6 Benefits for playing outdoor
There are six benefits for playing outside that can
help children and parents, too :
1. Sunshine. Our
bodies need sun to make vitamin D, a vitamin that plays an important
role to process from bone development to our immune system.
Sun exposure also plays an important role for our immune system in other ways, as
well as in healthy sleep and in our mood. Our bodies work best
when they get some sunshine every day.
2. Exercise. We know
children like playing a lot. Maybe, nowadays, they like playing too
much on the computer or a tablet. But still, going outside to play is
one way to be sure that they are active. They can definetely exercise
indoors, but sending them outdoors — especially with something like
a ball, roller skates or a bike — encourages active play, which is
really the best exercise for children.
3.
Executive skills. We think about the skills that help us
plan, prioritize, troubleshoot, negotiate, and multitask; they are so
important for our success. Creativity is also important here and, in
the same time, using our imagination to problem-solve and entertain
ourselves. These are skills that must be learned and practiced —
and to do this, children need unstructured time. They need time alone
and with other children, and to be allowed (or perhaps forced) to
make up their own games, figure things out, and amuse themselves.
Being outside gives them opportunities to practice these important
life skills.
4. Taking risks. Children
need to take some risks. As parents, this makes us anxious; we want
our children to be safe. But if we keep them in bubbles and
never let them take any risks, they won’t know what they can do —
and they may not have the confidence to face some inevitable risks.
Yes, you can break a finger or hurt your leg from playing — and
yes, you can be humiliated when you try to make a friend and get
rejected. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try; the lessons we
learn from failure are just as important as those we learn from
success.
5. Socialization. Children
need to learn how to work and play together. They need to learn to
make friends, how to share and cooperate, how to treat other people.
If they only interact in very structured settings, such as school or
sports teams, they won’t — they can’t — learn everything they
need to know.
6. Appreciation of nature.
So much of our world is changing, and not for the better.
Unfortunately… If a child grows up never walking in the woods,
digging in soil, seeing animals and bugs in their own habitat,
climbing a mountain, playing in a stream, or staring at the endless
horizon of an ocean, they may never really understand what there is
to be lost. The future of our planet depends on our children; they
need to learn to appreciate it.
Dear parents, you should do this for
your children. Help them learn beautifully, in a natural environment.
Go with them and have fun!
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