Outdoors, a child learns on multiple levels with each new adventure . With all of the imaginary castles, lands, creatures, the brain develops at a much faster rate than for those who play indoors. There are numerous effects. Not only do they become better learners, and do well in school, but they are more fun to be around -everyone wants to play with the kid with the active imagination! Consequently, children will be much happier.
Not only are there mental advantages to playing outside, there are even more physical advantages.
Obviously, if a child is playing outside he/she will be way more active than the child that stays indoors. The great thing about this is that it can have long-lasting effects . Years down the road, the child will still be more active and less likely to be overweight. If you think about this, it makes perfect sense; teach a child when they’re young to love the outdoors and they will love it forever.
Now right about here some people may argue for indoor play. Don’t games such as Wii Fit, Just Dance, and Dance-Dance Revolution offer physical benefits? Well, yes. It has been found that children who play these games get about the same levels of physical exertion as children who walk for an hour . But, there are so many disadvantages to playing these games. They are missing connecting to nature, the freedom to invent games themselves and interact freely with others.
Outdoor activities are fun and very helpful for children’s development. Indoor activities, though they may be fun, can be detrimental because they do not promote adequate physical and mental growth. One way to combat this is allowing children to do little things (e.g., play catch, walk to school, ride their bikes around the neighborhood with their friends).
So what are you waiting for? It’s National Outdoor Play Day . Get up off of that chair and go outside and PLAY!
