(Newswire.net — October 2, 2018) — Do your kids spend enough time outdoors? If they’re like most youth today, the answer is probably no – and what time they do spend outside may be spent on the field, practicing for an organized sport. Free play is virtually non-existent, which is unfortunate since outdoor play is important to childhood development.
Rather than exploring the outdoors, American kids spend about 7 hours a day in front of a screen, whether that’s playing phone games, doing school work on a computer, or watching TV. In comparison, they spend 4 to 7 minutes engaged in outdoor free play. So what are kids missing out on when they don’t play outside?
The Reward Of Risk Taking
One of the most important things that children learn by engaging in unstructured outdoor play is how to take appropriate risks. In other words, they learn to assess their environment and their own limits, and this has positive effects on their confidence in all areas. They’re more likely to raise their hands in school, be willing to try new activities, and when something goes wrong, they’re more resilient than their peers.
Too many children today are discouraged from taking risks. Parents may be overprotective, warning them against climbing higher on a jungle gym or into a tree, running on concrete, or even playing without supervision. When we discourage children from taking risks, we prevent them from learning important skills that they’ll use into adulthood. Instead of warning kids away from outdoor risks, we should be encouraging them to travel with friends and teaching basic first aid skills so that they can enjoy their adventures safely. It’s okay if a grade schooler needs to apply his own band-aids.
Play Is Part Of Health
Another reason many children don’t spend much time playing outside today is that most live in urban environments. According to the most recent census, about 80% of Americans live in urban areas. These children may have to cross busy roads or highways or take public transit to get to green spaces where they can play, and most public officials discourage children from playing outside unsupervised. Parents have even been arrested for allowing children to play alone in parks.
In order to get in touch with the environment, many families need to travel to a National Park or other formal outdoor space – and this takes planning. If you’re traveling with very young children, you’ll want to stay at a campsite near a park, lake, or trail. Young children can get tired quickly and your campsite will give them a place to rest. If you’re exploring a smaller park, choose one near home so that you don’t have to travel too far when they get tired.
If you live in an urban area, it’s important to make spending time in parks and other outdoor areas a top priority, as outdoor activities encourage physical activity, mental wellness, and can reduce health disparities. Research shows that children who live near parks are physically healthier than those who live at a greater distance, and children from urban areas can suffer significant negative health effects from pollution and poor air quality. Parks, especially those outside of cities, are a literal breath of fresh air.
Driving Physical Development
During infancy, we tend to obsess over how our children are developing. Doctors track whether they’re reaching milestones appropriately and we make notes in baby books and read websites to find out when infants should roll over or stand independently. As children grow, however, we can get lax about monitoring their physical development.
According to doctors today, many children have weak hands and fingers from using too much technology. This poses problems when they get to school because they struggle to grip pencils and use scissors. This can slow down other aspects of their academic development as they struggle to master basic motor skills.
Outdoor play is critical to both fine and gross motor skill development, and this is where children’s more sedentary lives are causing a serious problem. Toddlers should be able to support their body weight with their hands and begin learning to jump, kick, catch, and balance. These skills prime them for preschool, when they’ll begin cutting and coloring, as well as participating in household chores. A child who doesn’t practice balancing outside may have a hard time carrying a tray without spilling things. And it’s harder for children to learn these skills as they get older.
Kids need to to take risks, build physical strength, and create healthy habits if they’re going to be well-adjusted, confident adults – and those skills start outside. It’s time to shift play from the screen to the green so that kids can reach their full potential.