5 Reasons to Get Your Children Outside to Play

Quality outdoor play is essential for a child to develop their motor skills and much more. Playing outside gives children a break from learning and allows them to fully express their imagination. Learn about five vital benefits children get from playing outside:

Less Screen Time

Lately, it seems that more and more parents are depending on tablets or smartphones to occupy their children. Although there are benefits to children playing educational games on these devices, limit how long young children can use them.

Screen time can negatively impact the development of a child’s eyesight due to the close distance between their eyes and the screen. One study by the American Academy of Ophthalmology showed that playing outside will actually improve a child’s eyesight by 2% for every hour spent outside and curb early signs of myopia (nearsightedness). Playing outside gets your children away from the TV, tablet, or smartphone and outside breathing fresh air.

Developing Fine and Gross Motor Skills

The growth of a child’s fine and gross motor skills comes with time and increased activity. Once your child is between eight and 12 months old, they begin to show signs of fine and gross motor skill development. It’s important to help them refine those skills through sensory-based activities as they continue to get older.

How can you encourage your children to develop their fine and gross motor skills?  By creating a sensory space for them of course! Add a few fun playset accessories to your backyard swing set and give your children something to hold and grab on to as they move skillfully around their playset. Take your sensory space one step further and add a small rock wall with plastic hand holds and a climbing rope.

Discovering the Enjoyment of Being Outdoors

It’s a lot easier to get children to play outside if they enjoy it! If your children are of the age, gather up some balls and introduce them to soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis. Sports are a great way to help children enjoy the outdoors while also introducing them to new games.

Expanding their Imagination & Discharging Excess Energy

As the saying goes “kids will be kids,” and it’s up to the adults in their lives to let them be kids while they still can. Children can have wild imaginations and even more so, wild amounts of energy.

The outdoors offers unlimited possibilities to be creative. When children have bottled up energy, send them to the swing set to express their imagination by acting out a story or creating a new and exciting game.

Having the right swing set equipment for them to use as props is a necessity.  Monkey bars can be the escape route to avenge the molten lava or a moat filled with hungry alligators, while a telescope and steering wheel accessory pack are the perfect accessories to maneuver away from oncoming pirates.

Opportunities for Socialization

One of the best things for children besides playing outside, is to socialize with other children. Socializing presents them with the opportunity to practice manners and sharing. For families that only have one child, playing with other kids in the neighborhood will give them the chance to engage regularly and create new friendships.

As summer comes to an end, embrace what warm outdoor weather we have left and get the kids outside as much as possible. Consider adding a swing set to your backyard, which provides all the benefits of outdoor play.  Have any questions about our swing sets? Feel free to contact us directly.

by A Honigsberg

At Play Outdoors Canada, we provide ground, air and water activities for Canadian families to enjoy.  Located in Huntsville, Ontario in the heart of Cottage Country we offer Swing Sets, Zip Lines, NinjaLines, on the water Inflatables and so much more to make sure your family is entertained for the whole summer.