If you grew up before technology took over the world, you would remember the pure joy of playing outside and creating make-believe lands to adventure through. And while it was the ideal way to pass the hours and get us out of our parent’s hair for a while, playing outside had numerous benefits to our health and development.
From developing motor and social skills to keeping both mentally and physically healthy, there are plenty of reasons you should put on those girls trainers and encourage your kids to head out into the garden to play.
Better for Sleep
This benefit runs true for both adults and kids alike. For example, research has shown that spending time outside in the fresh air and sunshine directly impacts how well we sleep at night. This is because time outdoors helps to ‘reset’ our internal clock, allowing our brains to associate activities with day and night correctly.
Additionally, spending time in proper sunlight will give our bodies a break from the artificial kind, which can cause too much stimulation and prevent our brains from settling.
Make Learning Fun
Being outdoors exposes your children to a world of different sensory experiences from which to learn. It can be the natural sounds and smells we experience outside, or the different textures of plants, trees, sand, and flowers with which they can interact.
And because the seasons change throughout the year, it will continuously stimulate their different sensors, which is vital for their learning and development. But, just remember to be aware of what is growing in your garden and to keep a safe distance from anything that could be potentially harmful.
Developing Motor Skills
Being out in nature offers a large area for kids to develop their gross motor skills further. Babies will have more space to crawl and walk in, while older kids can run, jump, and climb objects in their vicinity. Let them explore. They need the opportunity to venture out and discover things independently. Keep a watchful eye on them, but do so from a distance as they get older.
Additionally, they can develop their fine motor skills by following small tracks, collecting tiny treasures, and observing plants and animals they encounter while outside. If your children play in parks with playsets and swings, they will be encouraged to use problem-solving techniques to negotiate their way over the jungle gym.
Making Friends
It is almost guaranteed that kids will meet other kids while playing outside. And this is a crucial factor for their social needs. Along with that, meeting others and making new friends helps kids work on a variety of different skills that they will need during their adult years.
Not only will they build their communication and social skills, but waiting their turn and sharing pieces of equipment will build their patience and ability to share fairly with others. In addition, resolving any minor conflicts by themselves will build self-esteem and make social cues more noticeable.
Mental Health
When we feel grumpy, frazzled, or overwhelmed, we are often encouraged to take a walk outside to cool down and regather our thoughts. And while it may feel like these emotions are more common in your adult years, children experience them too. And for them, it is more difficult to cope with as they have not had to ability to build any proper coping mechanisms.
Being outside in the fresh air allows your children to have a break from whatever situation is causing them to feel distressed and overwhelmed. It is a great way to clear strong emotions and regain balance with their feelings. Nature is a critical tool when it comes to maintaining good mental health.
If your child is more reluctant to get outside, turning daily adventures in the garden into a family event will help them to reassociate these activities with something more enjoyable for them to do. As they become more comfortable, they are more likely to venture out by themselves willingly and with less fear or anxiety.
Healthy Lifestyle
Along with mental health, promoting and maintaining proper physical fitness is another benefit of spending time in nature. It is often discouraged by professionals to directly push healthy lifestyle choices onto kids, as it can negatively affect their relationships with food, exercise and themselves as they get older.
But playing outside naturally involves lots of running, climbing, jumping, and various lifting, pulling and pushing exercises. So without even thinking about it, your child is getting a healthy dose of physical activity, which is ideal for supporting a growing body and cardiovascular system.
Environmental Awareness
There is no better way to teach our kids awareness and respect for the natural world than to spend time in it. More than ever before, ever-increasing damage is being done globally, and we need to teach the younger generations how to nurture and grow the world around them.
Children who are taught their values early on in life are more likely to become more environmentally aware adults, precisely what we need to give our grandchildren and great-grandchildren a planet worthy of living on.
