Do you want your child to have a healthy, active and happy childhood? Of course you do! Because we know that the best preparation for adulthood is to have a full and enjoyable childhood. One of the surest ways to create this is to spend time outdoors!
Being outdoors gives your child opportunities to explore, experiment, create, and apply imagination and adventure. The importance of outdoor play should never be underestimated!
Here are just a few things that make outdoor play important:
Learn About the World
There are so many subjects that can be learned outside just as they can be learned inside! Math, science, gardening, construction, and even creativity. But even more importantly, being outdoors allows children to learn about the world.
Generally we take care of things that we care the most about. So it’s crucial for us to promote a sense of belonging, respect, and love towards our world, the environment, and nature. This is the best way to encourage sustainable behaviours. I believe the Lorax said it best:
Recharge and Reinvigorate!
Have you ever felt as if your child is like a ball of energy? Sometimes children have pent up energy that needs to be released. Outdoor play allows them to “recharge” or “reinvigorate” themselves by engaging in different activities.
Children should actually be active for at least an hour everyday. Getting outside to recharge allows for physical activity, and fun.
Overall Increase in Health
Vitamin D is essential for children’s growing bodies: from bone development to helping immune systems. The reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes also stresses the importance of outdoor play. And bacteria and viruses spread easier indoors. The best way to reduce the spread is simply an abundance of fresh air.
While outdoors children inadvertently seek out exercise and activity by running, jumping, climbing, swinging, and moving about.
A child’s overall social and emotional health is also increased while outside. Being physically active increases self-esteem, happiness, and has even been correlated to higher test scores.
Self-Learning
When your child is outside, they have opportunities to learn about their own physical and emotional capabilities by pushing their limits.
One of the only ways to discover connections to the natural world is to experience it. The world is constantly changing, and unfortunately we’ve lost much of our appreciation for nature. If our children grow up never experiencing the outdoors, then they may never really understand what they may lose.
Your child will also have the opportunity to take safe risks and learn about their physical and creativity abilities. Yes, this may cause some anxiety for us as parents, but it’s really important for a child’s vision of themselves. The lessons they may learn from failure are just as important as those they learn from success. So allow your child to try many things.
Outside Lets Children Be Children!
As we said before, being outdoors allows children to seek out activity. Some basic needs for an active childhood are:
- Running
- Jumping
- Roling
- Swinging
- Racing
- Yelling
- Climbing
- Making a mess
Many of these are much safer and more fun outside!
Here’s a quick overview on what we should be encouraging, and what children should be doing based on age:
- 0 – 3: Encourage early and new movement
- 3 – 5: Expand on play by keeping it fun!
- 5 – 9: Increase focus on fundamental movement skills (running, jumping, balance, etc.)
- 8 – 12: Introduce more complex skills as children are ready.
Overall, we should help children to learn gradually through a variety of structured and unstructured activities.
Your biggest role, as with the other caregivers in your child’s life, will be to participate as much as possible in outdoor play. Think about some of the things you enjoy doing, and how you can safely do them outside with your child.
To overcome any anxiety you may have, make sure that your child always has adequate clothing and equipment to be safe and healthy.
We know that one of your biggest challenges will be finding a balance in your busy schedule to be able to go outside. But the importance of outdoor play based on the reasons listed above, should encourage you to nurture experiences of well-being and connection to the world.
