.

Both are built on the same premise: that outdoor time is not recess, squeezed in around the real lessons. It is where a meaningful share of early learning happens.

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What Outdoor Play Looks Like at KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse

At KiddiWinkie, outdoor time is designed as meaningful play and learning, not a break between classroom activities.

Activities differ from centre to centre, but children will have the opportunity to encounter a range of outdoor activities throughout the school day:

• At the mud kitchen, children can mix, pour and create their own recipes using natural materials.
• Water play turns simple questions into experiments. What happens when a container is full? Which way does the water flow? What changes when another cup is added? 
• Sand gives children a material they can shape, move and rebuild. A simple digging game can quickly become a lesson in balance, construction or cooperation. 
• On the tricycle track, children practise steering, braking, turning and judging the space around them as they move. 
• In the herb garden, children can touch the leaves, compare different scents and watch plants change over time. It gives them a chance to see where some of the food they eat begins. 
• The Reading Nest gives teachers another setting for stories, with books taking place outdoors rather than around a classroom table. 

In each of these spaces, children have something to handle, test or decide for themselves. 

A game with friends can require children to take turns. Building something may require them to change their plan. A disagreement may mean finding a compromise. These small moments give children practice in handling situations that arise naturally during play. 

This child-led exploration gives children opportunities to become more comfortable with challenges. They can test their balance, try something again after it fails, or work out how to solve a problem with a friend. 

It builds the kind of emotional resilience and physical confidence that no classroom worksheet ever can.

The Best Preparation for Primary 1 and Beyond

Since 2003, KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse has focused on helping children develop the confidence and independence they need as they move towards Primary 1. 

Confidence develops through experience. A four-year-old gains it by trying something difficult, making a mistake, trying again, and discovering what they can do. 

The same skills children practise during outdoor play can serve them when they enter Primary 1: listening, taking turns, managing frustration, staying with a task and working alongside other children. 

About KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse

Since 2003, KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse has been nurturing children from infant care through kindergarten. 

Across 10 centres in Singapore, its curriculum combines inquiry-based learning, purposeful play and bilingual immersion, guided by its neuroscience-backed Natural Rhythm® pedagogy. 

For families who value outdoor play, KiddiWinkie offers a preschool day where time outside has a defined place in the programme. 

See It For Yourself

A visit gives parents a chance to see the approach in practice. Meet the teachers, explore the outdoor spaces and see how the children use them during the school day. 

Find out more about KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse or book a centre tour to see its outdoor learning spaces in person. 

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This article was brought to you by KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse

Images courtesy of KiddiWinkie Schoolhouse