Every parent understands the importance of outdoor play for kids. Letting your little ones run wild outside is the best thing you can do for them and the household peace. Ultimately, accidents are prone to happen when they engage in an exciting party of football in the middle of the living room.

You remember the beautiful vase you found in a vintage shop last year? Well, it’s time to wave goodbye to it because it’ll unlikely survive the rest of the day. But keeping your home safe isn’t the only reason to encourage kids to go out. 

Playing outside brings tremendous benefits for children’s development, both in terms of physical and mental health.  Indeed, outdoor plays enable them to cultivate their imagination and creativity. Children are always coming up with new games and ideas to entertain themselves. They are more likely to be creative when running outside than stuck inside on a sunny day. There is not additional entertaining device outdoor, such as a smartphone or a televisor. Therefore, the process contributes to boosting their imaginative abilities. 

Muscles need to be used to stay strong. Children who are more active tend to develop their muscle endurance and strength naturally. Simple games such as crossing the monkey bars or climbing up the rock wall have phenomenal impacts on their coordination, strength, and mental focus. A lot of children are happy to experiment with new skills as part of their outdoor games. Some may try to learn how to jump higher, while others attempt acrobatic figures in the playground. It doesn’t matter what they are doing. Children are constantly improving their coordination, space awareness, mental focus, and muscular strength when they play. 

Playing is a journey of self-discovery. A child needs to learn to play either alone or with other kids to learn essential life lessons. Taking your child to a playground can help do just that. It’s the opportunity for kids to play with partners of their age rather than with adults who may indulge them. Additionally, aside from essential social skills, children also learn to depend on themselves and their surroundings to play. Many parents wonder what to respond to when their kid says they’re bored. The right approach is not to suggest activities that you can share with them. While there’s nothing wrong with spending time with your child and playing together, if this becomes the only play option, you create a relationship of dependence. Playing outside with other kids forces your child to be independent and find solutions by themselves. 

Being active is good for your child’s development. Children are full of energy. They need to stay active to support their growing metabolism. Children are just as prone to developing soreness, back pain, and metabolic conditions if they lack physical activities. Therefore, going outside to play is the best thing you can do to keep them healthy. Besides, direct sunlight encourages the production of vitamin D, which is essential to maintain bodily functions. Vitamin D plays a massive role in the immune system, growth, and mood regulation. Remember, of course, to protect their fragile skin. 

Finally, children use games to learn how to socialize with each other. Playing outdoor means they are more likely to meet other kids and learn how to include them in games. Reaching out to others, sharing ideas, and cooperating are social skills that can only be learned through play. 

However, a lot of parents fail to realize how vital outdoor activities can be to their own well-being. Whether you want to improve your physical health or manage mental well-being, spending time outdoors as an adult can have similar benefits. Are you ready to explore the possibility of self-improvement that the outside world has to offer? 

Outdoor Fun as a Family

Creativity

Nature is one of the most potent sources of inspiration and creativity you can find. It’s enough to say that being in nature is observing a creative process that is constantly renewing itself. Nothing stays the same. Plants grow, clouds pass, the light changes. Nature is always rediscovering itself and surprising us. There is no established convention in the natural world. Nature is adaptive and adjusts to every need as they arise. The tree that bents to find sunlight in a crowded forest, the stream that changes its path to avoid obstacles. Every in nature screams creative problem-solving. That’s what makes it such an eye-opening experience for creativity. 

Additionally, the presence of nature encourages the mind to relax. Being in nature reduces mental fatigue. You feel more connected and positive, which instantly boosts your creativity and imagination. It’s no wonder that artists like to spend time walking in the middle of natural landscapes. We recognize ourselves as a part of a larger whole, taking inspiration from Mother Nature’s own solutions. Leonardo Da Vinci founds the idea to most of his inventions in nature, from the helicopter to the diving suit. 

Strength

Exercising outdoors adds a unique challenge to your fitness routine. When you go to a gym, you are in control of everything that surrounds you. You can control the treadmill’s speed, its inclination, and even the fans bolted on the front. You decide how much you want to exercise until you are ready to drive back home. Moving your workout outside changes the conditions. You can train your body to respond to new challenges, such as the air pressure, the wind, the temperature, the road, etc. Building up mileage outdoors, for instance, enhances your performance as your body needs to adapt to new obstacles. You are more likely to improve your strength and endurance outside than practicing during the same period inside a gym studio. While it doesn’t mean gym workouts are not effective (they are), outdoor sports have more positive results. Ideally, you’ll need to focus on specialist sportswear that will provide all the support you need for outdoor fitness. This will include weatherproof items, highly supportive shoes and underwear, and fast-drying apparel. 

Independence

What does the typical day look like? We often fall into the trap of a sedentary lifestyle. After a long day at work, we can’t think of anything more relaxing than a Netflix and chill evening. The clue is in the name! Entertainment systems have a significant place inside our homes. Whether it’s the video game console, the TV, or even your smartphone, you tend to think of these activities as the best way to relax and kill time. Unfortunately, the behavior also creates a dependence on technology. Have you ever felt lost, lonely, and bored without your smartphone? It’s time to reclaim our tech independence. Turn the TV off, put the phone down, and steep outside. You don’t need to ban technology from your life. But you have to create tech-free pockets where you can recharge your energy at peace. In the long term, it encourages you to become more active when it comes to entertainment, thinking, and relaxing. 

Physical health

Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD for short, is directly linked to the presence of sunlight. As a rule of thumb, you should spend at least 20 minutes outside every day to make the most of the sunshine. Contrary to common belief, you will still benefit from going outside, even on a cloudy or rainy day. Your body produces vitamin D, a natural antidepressant when it is exposed to direct sunlight. It’s important as well to remember that sunscreen protection doesn’t affect the production of vitamin D.  

Vitamin D also helps maintain your immune system. Medical experts believe that lockdown during the pandemic has increased the vulnerability to diseases by weakening the immune system, naming lack of direct sun exposure as one of the main reasons. 

Being outside also helps reduce blood pressure and heart rate. The great outdoor acts as natural stress relief. Stress, as you know, doesn’t only affect the mind. It can be an invisible enemy that damages your physical health. Stress relief can support cardiovascular health, muscle strength, digestion, skin health, and even sleep quality. 

Social interactions

Last but not least, it makes sense that you need to go outside your home to boost your social skills. Even though the pandemic has increased the popularity of video calls and digital interactions, nothing beats the benefits of face-to-face meetings. Indeed, you can join an outdoor sports class to stay fit while making new friends. The positive environment encourages you to build a bond with the people in the same group. Comparatively, classes in gym clubs are less likely to foster friendship. Indeed, you will find yourself talking with people as everyone is more likely to stick around after the class. Besides, it’s easy to arrange for an afternoon out with the kids. You only need to pack a few snacks and head to the park. There’s a sense of playfulness that brings people together in a way that simply wouldn’t exist indoors. 

In many ways, outdoor fun reminds us of the joys of socializing outside of the workplace. You can make friends along your jogging route every day or simply cheer a stranger riding up a hill. Being out and about reminds us that we are social creatures. 

Are you ready to join your kids outside? There is so much we can gain from spending more time outdoor. From peace of mind to a strong body, going outside helps us grow every day a little bit more.