The Importance of Outdoor Play for Young Children

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Playing outside is always fun and beneficial for children’s health and mental wellbeing. Many years ago, children were naturally keen to go out to play in the garden or perhaps a community park nearby. But sadly, children these days are not the same as a decade ago, kids today are too digital-focused, with a vast amount of online gaming apps and the influence of digital products, they are more likely to play indoor watching TV, on their tablets, game consoles or even on their mobile phones.It is very important that we let everyone know just how crucial outdoor play activities are, and why they are especially vital to our young children. There are two fundamental reasons why outdoor play is important for our ever-growing children, especially in their early development.First of all, let’s talk about the physical development skills that children must achieve in order to help them succeed later on in their adult life, these important skills such as exploring, risk-taking, fine/gross motor skills and the understanding of a wide range of basic skills. All of these can mostly be learned through outdoor play.Secondly, the modern society that we’re living in today is changing the way that children are playing. This is due to the impact that technology is having on children and their daily life. This, in turn, has created an unhealthy lifestyle and can cause children to start gaining weight due to lack of daily exercise.Children are full of energy and they need to remain active through the day, promoting outdoor play will allow them to get fresh air, physical exercise, explore their environment more, as well as build their social and communication skills via creative play on what they hear, touch, see and feel.

How Outdoor Play Benefits Children’s Physical Health and Mental Wellbeing

Outdoor play is an important part of childhood. As a child, you would remember going to the park, exploring the surroundings and being curious about the environment, running in the field, digging and burying toys in the sandbox and climbing up and going down the slide. All these amazing memories are precious to have, and I bet you would still remember these wonderful childhood memories even in your adult life.Studies have shown that children can learn a lot from just playing outside, some modern quality playground equipment is designed to help children to improve their physical coordination and the movement of their body, thus enhancing their ability to balance, jump, climb, throw, run and skip. This allows children to be themselves and fulfil basic childhood needs.Encourage children to go out. Give them the opportunity to pretend to be anything they want, they can be a pirate steering the boat, a chef in the kitchen or a king in the castle. Outdoor play can also increase children’s imagination and develop their creative skills and mental performance.Another benefit of children playing outside is getting the sunlight they need for their bodies and brains. Playing in the sunlight can help children sleep better at night, improve their concentration, and most importantly, provide enough vitamin D for healthy growth such as bone growth and muscle function. But watch out in the summertime when the weather is hot, as you should be applying sun care for your young children.In summary, there are endless advantages of children playing outdoors, and we must find ways to provide quality outdoor experiences for young children. This will not only reduce the childhood obesity issue that is currently affecting our country but nurture our kids to ensure that they grow healthily. 

Courtney P.

I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!

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