Encouraging your Children to Play Outside

Thank you to our sponsor for this great post. My son has been struggling with an autoimmune disease and the doctor actually wrote on his prescription for my son to go outside for at least an hour everyday. This article has some great advise!

Unfortunately fewer and fewer children seem to be playing outside nowadays, which is becoming a real issue. Instead of being out with friends they spend most of their time in front of the computer or tablet inside their houses, all by themselves. However, young minds need more physical activity and interaction with others in places like parks and playgrounds to grow both physically and mentally.

Encouraging your children to play outside is a key to their cognitive and physical development. Studies today show that if your kids don’t spend enough time outdoors with friends it might lead to all kinds of problems, including various health issues. Some of these ailments include obesity, diabetes, depression and irritability.

The good news, though, is that they can be prevented with even the smallest changes to your children’s lifestyle! Helping your family to buy healthy food is a great way to get started on the right track to feeling good and energetic. Another idea might be to invest in traditional toys, which encourage other forms of play than the electronic ones and are much less expensive, especially thanks to Toys R Us coupons and special deals they offer. Still, it may not be easy to get your children to go outside when they are obsessed with their smartphones, video games and laptops, and it's not so difficult for kids to get addicted. But don't worry! Here are some ideas you can use to get the little ones to go outside and interact with something besides a computer.

1. If you have a backyard you can really make it a nice place for everyday use and lots of fun activities. Create an exciting area that your children will want to return to play in on a regular basis! Let them take their toys and other creative materials outdoors, such as building blocks or chalk – it can keep them busy for hours.

2. Provide your kids with a set of basic tools that they can use for exploration in the backyard. Having a little shovel and bucket gives them a way to interact with the environment. There is no need to spend a lot of time driving in the car searching for a place to play when there is one right outside your door to start exploring and have fun in!

3. If a park or playground is available in your vicinity it's also a great place to take your child to play and interact with other kids. This will help them not only build their social skills, but also provide the exercise and mental challenges a young mind really needs. Just leave all the electronics at home and let them dream, relax and de-stress in a beautiful place surrounded by nature.

4. Take a walk somewhere nearby with your children, even if it's just a store. Encourage them to have a small adventure, make up stories, create various memory games or just share whatever you see on the way and talk. It's crucial to keep providing your little one with enough stimuli so that he or she doesn't get bored.

5. You can have your children participate in some chores or activities around the house. It could be working in the garden exploring everything there is to see in nature. Give them a specific task like watering the plants to make them feel they are helping and to make them feel special. You can also assign your child to rake up some leaves, for example, but remember to let them play around. The main thing is to show your kid how much fun it is to be outside, which will inspire good habits and result in them leading a better and healthier lifestyle, even as an adult!