{"id":10483,"date":"2019-07-05T17:53:22","date_gmt":"2019-07-05T17:53:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/?p=10483"},"modified":"2019-07-05T17:53:22","modified_gmt":"2019-07-05T17:53:22","slug":"5-reasons-kids-should-play-outside-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/?p=10483","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons Kids Should Play Outside More"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo: \u00a9FatCamera \u2013 iStock.com<\/p><\/div>\n

(StatePoint) Whether it\u2019s dance lessons, computer projects, art class or yoga, kids these days are busy bees. And while such activities are enriching and fun, experts say that many kids aren\u2019t spending enough time doing something much simpler and every bit as important as structured programming: playing outdoors.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinding time for the kids to play outside can be such a challenge for parents,\u201d says Keri Wilmot, a pediatric occupational therapist and an expert contributor to\u00a0TheGeniusOfPlay.org<\/a>. \u201cAs a parent I worry about \u2018stranger danger\u2019 or whether my kids will be able to navigate social issues on their own. Without spontaneity, playtime has lost some of it\u2019s fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Outdoor play is necessary for healthy child development, according to The Genius of Play. The initiative, whose mission is to raise awareness about the importance of play and help parents make play a critical part of raising their kids, is sharing five benefits of unstructured outdoor playtime:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Physical Development:<\/strong>\u00a0Research has shown that physically active kids tend to be leaner and healthier, while an inactive childhood can lead to a sedentary (and likely unhealthy) lifestyle in adulthood. Furthermore, physical play builds gross and fine motor skills necessary for success in school and beyond. Hanging from the monkey bars, for instance, helps kids develop the hand muscles needed to grip a pencil.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Risk-Taking:<\/strong>\u00a0Through outdoor play, children are given the opportunity to step outside their comfort zones and try new things. While taking risks won\u2019t always lead to success on the first try, moments like a first bike ride without training wheels, or the first trip down the big slide in the playground, are critical for building the confidence and resilience needed to pursue a future career, start a business, or handle life\u2019s many challenges.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Social Skills:<\/strong>\u00a0Childhood games played outdoors can help build social skills and teach kids to follow directions. From games as simple as tag, to those with more complicated rules, like \u201cKick the Can,\u201d \u201cCapture the Flag,\u201d and sports like soccer and basketball, communication, teamwork and other important social skills are developed during outdoor play.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Problem Solving:<\/strong>\u00a0Children\u2019s imaginations are often stimulated by the world around them. Being outside widens their horizons and can encourage kids to tap into their creativity in order to come up with solutions to challenges, such as learning how to build a sandcastle or figuring out how to climb up a jungle gym.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Reducing Stress:<\/strong>\u00a0So much outdoor play involves physical activity, thrilling moments and a sense of freedom, all of which can boost endorphins, helping to lower stress levels and reduce anxiety and depression. Interestingly, simply touching dirt when creating mud pies or digging for worms can be beneficial. According to a Bristol University study, certain types of \u201cfriendly\u201d bacteria in soil have been found to activate the group of neurons that produce serotonin, which contributes to a feeling of well-being and happiness. So, don\u2019t be afraid to let your kids get a bit dirty out there!<\/p>\n

For play ideas, expert advice and other play resources, visit\u00a0TheGeniusOfPlay.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Playtime is essential for children. To promote health, happiness and confidence, be sure some of it is spent outdoors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(StatePoint) Whether it\u2019s dance lessons, computer projects, art class or yoga, kids these days are busy bees. And while such activities are enriching and fun, experts say that many kids aren\u2019t spending enough time doing something much simpler and every bit as important as structured programming: playing outdoors. \u201cFinding time for the kids to play […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-web-exclusive"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10483"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10483\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10485,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10483\/revisions\/10485"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}