Have you ever wondered how much time children spend today playing outside, in gardens, yards and playgrounds, compared to how much time they spend in front of a computer screen and TV?
The percentage is disproportionate and often even affects how children react during family outings, when instead of the company of their peers they look for their mobile phone or tablet in order to watch cartoons or play games.
This image is very common in recent years, even by infants. And while one can raise the issue of indoor safety in relation to the outdoors, especially when it comes to young children, there are some very important benefits to motivating the child to play outside.
Some reasons that playing outside is good for children:
It strengthens the immune system and makes children happier: when the weather gets colder and the day gets shorter, most parents prefer the child to stay inside to play. And yet modern research shows that children who go to school and play more outside are healthier than their non-schoolmates. External light stimulates the epigenetic gland, the part of the brain that helps maintain a strong immune system and makes us feel happier. Sun exposure also helps in the synthesis of vitamin D (also known as "sun vitamin"), which plays a key role in many body processes, including the proper functioning of the immune system and bone growth.
Improves sensory skills: Children who play outdoors often have better distant vision than those who always play indoors. In addition, they use all 5 senses of sight, touch, smell, hearing and taste to learn new things. On the other hand, children who are stuck in television and other electronic devices tend to use only two senses, hearing and sight, and this negatively affects the development of their perceptual ability.
Develop skills useful for life: Playing outdoors can greatly help children learn:
to plan to prioritize
to negotiate
to solve problems
to do many things at once not be afraid to take risks
but also to be creative using their imagination
It is a fun and effective form of exercise: Outdoors offers children the ideal environment for running, jumping, playing ball, cycling, lifting and moving objects. All of these activities require motor skills that improve with practice.
Contributes to cognitive, social and emotional development: Outdoor play, which is not based on specific rules, teaches children how to follow a series, share and develop good behavior. Children who play outside can become more inventive and tend to explore and want to learn more about the world around them, based on their own skills. At the same time, as they play with their siblings and friends, they improve their communication and organizational skills, learn the value of working together and how they should treat others.
They develop environmental awareness: Contact with nature and the changes that occur according to each season, provide children with new experiences and learning opportunities, such as the plant life cycle. Also, every child who is attached to nature is a tomorrow's adult who respects and wants to protect the environment.
Remember that germs and bacteria also circulate indoors and in fact, it is easier to catch them in an insufficiently ventilated classroom than playing outside. Copyright © Interamerican 2021
