Amazing Reasons Why The Kids Should Play Outdoor
We all know that kids love playing outdoors just like the way we enjoyed it during our growing-up time (Kids born in the 90s and before). We also know that the kind of games the kids play, the location or type of playground also matter to avoid injuries, wrong exposure and other uncertainties.
Despite these challenges, it is very important to have kids play outdoors. Rather than compel them to remain indoors, parents should pay extra attention when they are at the playground.
The kids of this time and age are spending more and more time indoors. Most kids are glued to smartphones, television and other gadgets – playing games or watching cartoons for endless hours.
Spending so much time on digital screens can affect kid’s health. And kids who spend a lot of time sitting on the couch watching television or lounging around can become overweight. Playing outdoors is so much fun for kids and it also has a lot of other benefits.
GREAT SOURCE OF LEARNING NEW THINGS.
There is no better brilliant way to enhance learning abilities in kids than doing something themselves. Outdoor games are an amazing method for kids to learning new things, develop a problem-solving attitude, acquire new information, getting to explore nature, and a basic method of understanding science.
When kids play as a group, it helps them to build a healthy sportsman spirit, good communication skills, discovers interesting information every day as well as makes them learn how to handle competition better.
IT HELPS IN BUILDING KIDS’ PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT.
Kids are very active when they are playing outdoors and this boosts their physical stamina and fitness. It also makes their muscles and bones stronger, helps in building their immunity and lowers the risk of many diseases like obesity and heart problems. Kids playing outdoor enjoy greater freedom to develop their athletic abilities such as running faster, jump far and climbing. Finally, playing outdoors exposes the kids to fresh air and sunshine which can naturally provide them with Vitamin D and also improve their eyesight. While kids that spend more time using electronic gadgets can have impaired vision.
IT HELPS TO BOOST KID’S CREATIVITY AND LEARNING ABILITY
Creativity is a key integral part of life. The more creative one is, the more likelihoods of the person standing out in the crowd and doing something unique. When kids play outdoor games, it can boost their imagination skills and as well as their creative ability. Playing in the open, especially when surrounded by plants, trees, houses, and other objects helps to stir up the child’s imaginative part of the brain, and they tend to come up with new ideas and artistic innovations. This is because, kids are very inquisitive, and they want to know about everything around them. They learn fast in the process as their minds are fresh and receptive to so much information than normal.
IT HELPS KIDS TO FALL ASLEEP EASILY
Some kids find it difficult to fall asleep easily at night, in as much as outdoor play does not necessarily make kids sleep longer at night. But it contributes a lot in making kids fall asleep easily. Based on research (Gabel et al 2013; van Maanen et al 2017) outdoor play exposes kids to sunlight, and the sunlight is a powerful cue for programming the brain’s “inner clock.” So, for kids that stay up too late at night, the best bet is to expose them to sunlight during the day. It is as simple as letting them go and play outdoors.
IT IMPROVES FOCUS
There are times that one will just want to take a walk in the fresh air, in other to clear the head. The same thing applies to the kids. Kids that indulge in outdoor games are more focused and with a better attention span compared to children who don’t play outdoors as often. When kids are playing outdoors, they put in maximum effort, they concentrate hard and this improves their ability to reason and their coming to a logical. Outdoor games generally, improve attention among kids, especially kids who can’t keep their minds in one place for a longer time, popularly known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Outdoor games can be seen as therapy for kids that suffer ADHD.
IT HELPS TO IMPROVE THE IMMUNITY OF KIDS
Nobody wants their kids to fall sick talk less of when the kid is always falling sick. Playing outdoors is not a cure, but studies have shown that kids that engage in outdoor games have better immunity than kids who don’t. Apart from improving the immunity of the kids, it also helps the kids in fighting back diseases and aids in a faster recovery rate.
IT HELPS THE KIDS TO HAVE MORE LOVE FOR NATURE.
Kids who play outdoors may be more inclined to loving nature. And nature plays a great role in the survival of all living things. It has to be nurtured and preserved as much as possible. Kids who play outdoor will one day become aware of how in touch they are with nature and at an older age may take steps in addressing issues like deforestation and global warming. And this is actually one of the key pressing issues at the moment, all around the world.
IT HELPS KIDS TO BECOME MORE CONFIDENT IN THEIR ABILITIES.
Playing outdoors can encourage kids to take calculated risks and become more confident in their abilities. How will the kids learn or discover their physical abilities if they don’t engage in outdoor games?
