Outdoor Play

Would you like to encourage more outdoor time for your kids? Unsure how to get the kids away from the screens? Want some easy tips for outdoor activities? 50 Things to Know to Get Kids Outdoors by Stephanie Durrant offers an approach to creating fun, healthy outdoor activities that will get kids active.

Today's kids have adopted sedentary lifestyles filled with television, video games, and computer screens. But more and more, studies show that children need "rough and tumble" outdoor play in order to develop their sensory, motor, and executive functions. Disturbingly, a lack of movement has been shown to lead to a number of health and cognitive difficulties, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), emotion regulation and sensory processing issues, and aggressiveness at school recess break.

We are living in highly evolved times. However, all the progress we enjoy come at a high cost, especially when it comes to our children’s ability to engage with the world around them. According to the Child Mind Institute, the average American child “spends about 4 to 7 minutes a day playing outside and over 7 hours a day in front of a screen”. That, in itself, is a significant cause for alarm. Playing outdoors isn’t just a great past-time, it’s also necessary for kids’ overall happiness, focus, and mental health.