Tips to Inspire Children to  Enjoy Outdoor Play

Encouraging children to play outdoors is a wonderful way to promote their physical development, imagination, and connection with nature. Time spent in nature and being active outdoors is beneficial to children’s health and overall well-being and helps improve their resiliency, academic performance, and social skills. Time in nature can boost children’s mood and helps them manage stress and anxiety. But children, specially in urban areas have screen time a way more than their green time, which leads to  anxiety, mental stress, and low immunity.

Here are Some Tips to Inspire Children to  Enjoy Outdoor Play:

Introduce New Activities: Introduce your child to new outdoor activities to spark their interest. Consider activities like cycling, biking, and spying game or any other sports. Show them the excitement and joy that can come from exploring the outdoors.

Go for a scvanger hunt, create a nature diary and encourage children to observe what’s happening around them by drawing what they see, and noting down anything of interest.

Be a Role Model: Children often imitate their parents' behavior. Show enthusiasm for outdoor activities and spend time engaging in them yourself. Whether it's gardening, going for walks, or playing games, let your child see your enjoyment of outdoor play. Model your behavior by limiting your own screen time around your kids.

Play with water.  If weather permits, play with water outdoors. get those hose pipes out, sprinklers, their outdoor pool, aqua play games, and have fun with the whole family if it is possible. Who doesn't love water? Summertime is best to enjoy water plays.

Water sensory play provides hours of rich and valuable early childhood experiences to develop children’s creativity and imagination. It helps in

• Developing motor skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Science and mathematics learning by hand on experiments.

Create an Outdoor Play Space: Designate a dedicated outdoor play area in your backyard or a nearby park. Fill it with age-appropriate toys, sports equipment, and engaging activities that will entice your child to spend time outdoors.

Organize Playdates: Arrange playdates with other children who enjoy outdoor play. When kids have playmates, they are more likely to engage in active outdoor games and activities. Encourage cooperative play and group games that require teamwork.

Limit Screen Time: Set reasonable limits on screen time and encourage outdoor play as an alternative. Make outdoor activities a priority and ensure that there is ample time each day. 

Consider doing indoor activities outdoors, if the weather allows. Whether it’s reading a book or playing board games, moving outside can give an activity a different level of enjoyment.

Explore Nature: Encourage your child to explore and connect with the natural world. Take nature walks, visit local parks, or go on picnics. Teach them about plants, insects, birds, and other aspects of nature, fostering their curiosity and appreciation for the environment.

Make Outdoor Play a Daily Ritual: Establish a routine that includes dedicated outdoor playtime each day. Whether it's in the morning, afternoon, or evening, make it a consistent part of your child's day. Schedule time for nature together, such as an after-dinner walk or a weekend nature hike. 

The benefit of connecting children of all ages to nature is conclusive—their social, psychological, academic and physical health is positively impacted when they have daily contact with nature. Take your kids outside and (re)discover nature in your neighbourhood. Explore different species of plants around your vicinity, and try to maintain them if possible. 

It is Time to breathe in the fresh air and get that much-needed Vitamin D!

LOVE AND SUPPORT ALWAYS...!!