OUTDOORS & HEALTH

When I was a kid, summer vacations used to be a most awaited time for me. I could go out to my nani’s place and can visit the farms (natural beauty), play in the garden with my friends until the sun went down. I kept myself quite occupied without any of today’s modern technologies.

Now, exams are about to finish and there are hundreds of television stations, video games, and interactive Web sites that will keep kids occupied for hours on end. Kids staying indoors for a long period of time have prolonged negative effects extending far beyond childhood. They start missing something that is essential for their health and development. Parents think that their child is safe and will not develop any health problems if they stay indoors all the time. The truth is that a child who spends more time indoors gets subjected to Social, Physical and Emotional problems.

There are many health benefits that make outdoor play great for children.

Ø  Control childhood obesity

The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing; Part of this huge increase is contributed to less outdoor. It's hard to get enough active play and exercise if you're always inside playing video games or watching TV. And without enough exercise, kids can become overweight.

Ø  Bone health

Vitamin D increases with outdoor exposure to the sun. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends just 10 minutes of early morning sun exposure per day for a good daily vitamin D dose. Vitamin D helps in calcium absorption, protect children from heart disease, diabetes and bone problems.

Ø  Reduce stress

Spending time outdoors has been linked with lower stress levels in children. Playing outdoor games for at least 30 minutes every day can do wonders to refresh and rejuvenate physically and mentally.

Ø  Promote creative and innovation

Outdoors, a child learns on multiple levels with each new adventure (Burdette and Whitaker, 2005). With all of the imaginary castles, lands, creatures, the brain develops at a much faster rate than for those who play indoors. There are numerous effects. Not only do they become better learners, and do well in school, but they are more fun to be around (i.e. they make more friends)

Benefits of outdoor games:

Physical development

·         Physical strength

·         Balance

·         Muscular strength

·         Hand eye coordination

·         Flexibility

·         Weight control

·         Cardiovascular endurance

Social development

·         Citizenship

·         Discipline

·         Teamwork

·         Leadership

·         Confidence boosting

·         Communication skills development

·         Feeling of freedom

·         Awareness

Few examples of outdoor games:

Tracking, Cycling, Walking, Gardening, Hide and seek, Jump rope, Ice water, Sports like cricket, football, basketball, badminton etc.

It’s good for our kids to be outside more often. As a parent, it’s our responsibility to provide varied opportunities for outdoor play, exploration and games.

By- Raksha Goyal