Six benefits of outdoor activities for kids
You must have noticed that kids have a natural preference for outdoors as compared to indoors. This is in fact as nature planned it. At this stage kids are driven to have the desire to find out the abilities and limitations of their bodies. Outdoor activities including but not limited to swimming, skating, swinging, and biking satisfy the kids need for exploration and discovery while at the same time building their confidence. This is in addition to the obvious advantages of these activities to their body’s development.
The following are a few of these advantages of outdoor activities for kids:
Interaction with nature
When at a young age that is the time that man is most strongly connected to nature. This is the factor that makes kids naturally be attracted to the outdoors to interact with. They should be allowed to do this provided there is adult supervision. This experience will help the kid to love nature and even in the future understand the purpose of protecting it.
Social skills
The child will learn proper social skills by the interaction with playmates and even with adults. They will learn to respect the preferences of others by understanding that it is not all times where they will get their way. They get to learn that contrary to the atmosphere created at home when they were babies, the world does not revolve around them. Also interaction with adults helps the adult to be able to impact the right values in the child while realising in time if the child picks up any negative values.
Psycho motor development
Due to the numerous often straineous activities that kids carry out outdoors their muscles develop in strength. Again due to the variety of activities they engage in, they greatly streamline their muscle-nerve-mind co-ordination due to their continued use. As compared to other activities like watching television where only the optical nerve and the brain are stimulated, outdoor activities use a myriad of muscles and nerves concurrently. This helps to improve the co-ordination of these systems of the body.
Personal independence and spirit of competition:
Most of the outdoor activities that kids engage in are often a competition of some sort. They are either in teams or each works on his own. These activities culture in the kid the realisation that there are times in life where you have to either work independently or as part of a team to get what you want to achieve. In addition the spirit of healthy competition is cultured in them which will make them grow into ambitious adults.
General health
Due to regular exercise and detoxification through sweating, the bodies of kids who are actively engaged in outdoor activities are found to be less susceptible to attack by disease. This is because their immune system becomes stronger as their bodies produce more blood and in it more white blood cells. So allow your kids out more often and you might not have to use that ehic renewal card so often.
Stress reduction
Contrary to what most people believe kids also have issues that disturb their minds. In fact due to their limited view of the expanse of the world they are disturbed by very many issues despite how small they may seem to an adult. Adequate outdoor activity however ensures that the stress remains at manageable levels.
Outdoor activities have numerous advantages and should be encouraged especially for kids. It may be the best way to ensure good and all round development of your child. So as long as they have adult supervision and they have their sunscreen on let them go out, have fun and grow.
