Growing up as a kid, some of the most memorable moments of my life took place playing outside with friends. Long before computer games for 3-D virtual reality alternative worlds, my friends and I would run the streets with balls, sticks or slingshots in hand. There was no such thing as a Nintendo DS or a portable Mp3 player. Nope, we had each other and the great outdoors.
Today as I raise my own children I see a shift from wanting to go outside to remaining inside. Gone are the days when your children would come running into the house with a scrape or bruise. Now they come running because they have advanced carpal tunnel from playing video games or texting too much. Despite this shift, as a parent, you do have a say so in what activities in which your kids are involved and I suggest to you today that playing outside with others should be high on your list. Don’t let sports like football, baseball and kickball become obsolete. Why you may ask, here are 3 clear reasons.
Improved Social Skills Kids who spend all of their time indoors never really learn how to socialize with other kids. Life is about partnerships, team building, and cooperation. In order to work well with other people you have to learn how to be social. Playing inside by yourself on the computer or on the television is not a good way to develop the social skills that are going to make you successful in life. These social skills will make them better able to relate and
Better Physical Fitness Running jumping and playing is good for everyone but even more so for a growing child. As your child’s muscles and organs begin to grow and develop, it is essential that they participate in physical activities to grow stronger, more flexible and coordinated. Recent studies have shown that there is a significant increase in the diagnoses of Type II Diabetes in children. Regular exercise can decrease the risk of this type of diagnoses by more than 35%.
Better Grades When reading an article about physical fitness, the last thing you expect to hear is that letting your kids play and have fun will positively affect their grades. In fact many people have been led to believe that the opposite is true. That is to say that if you force the child to study more than they play, the better they will do in school. This could not be further from the truth. When children are allowed to release their natural energy in a constructive way, it does two things. First, it increases blood and oxygen flow to the brain. Secondly, it allows them to focus without distraction on their studies because playing outside now becomes a reward they look forward to, even more than the video games.
The more we move into an age of advanced technology, the more we should keep in mind those things that got us to this point. Physical exercise and outdoor play is our friend and we shouldn’t forget it.
Dorthy Weatherbush believes that all kids should be forced to play outside so that they can get all of the exercise that they need and not have to end up on a Medifast diet. While diets like Medifast are great for adults, kids should not have to worry about weight issues or dieting.
Comments on this entry are closed.