Today I am super excited to welcome my new blogging friend Laura from Little Bits of Granola as a guest today. She has some fantastic ideas for engaging children outside each day. Be sure to stop by her natural living blog, Little Bits of Granola, and say hello!
I’ll be honest. I wasn’t a kid who played outside much. I literally have one single memory of playing outside as a small child. It just wasn’t something I was encouraged to do. Plus, I was discouraged from getting dirty, so that sort of put a damper on it anyway. I never thought much about it, though, until I had kids of my own. Now I try to make sure they play outdoors every day.
The great outdoors is a wonderland to children. Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more common for adults to keep children indoors year-round, and especially in colder weather. But there are so many benefits to getting your kids outside each and every day, even when it’s cold.
I’m not suggesting you force your kids out in sub-zero weather. Of course, we have to use common sense as parents. I (loosely) follow the rules that our state sets forth for childcare facilities. They say that kids should go outside for at least 20 minutes a day as long as it is above 20 degrees fahrenheit with windchill and there is no heavy precipitation. That might seem incredibly cold to you, and it is if you are just standing around. But when you are physically active, it’s not all that bad at all.
8 Reasons Your Child Should Play Outdoors Every Day
1. Better Health
The first thing you should know is that cold weather itself does NOT cause sickness. That’s a common misconception. The viruses that cause cold and flu are more prevalent during colder seasons, but that doesn’t mean they are just out there floating around in the air.
In order to catch a cold or flu, you have to come into contact with the actual virus. That happens when you touch something that a person with that virus has touched. So one might argue that being cooped up indoors with people who are sick during cold weather actually spreads sickness far more than being outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine.
You might be surprised to know that, according to the EPA, indoor air is often 2-5 (sometimes up to 100) times more polluted than outdoor air. Common sources are chemical releases from cleaners, pesticides, building materials, furniture and decor items, and radon. Getting outside really is a breath of fresh air!
Also, sunshine triggers vitamin D synthesis. Yes, you can give your child vitamin D supplements. But nothing beats the natural source for any nutrient. Vitamin D helps support a healthy immune system and helps the body to absorb calcium, promoting healthy bones (just to name a couple of the benefits). Read more about vitamin D here.
2. Learning Opportunities Galore
Your child does not need to be in a classroom to learn. So many lessons can be taken outdoors.
One of our favorite learning activities for outside is collecting various “treasures” – acorns, pinecones, rocks, leaves, etc. – and counting them, sorting them, creating patterns, creating simple math problems with them, and arranging them to create pictures. This spring and summer, we also measured our plants to see how they grew. Your kids don’t need to understand inches for this. Just get something to make marks on and they’ll see the growth.
There are just so many ways to get kids learning outdoors that it would be enough for a whole series of posts! Just search “outdoor learning” on Pinterest and you’ll find tons of great ideas.
3. The outdoors is a treasure trove to the senses!
There are so many sights, sounds, scents, and textures that kids experience outside that you just can’t recreate indoors. Sunrays, clouds, grass, flowers, birds, squirrels, trees, wind, puddles, snow, icicles, changing leaves. The list could go on and on.
Our senses work together and we learn more effectively when using multiple senses at the same time. Stimulation of the senses also enhances creativity. Getting outdoors throughout the seasons is an easy way to stimulate the senses in new ways.
4. Endless Opportunities for Imaginative Play
What’s the saying? Necessity is the mother of invention? When kids are outside playing without their structured play areas, they have no choice but to use their imaginations.
This past spring, we had a bad storm that brought down a large branch in our backyard. That branch was a monster, a cave, a superhero hideout, and a castle. And that was all in one afternoon! Rocks and leaves become money, flowers become cake decorations and jewelry, trees become giants. It’s amazing what kids will come up with when their imaginations can run wild.
And if you live somewhere with snow in winter, consider yourself lucky! I know – I can hardly believe I’m saying it myself. As a Southwest Oklahoma native, snow is not something I’m used to or particularly enjoy. But I totally see my kids’ imaginations come alive when they are sculpting with snow. Give them a squirt bottle with colored water to add to the fun!
5. They can be loud!
Forget about the indoor voices! Kids can let loose and be loud and boisterous outside! They can become less inhibited, which just helps their creativity flourish that much more.
6. They can be physically active.
Listen, I try to give my kids opportunities to be physically active inside. I even bought a mini-trampoline for 75% off during Amazon Prime Day. But it’s just not the same.
There’s nothing like running across the yard as fast as you can or kicking a ball as hard as you can or learning to swing or cross the monkey bars. Not only are these types of activity important for physical development, they also wear them out which is great for healthy sleep habits.
7. They can get dirty!
My mom did not like for me to get dirty and that was ingrained in my head. My step-mother likes to tease that the first time she took me to the lake, I asked her if it was ok if I sat down on the sand. But getting dirty is good and healthy for kids. And I find it much less stressful to let my kids get dirty outside than inside!
8. An Appreciation (and JOY!) for Nature
Nothing can instill an appreciation for God’s creations like being out in nature. Seeing the way nature works in real life is amazing and awe-inspiring. There’s simply no book or video game or TV show that can compare. And that’s coming from a bookworm!
What are your favorite ways to enjoy the outdoors with your kids?
Laura is a work-at-home wife and momma of two who believes natural-living doesn’t have to be hard, or weird, or expensive. She looks for beauty and joy in the ordinary and is on a journey toward a simpler and more content lifestyle. She shares her experiences, tips, and lessons learned over at her blog, Little Bits of Granola.
If you’d like to read more about parenting from Little Bits of Granola, you might enjoy these posts:
The Secrets to Teaching Your Shy Child to Make Friends
Natural Momma No-No’s I Violate Regularly
(Linked to Tips and Tricks, Small Victories Sunday, Share the Wealth.)
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We are about to put in an offer on a house (today!) that has an amazing backyard. We want our children to be able to play outside every single day, too.
Congratulations on the house, Michelle. I hope everything works out well!
I was just thinking that my daughter hasn’t been playing outside much lately as our schedule changed and that we need to get outdoors more. Great reminders about how important playing outside is for children! Stopping by from the Small Victories linkup.