Remember when you couldn’t wait to get home and run outside to play? With the many distractions that bombard tour kids nowadays the urge and need to get outside to play has been replaced by the desperate need to push the button of whatever electronic toys our kids have in their rooms. This has in the past decade or so made its way into the lives of our toddlers.
With the invention of learning games on computers or tablets, it is easier for many parents to use them to keep their children busy. With the addition of concerns about safety, staying indoors is sometimes thought of as just safer.
Many studies have said that the lack of outdoor activities could be detrimental to toddlers. So, in this article, we will discuss the importance of and the benefit that outdoor play can bring to the table.
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Why Should Children Play Outside?
Toddlers learn, discover, and do new things in a multi-sensory way. When playing outside, children use all of their five senses, taking in their surroundings by observing and seeing, hearing and listening, feeling their body move at different speeds in different ways, touching new things, smelling flowers, trees, and dirt, and often tasting the same.
The more a toddler moves their body, the better equipped they are to do various tasks, listen and cooperate, and be creative.
The connection between your child’s physical sensory input, body, and brain development is hardly surprising. Plus, being outdoors allows your toddler to be in touch with nature, helping them gain a sense of freedom that builds their confidence, and allows them to learn healthy risk-taking behaviour. Why is this important? If your child never learns to take risks, they will not learn what the limits of what they can and cannot do are. This is vital to developing a well-rounded, healthy, happy child.
Outdoor Play Benefits for Toddlers
There are many obvious benefits of outdoor play. As we mentioned above, things like learning to appreciate the environment and nature are vital to the world today. By getting your child outdoors to play they will develop a love and understanding of nature especially if you make it a priority.
With this as a priority, you will be building knowledge that will grow with them and help from their habits in the future. Here are some of the other benefits of outdoor play for your toddler:
Increased Creativity
Toddlers that play indoors have a set group of toys and can develop a pattern of play that decreases creativity and imagination abilities. The stagnant use of the mind to think creatively will stifle their imagination. When your toddler plays outside there are a plethora of different things that are available for them to play with. This will develop their use of imagination which in turn will heighten their creativity levels.
Muscle Development
Your toddler’s muscles are still developing. That means that they need physical activity even more than children in later parts of their development. An indoor play routine does not stimulate muscle development like that of the physical activity that your toddler will be exposed to when playing outdoors.
Helps Promote Academic Learning
Not only will your toddler benefit physically but academically as well. Many studies have shown time outdoors will help build cognitive abilities like teamwork and conflict resolution that can help further their academic career in the future.
Stress Relief
Just like adults, your toddles experiences stress. It may not be the same as ours, but it is there. One of the best ways to help your toddler de-stress is to take them outdoors. Green spaces have been proven to help with this. So, taking your toddler out to the park is vital to their emotional health.
Helps with Their Cardio
No matter how old you are, having a good cardiovascular workout is a good thing. But your toddler can’t hit the gym and that means that they need an outlet to increase their physical activity. One of the best ways is to run and play, and though there are indoor playgrounds, why not let them benefit from the fresh air and green spaces? This way they can take advantage of not only this benefit, but the rest of the ones listed above.
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Social Skills
When your child is confined to indoor play, they may suffer from lack of exposure to other toddlers or children in general. So, taking your toddler out to play will also help build important social skills they will need to further their education and careers in the future. The interaction between your toddler and other toddlers will build the ability to share, work together, understand how to handle differences not only in opinion but also in appearance.
Environmental Awareness
Understanding nature and developing an appreciation for it has never been more important. With all these benefits, they are building abilities and awareness that will help your toddler in the later years. This benefit is no different. By being exposed to nature your toddler will be exposed to plants and trees, learning to respect and love it, especially if you make a concerted effort to make this a vital part of their education.
These are some of the many benefits that your toddler can benefit from when allowed to consistently have access to outdoor play.
Final Thoughts
Building a good routine that will serve to develop your toddler’s mental, physical and emotional intelligence is a vital consideration when beginning those formative years. By spending time with your child in the green spaces of your local park or taking a walk down to the neighbourhood playground could be just the thing to stimulate your toddler’s growth.
As parents it is our specific job to help build confidence, understanding and good habits and taking the time out of your busy day to get your toddlers into the fresh air is one of the best ways to do that.
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