Why outdoor imaginative play is so significant to your child’s development?
Outdoor imaginative play is very important for kids. When a child role-plays experiences of his/her interests, such as playing school with their toys, either alone or with other kids, that’s considered imaginative play. It keeps them physically and mentally fit. When they go outside, they find a lot to explore and become curious about the things around them. Their level of imagination gets stronger and their exposure to the natural environment boosts their immunity.
But sadly, today’s kids spend the most time in front of the screens rather than playing outdoors. Their lifestyle has become sedentary which is causing great consequences for their health. We are living in an era where parents hand over phones and tablets to their kids which makes them lazy, less active, and such kids are unaware of outdoor play and this is the reason why they remain physically unwell.
However, to tackle this problem kids need to experience outdoor imaginative playing. This is not only fun but also plays a vital role in the child’s development.
Importance of imaginative playing on physical health:
Physical fitness is very important for kids and it can only be achieved if they spend most of their time playing outside. Outdoor playing has a positive impact on the child’s weight, physical strength, and immune system. Those kids whose most of the time is spent in outdoor activities at an early age, turn out to be strong physically and mentally in the future. The imaginative playing exhibits the following attributes;
- Good Health:
The outdoor playing keeps the kids strong. When they go out and play, their body weight remains stable and perfect according to their age while those kids whose most time is spent in front of the screen, are at risk of obesity.
Furthermore, going outside has another benefit that it helps kids in taking in the sunlight. Sunlight is essential for a strong body. So, exposure to sunlight improves health, mood, and strengthens the immune system.
- Development of Motor Skills:
Leaving kids outdoors to play leads to some changes that kids who remain indoors don’t have. When the kids go out to play, their muscles face some challenging changes and become strong such as, kids when outside, they have space to run, jump, crawl under the bushes climb on the trees, and vice- versa.
Furthermore, when you give your kids electronic toy cars or bikes they learn to move their hands and shoulders when riding those vehicles. Hence, allowing kids to play leads to the strengthening of their body and they become confident.
Importance of imaginative playing on social development:
Imaginative playing doesn’t only have a good impact on physical development but there are good chances of your kid becoming socially active. Here are some advantages to ponder on;
- Develop openness with the parents:
Kids who are kept indoors and do not go out to play are most likely to become agitated when facing strangers. Whereas, kids who go out and play develop an ability to make good connections with anyone. They become extroverts and never feel weird in front of others. Imaginative outdoor playing brings them close to their loved ones and they can openly talk to them about anything.
- Love for nature and environment:
Kids who have spent most of their childhood playing outside turn out to be the most amazing adults as they have love for the environment they’re living in. As they have spent most of their time outside they know how to deal with nature, how to look after the plants and animals because they have firsthand knowledge about it.
They are the ones who have experienced birds flying, squirrels chasing each other, rabbits running here and there. They have planted trees, watered them, and have seen them turning into blooming plants. So, when they grow up they love preserving the spaces they have played in.
Importance of imaginative playing on Emotional development:
Along with social and physical development, children tend to build emotional development when involved in imaginative playing. They become aware of processing things and how to deal with certain situations whereas kids who remain indoors and do not get opportunities to experience the outer world joys lack such capabilities.
- Sense of freedom and independence:
Being outside gives a sense of freedom to the kids. Although their parents do keep an eye on them being in a park or any field they can play freely, experience new adventures with their friends such as jumping, swimming, and climbing. All these things make them independent and help them as they continue to learn and grow.
- They make use of all five senses:
Those kids who stay indoors spend most of their time in front of the screen so they hardly get to use two senses such as hearing and watching. While those kids whose time is spent playing outside make use of their five senses. Experiencing these sensory experiences through imaginary play makes them active and proves to be beneficial when they grow.
Importance of imaginative playing on intellectual development:
Learning in an organized classroom is not the only thing that leads to intellectual development but letting your kids play outdoors also leads to intellectual development. Here’s what imaginative playing does to intellectual development.
- Helps in brain development:
When kids play outside they become the explorers. They always look for things around them and come up with inventions. They get a chance to play with their peers and through imaginative playing, their ability to think and decision-making skills become strong which helps them in their life ahead.
- Great Learning Space:
Learning of kids should not be restricted to only classrooms. It must involve outdoor activities such as playing football or any other game that involves scores and numbers. This way their ability to learn and count numbers strengthens.
Conclusion:
Imaginative outdoor playing is very important as it plays a great role in a kid’s social, physical, intellectual, and emotional development. All these things make them independent and optimistic people in their life ahead.