5 Benefits of Outdoor Play for Kids

Do you want your child to grow up healthy, stable, and generally well-rounded as a person? According to many scientific studies, one great way to help them develop into such an individual is by allowing them to spend a lot of time playing outside, preferably in the company of other children the same age as they are. No matter if it’s playing with a trampoline in the backyard, spending time in a playground, or even playing a team sport—all these counts as outdoor play. You can also make use of the popular and safe outdoor playsets to have more fun.

That being said, it’s understandable to be reluctant with the idea of your child playing outdoors. After all, the indoors are arguably much safer, and it’s easier to look after them when they’re stationary and engrossed with their favorite gadgets, videogames, or TV shows. While this is somewhat true, you are also denying them many benefits of outdoor play that could help them become more prepared for challenges later in life. Here are some of them.

It gets your child to be physically active

The biggest and most obvious benefit to getting your kid to play outside regularly is that it keeps them moving. This is important, as it minimizes the chance of them developing a sedentary lifestyle—one in which they get used to just sitting around the house for hours on end. Such a lifestyle is definitely a risk factor for childhood obesity, which in turn can saddle them with a lot of costly health conditions in the long run. As such, do your child a favor by switching off that videogame and having them play around with the monkey bars for kids playset that you’ve installed in your backyard. They’ll thank you when they’re older!

It gets your child the sunshine they need

When your child plays outdoors, especially under great and sunny weather, it exposes them to quite a bit of healthy sunshine. Not only does it prevent them from looking sickly pale, but it also helps their body create Vitamin D, an essential vitamin that contributes to many biological processes, such as developing strong bones and keeping the immune system active. What’s more, getting enough sunshine also helps their body recognize when it’s day and night so that when the latter comes rolling in, their body knows that it’s time to relax and get ready for bed. Nurturing the circadian rhythm like this contributes to a steady and overall more restful sleep, something that’s crucial to the healthy growth of your child.

It exposes your child to situations where they can develop social skills

Another great benefit of your child playing outdoors is that it helps them develop positive social traits and skills early on. By just allowing them to mingle and play with other children in an unstructured play session, your child will learn how to make friends, introduce themselves to other kids, take turns, and even share their belongings. It will also teach your child how to better communicate with others, especially with individuals who are younger or older than they are.

It lets your child expend their extra energy

One headache you may often have with your child is how they seem to have such a boundless amount of reserve energy. Allowing them to play outside lets them expend that energy in a productive and active way, rather than in a destructive manner (such as with acting out or kicking up a tantrum). This ultimately results in a more well-behaved and more well-rounded child.

It teaches your child important life lessons

Finally, when your kids play outdoors, you are exposing them to unique opportunities that will help them grow with character. Such opportunities may involve them getting hurt—be it tripping and skinning their knee or even breaking their arm as a worst-case scenario. But as heartbreaking as this is for a parent to see, it’s also important in a child’s overall development that they are exposed to life’s inevitabilities rather than simply being sheltered from it. By being aware of such things, they will grow up mindful of the lessons they’ll learn, and they’ll be able to tackle any challenge they’ll face in the future with confidence.

Playing outdoors is an essential activity for the growth of a child

Don’t deprive your child of essential life experiences that will ultimately benefit them in the long run just because you want them to stay safe. Doing so may, in fact, hinder their personal growth and development to the point that it may carry through to their adult lives. Let your child play outdoors, and allow them to grow up the way they’re meant to.