5 huge benefits of outside play

Play time is how our children learn to make sense of the world around them. When they’re running through the grass, splashing in the puddles and exploring in the bushes with their friends, they’re on their own personal learning quest. The great outdoors gives children a sense of freedom that just can’t be achieved by sitting inside. Here are five big benefits for playing outside:

1. Getting Hands On With Nature

Being immersed in the natural world is an important part of growing up. Nature is an excellent multi-sensory environment that encourages children to learn in different ways, whether that’s by planting flowers, climbing trees or investigating creepy crawlies. Involving our children in nature at a young age can help them to learn about the environment and how to take care of it.

2. Boosting Physical Well-Being

Being out in the open gives children plenty of space to get up and run around. Spending time being active improves children’s locomotor skills (walking, running, jumping), manipulative skills (throwing, catching, rolling a ball) and enhances their coordination and balance. The more time children have to practise these skills, the more physically confident they will feel.

3. Improving Social Skills

Playing in the outdoors provides plenty of social opportunities from bonding with family and friends to forming new relationships with playmates. Play time is a rich social environment, which is a key setting for learning to express individual opinions and understanding the wants, needs and values of others. Through play, children will develop a whole host of valuable social skills, such as co-operation, negotiation, flexibility, teamwork, sharing and turn taking.

4. Enhances Cognitive Ability

Did you know that outdoor play has been proven to improve test scores? Being more energetic boosts brainpower as activity enlarges the part of the brain that helps you to pay attention and, therefore, enhances cognitive ability. In fact, just 20 minutes of outside play in natural, green surroundings can help children to concentrate more in school. Studies have also shown that outdoor learning at school can significantly improve academic performance.

5. Outdoor Play is Fun!

Though outdoor play has many benefits for the body and the brain, if there’s one thing that our children need, it’s to have fun! Children are far more likely to learn new things when they are enjoying themselves. The outside world constantly offers new possibilities for learning because it is a multi-sensory and ever-changing environment.  It’s time to get our children outdoors and let them play!

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