Why Outdoor Play is Important to Childhood Development
Children seem to love nothing more than running around outside — enjoying the fresh air and perhaps jumping in a water puddle or two. Why does this seem to fulfill something that is missing for them? Research shows that outdoor play is crucial to your child’s learning and growth due to a variety of factors, such as the facile reflexes that develop due to additional senses being stimulated through touch and feel. When children have first-hand access to their natural environment, they are learning details that are difficult if not impossible to teach in a more structured classroom setting.
Outdoor Play Improves Physical Development
Coordination is a key skill that begins to be developed when children are very tiny and continues to expand as they grow. Playing outdoors allows children the freedom and space to practice motions that require coordination. Some great examples are running, jumping, skipping, hopping, balancing as they walk along a line and even throwing. Without adequate outdoor time, you may find that these skills come more slowly to children.
Boosting Imagination
Outdoors, a leaf becomes a boat for a fairy queen while a stick can be a mighty sword or shield. Children thrive on having plenty of time available for imaginative play, and the great outdoors has an infinite number of items that can be leveraged in new and interesting ways to spark the imagination of your young ones. This unstructured time is an opportunity for creating lifelong friendships and learning how to interact with others, too.
Improving Health and Wellness
The fresh air and activity allow children to expand their lung capacity and work their muscles — two things that are tough to do when they’re inside the majority of their day! Physical exercise helps children maintain a healthy weight and can reduce the tendency towards weight-related illnesses in their later years. The benefits of outdoor play are endless, which is one of the reasons that we incorporate fresh air and activity into our days as often as possible at Creative Corner Child Care Center. We see the benefits first-hand and are always encouraging our children to take advantage of this opportunity. Contact us today by calling (615) 581-0157 or filling out our quick online form to learn more.
