Play is a basic children's need. It extends through almost every segment of their functioning: it is a way of expressing, relaxing, learning and enjoying themselves, they find comfort in it, and it is a part of their therapy. Children therefore often play, regardless of circumstances and conditions. Nature in doing so, it gives them freedom and the opportunity to expand their horizons, offering them a handful of incentives for research at all levels. No less important, it gives them fresh air, playfulness in the form of physical activity and escape from stressful everyday life. Numerous advantages of outdoor play have been scientifically proven, as well as its positive impact on the overall development of the child. Experts emphasize the need to increase the time children spend playing outdoors. This paper is about outdoor play and its role on motor, cognitive, social and emotional development of children. Although there are many game theories and countless divisions within them, this paper will focus on classification of the game considering cognitive complexity. The paper also explains the social dimension of outdoor play, as well as children's perception of it. Although outdoor play is often observed within the kinesiological domain, the goal of this paper is to explore the pedagogical aspects of it.