Importance of outdoor play in early childhood

Is outdoor play good or bad? I know a lot of parents worry about whether to let their kids out to play or not, with their concern being that their kids might get injured or end up with germs.

Well, in today's write-up, we will try to look at outdoor play in early childhood and try to find out if it is actually important for kids or if it should not be encouraged.

But first, let's look at the importance of playing for kids and the benefits that come with it.

Importance of playing to children

There are numerous benefits children get from playing either at home or school, and here are a few;

1. It helps children learn;

Classroom learning is not the only way children learn; they do from playing too. 

According to Professor Jeffrey Trawick-Smith, an expert trained in early childhood education, ''Play is one of the best predictors of social and intellectual development in young children''.

That being said, I believe playing gives children the opportunity to learn more about how the world around them works as they experiment with different things.

2. Helps build foundation skills;

As mentioned above, play creates the opportunity for children to build basic foundation skills that they will need in life.

Such skills can include the ability to talk, walk, and many others can all start from playing.

3. Creates the opportunity to socialize;

This is also one of the basic skills in life that is crucial for children to learn, and playing creates a good opportunity for that to take place.

They will be able to make new friends on their own based on their own preferences or liking.

4. Play influences success in school;

By using play, teachers can help children build basic foundational skills such as writing, reading, or math, just to mention a few.

For this reason, it is important for parents to give their children room or allocate time for them to play and learn in the process.

Now back to the reason for this article, which is the importance of outdoor play in early childhood and to ascertain once and for all whether it should be encouraged or not.

Importance of outdoor play for children

Not to jump the gun, I conducted a small survey by asking a group of people online what they think about this topic, and their answers all indicated that play is very important and has helped them as adults.

A woman commented that growing up, her parents kept her indoors and do not like the idea of allowing her to go outside to play; according to her, this has greatly affected her life because she easily falls ill as a result.

Another also was of the view that most kids who grew up without playing outside or, as she termed it, ''kids who grew up in bubbles'' tend to fall ill quickly, with most of her friends as examples.

But here is my take on just a few of the numerous importance of outdoor play for children below;

1. Exposes them to vitamin D;

Vitamin D is one of the crucial vitamins the body needs to help build strong bones and the immune system, plus also help with muscle growth; all these come from exposure to the sun, especially in the early hours of the day, which is one reason to encourage your children to play outside.

2. Creativity;

Children love to explore and try their hands on different things, and the outdoors gives them endless possibilities to use their imaginations to create the experience they want.

3. Improved motor skills;

By putting their hands at trying different things whiles playing outdoors, children will be able to develop essential motor skills like coordination and agility.

In the case where your child finds it difficult to walk, if it's due for him to do so, pushing him in a swing is a great way of helping his motor skills to develop quickly because swinging helps in engaging all the muscles needed to get him to stand and walk.

4. Reduces anxiety and stress;

If your child suffers from anxiety, taking them outside to play can be one great way of helping them.

Exercising helps a lot in releasing chemicals that help regulate our mental health. A minimum of 10 minutes of playing outdoors can have a significant impact on the emotional and psychological well-being of the child.

5. Encourages physical fitness;

Allowing children to play outside contributes greatly to their physical fitness and health as a whole. Encourage them to run, jump and climb as they play outdoors because this helps in the critical development of bones, stability, and muscle.