Why It’s Important to Get Kids to Play Outside: 7 Benefits
The reason behind this is gadgets—right from mobile phones to tablets and laptops, children become reluctant to play outside. But there are plenty of positive aspects of outdoor play.
You cannot always feel guilty as a parent to let your child stay indoors and be “busy” on their gadgets. It is our duty to promote outdoor play. No expensive or exotic locales necessary — you can just take them to a local park.
Why put in that much effort? Well, it’s for your child’s growth and development. So here areseven benefits of outdoor play for children.
1. Sensory Stimulation
When outdoors, allow your child to explore freely in their environment. Running through the park, sniffing flowers and touching leaves and grass, or just looking at trees can activate their sensory nerves. This allows them to maximize their senses being used and developed.
2. Boosts Health
Playing outside exposes children to sun, which produces vitamin D — vital for bones and a strong immune system. But don’t forget to put on sunscreen to protect their skin. Physical activity outdoors also strengthens muscles and helps curb obesity.
3. Enhances Motor Skills
Building fine and gross motor skills is a vital task for kids. They get to run, jump, climb, throw, and catch, which all improve gross motor skills when they play outside. And things like building sandcastles at the beach can help to sharpen their fine motor skills.
4. Improves Social Skills
A United Kingdom based study has shown that kids who participate in outdoor physical activity not only had better physical health, but also stronger social skills (source: University of British Columbia and The Child and Family Research Institute). Outdoor play with peers builds their communication and cooperation skills.
5. Encourages Independence
Outdoor play also also gets the independence developed much sooner according to research conducted by Auckland University. It also educates them about cooperation.
6. Reduces the Need for Glasses
These days the sight of children in glasses is common enough, mostly because of excessive screen time. Studies show that children who play outside at least 13 hours a week are less likely to become nearsighted (myopic). Their eyes take a break from screens, and they aren’t constantly focused on near-field objects.
7. Encourages Discovery and Wonder
Using child-friendly transportation and going to new places makes the children excited and curious. You naturally soak up new knowledge and new experiences and enrich your understanding of how the world works.
These are a few of the many benefits outdoor play will provide. It’s not all about enjoyment—it plays a large role in a child’s development. So let’s get young people out of the house more!
