The advancement of technology in recent years has been great for the most part, but it has impacted the extent to which children interact with one another and the world at large. While having them read on an iPad or keep themselves by watching educational videos on YouTube is a good quick fix for busy parents, it’s not advisable to do so all the time. Kids need to go outside and learn more about the great outdoors. This can help them with their development tremendously.
The following are a few compelling reasons to schedule some outdoor activities with your kids and keep them excited about going outside, as opposed to staying glued to their screens.
Better Motor Skills
Playing outdoors helps children develop more advanced motor skills, including coordination, balance, and agility. There is only so much you can do indoors, so their motor skills will be less developed if they stay at home all the time. Children who can go outside to bike, run around, use the swing, or just play catch are definitely at an advantage when it comes to the development of their motor skills. Going outside to play allows them to test their physical capacity and strengthen their bodies while becoming more confident in their movements. Also, if your child feels like a natural athlete, being outdoors allows them to go ahead and practice vital skills in a wide-open space – which they cannot do freely indoors.
Improve General Health
Being outside and enjoying the great outdoors is an overall mood booster. According to the folks behind amazing gadgets like cool skate shoes at thrillappeal.com/best-skate-shoes doing fun activities will definitely have a positive impact on long term health. Exposure to sunlight will help improve their mood and strengthen their immune system, while also stealing their bodies against other problems such as asthma or diabetes. Furthermore, playing outdoors has been recommended for children suffering from ADD or ADHD since it provides them with a fun outlet for their energy and creativity, which can often be stifled by remaining indoors.
Become More Open
When children play outdoors, they become more open to both nature and their peers. While they are eagerly discovering the wondrous world available to them, they also become more open with other kids. Sometimes, being stuck in a small room with everyone can lead to things becoming very overwhelming. Kids can get loud and find themselves competing for attention, or fighting over games and screens. This can make smaller children, especially those who are naturally shy and quiet, more reticent and less likely to engage and make friends. The physical outlet of outside negating all of these negative interactions, and encourages children to speak up more, and also explore different exciting things they find outdoors.
Learn More About the Environment
While everyone learns about Earth Day in school these days, that alone isn’t enough to learn and appreciate the environment. Kids who spend time outdoors are more likely to become interested in learning about nature, different ecosystems, animals, and so on. Nothing can replace the tactile experience of actually getting to experience nature firsthand by playing outdoors. Raising awareness about environmental issues and climate change is an important lesson to teach children, and the best way to do so is by encouraging them to take advantage of playing outdoors, as opposed to watching nature documentaries inside.
Use of All Senses
Staying indoors and watching television only engages two of a child’s senses: sight and sound. However, by going outside, they will learn to use all senses, and learn how to respond to different stimuli. When they go to the beach they can taste the salty air, hear the waves, smell the ocean. Same as when they go out to play in the snow: they will taste snowflakes, feel that particular crunch underfoot of fresh snow, and so on. It’s easy to tell them how it feels to experience different seasons and whole bodies of water. But getting to know it firsthand is an entirely different scene, one that kids will appreciate more and more as they get older.
Become More Independent
Kids need to develop confidence and a more genuine rapport with their peers in order to feel more independent. This is crucial to their development, and playing outdoors is one way to achieve that. Indoor activity doesn’t nurture any true desire to engage with the world at large, but playing in big, wide-open spaces encourages a deep sense amongst kids of their own capabilities.
Just like adults, kids need to go outside, have fun, get some sun, and just engage with the world at large. Being stuck at home, even if they are engaged in educational activities, can severely curtail their development. Therefore, it is helpful that they are encouraged early on to go outside and take advantage of all the world has to offer.