Kids love playing outdoors. When you were a kid, you probably loved it too. However, with the advent of technology, the trend might have started changing a little. Children these days spend more time in front of a computer or mobile screen instead of heading out to the nearby ground and running and playing like a bunch. What they don’t realize is what they are missing out on. Playing outdoors is so much fun and you gain a lot in the process as well.Most importantly, you make new friends, an essential requirement for any child. You learn how to socialize, empathize with nature, and develop a strong bond, all of it at the cost of becoming healthier and wiser. Parents have a significant role to play in taking the devices out of the hands of the kids and urging them to go out. Here is a list of reasons why children should play outdoor games more often.
1. Improve Flexibility
Physical development is as essential as mental development, especially when talking about a child. The way the body is at a juvenile stage, it is reflected as one grows up and becomes an adult as well. Outdoor games are an excellent form of exercise for kids. It helps to strengthen their muscles and joints, increases flexibility, and makes them more agile. Immunity is also improved. A flexible body as a child will help them avert so many injuries, and the flexibility will continue to remain the same as age progresses. Obesity is an impending problem for kids these days, and playing outdoors is a potent way of dealing with it.
2. Improve Attention Span
This is the main reason why outdoor games is a sort of therapy for children who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. When children play outside, they take it very seriously. They put in their maximum efforts to win and consequently, they concentrate hard. Thus, the mental aspect of playing outdoor games is also important. There is an improvement in concentration as well, and the ability to reason and come to a logical conclusion is enhanced.
3. A Great Source of Learning
There is no better way of learning than doing something themselves. Outdoor games are an incredible method of learning new things which can become important life lessons later. They develop skills of communication, the ability to solve any problems that they may encounter in the process, get new and interesting information every day, and get to apply elementary level science as well. All of it amalgamate and become an amazing experience for a kid, and the learning that they take home from the field is much more instrumental than what they gain from the books at a tender age. Moreover, when kids play as a group, it builds a healthy sportsman spirit in them, and they handle competition better, which is extrapolated in adult life as well.
4. Help to Boost Creativity and Learning
Creativity is an important part of life. The more creative you are, the more are the chances of you standing out of the crowd and doing something unique, which will have useful implications in the long run. Being with nature for a more extended period help to stir up the child’s imaginative part of the brain, and they tend to come up with new ideas and artistic innovations. This is mostly enhanced by the fact that a child is much more inquisitive of what is around him or her than an adult, and they tend to notice more as well. They also learn fast in the process as their minds are fresh and receptive to much more information than normal.
5. Inculcate a Love for Nature
Nature is an integral part of the survival of all living beings. It needs to be nurtured and preserved as much as possible. As a child, when you play outdoors, you are in close association with nature. Being on the lap of it for a longer period leads to the development of love and attachment with nature. The way things are progressing these days, nature is depleting at an alarming rate. Considering the present scenario, inculcating a love for nature is very important from a young age itself. Kids will become more aware when they are in touch with nature for long and take steps to address issues like deforestation and global warming, which are actually pressing issues at the moment, all around the world. Thus, kids playing outdoors can actually improve the situation.
6. Improve Vision
Perspective in life is everything. Developing the correct perspective at the right time is very important, and outdoor games have a vital role to play in it. Children staying indoors are not really interested in what is going on outside their walls. On the other hand, once a child steps out of the comfort of the home, they observe and develop opinions. Their way of facing and handling problems and coming at a solution fast is a huge learning curve and help improve their vision. If you consider the physical aspect of it as well, they become aware of the utilities of exercising, and they continue to do it throughout their life, which is a very healthy practice.
