According to the Child Mind Institute, kids spend more time inside these days, mostly due to technology. In fact, studies from the Kaiser Family Foundation show that the average American child only spends about 4 to 7 minutes a day playing outside and over 7 hours a day in front of a screen.
Many researchers agree that kids who play outside are happier, better at paying attention and less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors. When children spend so much time indoors watching television or on their computers, they tap only into the senses of hearing and sight. Learning that doesn’t engage the other senses often compromises children’s perceptual abilities. Here’s how outside time helps children grow smarter and stronger:
Physical Benefits
- Practicing and developing motor skills like running and jumping
- Learning to throw, catch, push, pull and carry items
- Exercising for healthy lungs and a healthy heart and burning calories
- Keeping the body’s natural clock in sync
Cognitive Benefits
- Experiencing full sensory learning with touch, smell and, yes, sometimes taste
- Developing and using imagination and creativity
- Learning to create and abide by group rules
- Supporting the ability to concentrate without pent up energy
Social Benefits
- Learning ways to self-entertain
- Developing and building communication skills
- Learning and practicing cooperation with peers
- Limiting aggressive behavior without pent up energy
Children are expected to be attentive and mindful in indoor settings ranging from home to child care to school. Being outside is a chance to let loose. Children can be as loud and messy as they’d like to be. In fact, being able to run, jump and yell releases the very youthful energy many adults crave.
Because of all the many benefits of being outdoors and how it helps make children healthier, stronger, more imaginative, and better communicators, most quality child care programs as well as the ABC Quality program now put a greater emphasis on outdoor play and learning. To learn more about these efforts, click here.