Outdoor spaces where children play are rarely quiet. There is something about the outdoors that seems to encourage the urge to vocalise. While this is not always in the form of words, there is undoubtedly an impulse to make sounds and use the voice to its maximum. There is a sense of freedom that comes with being outdoors, as well as the need to shout and talk more loudly above external sounds, such as the wind in the trees or the roar of traffic.
It is true that children are less likely to be told to be quiet outdoors, but Anna Jean Ayres - writing more than 25 years ago - highlighted the link between vestibular activity and the urge to make sounds (see Sensory Integration and the Child: understanding hidden sensory challenges).
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