Outside Playtime - Why Children Should Play Outside
Mother Nature waits for the outside playtime.
She invites us and our children with open arms.
Her basket is full of riches for children to explore and learn from their experiences.
After all, the amenities available in present times are because we had time to explore nature in yester years.
Electronic advancements have locked children in the loneliness of multimedia communication system.
Their identity is lost in the web world, where means are there but communication is lacking, images are there but human contact is missing, and voices are heard but friends are lost.
Have you seen children walking to the play ground? No, they are always running! They are bursting with excitement.
Outdoor playtime brings excitement in their voice and spring in their movements.
The sound of their laughter and chatter enlivens the environment.
Extreme urbanization, modern lifestyle, protective parenting and electronic developments have consumed children's outdoor playtime.
The major part of our world lies outdoors, and children too need to explore beyond the four walls of the house.
The sharp active senses in children make them naturally inquisitive.
They love to explore their surroundings.
The four walled spaces are very restrictive.
Outside play time widens their horizon and brings them close to nature.
Nature has its own educational value.
Children stumble upon numerous playground experiences, each leaving a lasting imprint on their mind.
Children love to tread on the forbidden territories.
Often they stroll off to some distant corner and successfully retreat back.
This helps them overcome their fears and phobias.
The ability to cope with strangers at strange places re-enforces their self-regulation, self-concept and self-confidence.
They jump and fall; yet they dance and hum, and learn to deal with joy that is mingled with pain of slips.
In the process they also learn to forget and forgive, all on their own accord! Children who play outdoors are never lonely.
Outside playtime offers unrestricted opportunity to get acquainted with new contacts of different age groups.
Being able to deal with different people successfully boosts their self-esteem and personality development.
On the play ground children find friends; real friends, not chat room abstracts.
Together they play and organize group sports.
They learn to cope with peer pranks and develop sportsmanship.
It is on the playground that friends are discovered: an hour of play together develops more comradeship than a year of chatting.
The emotional stability and openness thus achieved enables children to develop healthy relationships.
At home, in comparison to the parents, children often evaluate themselves as physically deficient.
This fear disappears during the outside playtime.
Participating in teams of outdoor games gives children the sense of fitness and accomplishment.
Playing outdoors generates tremendous muscular activity that refines children's motor skills and cognitive capabilities.
It also improves blood circulation and strengthens heart and lungs' functions.
Sunshine enriches their vitamin D stores, enhances their immunity and stabilizes their hormones.
Outdoor activities have been reported to reduce eyes strain.
"The higher prevalence of myopia in east Asian cities seems to be associated with increasing educational pressures, combined with life-style changes, which have reduced the time children spend outside," says Prof.
Ian G Morgan (The Lancet 5 May 2012).
Another study that featured in the research journal, Environmental Science and Technology on February 4th 2011, found that compared with exercising indoors, exercising in natural environments was associated with greater feelings of revitalisation, increased energy and positive engagement, together with decreases in tension, confusion, anger and depression.
The beneficial effect of outside playtime on mental wellbeing is further emphasised by University of Illinois researchers, Andrea Faber Taylor and Frances Ming Kuo.
Their study concluded that children with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder), who regularly play outdoors in areas with green grass and trees have milder symptoms than those who play indoors or in-built outdoor environments.
Games increase creativity, and outside playtime inputs spark children's creativity to new heights.
Even their subconscious minds are active, always imbibing some lesson, and realizing the joy of knowing.
This sensitive receptivity allows them, without any strain, to master language usage in various social situations.
Outside playtimes, in spite of fights and injuries, is remembered only as all fun.
They experience feelings of freedom, failure, and success! Ability to share empathy, affection and responsibilities seeps in naturally in their dealings.
Judgment and decision-making gets sharpened with each stroke.
Why children should play out? Is going for picnic not fun? Eating out on the grass away from home, is so refreshing! So is the outside play time for children.
If a child does not enjoy playing out, then we need to modify outdoor activities to her liking and investigate into possibility of social conflicts.
The activities that children can achieve outdoors are not possible indoors.
Let them loose.
She invites us and our children with open arms.
Her basket is full of riches for children to explore and learn from their experiences.
After all, the amenities available in present times are because we had time to explore nature in yester years.
Electronic advancements have locked children in the loneliness of multimedia communication system.
Their identity is lost in the web world, where means are there but communication is lacking, images are there but human contact is missing, and voices are heard but friends are lost.
Have you seen children walking to the play ground? No, they are always running! They are bursting with excitement.
Outdoor playtime brings excitement in their voice and spring in their movements.
The sound of their laughter and chatter enlivens the environment.
Extreme urbanization, modern lifestyle, protective parenting and electronic developments have consumed children's outdoor playtime.
The major part of our world lies outdoors, and children too need to explore beyond the four walls of the house.
The sharp active senses in children make them naturally inquisitive.
They love to explore their surroundings.
The four walled spaces are very restrictive.
Outside play time widens their horizon and brings them close to nature.
Nature has its own educational value.
Children stumble upon numerous playground experiences, each leaving a lasting imprint on their mind.
Children love to tread on the forbidden territories.
Often they stroll off to some distant corner and successfully retreat back.
This helps them overcome their fears and phobias.
The ability to cope with strangers at strange places re-enforces their self-regulation, self-concept and self-confidence.
They jump and fall; yet they dance and hum, and learn to deal with joy that is mingled with pain of slips.
In the process they also learn to forget and forgive, all on their own accord! Children who play outdoors are never lonely.
Outside playtime offers unrestricted opportunity to get acquainted with new contacts of different age groups.
Being able to deal with different people successfully boosts their self-esteem and personality development.
On the play ground children find friends; real friends, not chat room abstracts.
Together they play and organize group sports.
They learn to cope with peer pranks and develop sportsmanship.
It is on the playground that friends are discovered: an hour of play together develops more comradeship than a year of chatting.
The emotional stability and openness thus achieved enables children to develop healthy relationships.
At home, in comparison to the parents, children often evaluate themselves as physically deficient.
This fear disappears during the outside playtime.
Participating in teams of outdoor games gives children the sense of fitness and accomplishment.
Playing outdoors generates tremendous muscular activity that refines children's motor skills and cognitive capabilities.
It also improves blood circulation and strengthens heart and lungs' functions.
Sunshine enriches their vitamin D stores, enhances their immunity and stabilizes their hormones.
Outdoor activities have been reported to reduce eyes strain.
"The higher prevalence of myopia in east Asian cities seems to be associated with increasing educational pressures, combined with life-style changes, which have reduced the time children spend outside," says Prof.
Ian G Morgan (The Lancet 5 May 2012).
Another study that featured in the research journal, Environmental Science and Technology on February 4th 2011, found that compared with exercising indoors, exercising in natural environments was associated with greater feelings of revitalisation, increased energy and positive engagement, together with decreases in tension, confusion, anger and depression.
The beneficial effect of outside playtime on mental wellbeing is further emphasised by University of Illinois researchers, Andrea Faber Taylor and Frances Ming Kuo.
Their study concluded that children with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder), who regularly play outdoors in areas with green grass and trees have milder symptoms than those who play indoors or in-built outdoor environments.
Games increase creativity, and outside playtime inputs spark children's creativity to new heights.
Even their subconscious minds are active, always imbibing some lesson, and realizing the joy of knowing.
This sensitive receptivity allows them, without any strain, to master language usage in various social situations.
Outside playtimes, in spite of fights and injuries, is remembered only as all fun.
They experience feelings of freedom, failure, and success! Ability to share empathy, affection and responsibilities seeps in naturally in their dealings.
Judgment and decision-making gets sharpened with each stroke.
Why children should play out? Is going for picnic not fun? Eating out on the grass away from home, is so refreshing! So is the outside play time for children.
If a child does not enjoy playing out, then we need to modify outdoor activities to her liking and investigate into possibility of social conflicts.
The activities that children can achieve outdoors are not possible indoors.
Let them loose.
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