A Need for Balance Between Indoor Gaming and Outdoor Activities.

As your kids grow up, they are discovering all kinds of new skills both physical and social. The playtime is intended to give your child a chance to practice new skills away from the influence of parents. When you think about it, you teach your children how to be polite and use the proper utensils when eating. Then within days, your child is having a tea party, teaching their teddy bear to say please and thank you, and how to drink properly from a cup. Through their imaginative play, your child is practicing the new skills they have learned. So, playtime for kids really provides them with a safe and indulgent way and a place to practice new skills that they are learning.

Playtime is important for a child's development. But the bad news is that child development experts say that free playtime of children has been reducing over the past 3 decades.

Indoor games and their effects

Today we see that many kids are staying indoors and playing video games or watching TV. Some of those children will do both at the same time. Their kids' attention span was very limited. Now, our society may be creating ADD/ADHD qualities in children because of these activities.

It is time for parents to take some responsibility for their children's health and fitness levels. Now is the time to start enjoying the outdoors again. Start doing some of the activities that were done a couple of generations ago.

But this surely does not mean that you ban kids from their everyday activities that include the use of electronic devices that, in the long, run harm their health. However, you can certainly find a way to balance the activities, so your child gets the best of both worlds.

Outdoor activities and their benefits

We as a species, are biologically designed to be outdoors. But now, most people in society spend at least 80% of their time indoors. We need the sunlight to provide Vitamin D. We need fresh air. Being outdoors helps us concentrate better, balances our hormones, promotes weight loss, and resets our circadian rhythms. Connecting with the rhythms of nature help us to de-stress and rejuvenate. So let us take a look at a few other benefits for kids and outdoor activities.

1) According to a 2009 study, children who spend more time in the playground behave better than those who do not.

2) According to research published in the Early Childhood Education Journal in 2007, both free play and adult-guided play teaches a child to be more aware of other people's feelings. It also helps regulate their own emotions.

3) Playing makes a child active and an active child grows into an active adult, thus reducing the risk of heart diseases and other ailments emerging from a sedentary lifestyle.

4)Games have a great impact on sensory perception at a number of different levels. It also contributes a lot to social development. Games help children develop both fine and gross motor skills.

5) Physical activity boosts physical development. Different plays help promote different skills. For instance, skipping takes balance, sports activity involves coordination, climbing monkey bars build strength. The dexterity your child develops overplay carries on to his/ her everyday life.

6) Play also help children work through stress and crankiness. In fact, lack of adequate play can make your child grumpy and tense.

7) Last, but not the least, games promote family fun and togetherness. Children love it and reciprocate when parents interact with them and play with them.

Finding the balance

-Making your child adapt

if your child winces from the idea of playing with the school playground equipment, find the cause and try to provide him with a replacement that he enjoys. A replacement like Ride on cars for kids but if you introduce a new activity, make sure that you help your kids adapt to it gently not forcefully. Do not take away their gaming devices; making kids do things by force only provokes them. That may cause them to become more rebellious.

-Learn about Your Child

Regardless of how well you think you know your child, there is always something) that your child keeps from you. There are few parents who develop a strong bond with their children and, so, know more about their children's lives. But not everybody enjoys the same bond. It is necessary to learn what sort of things your child likes to do.

-Form a schedule

After you have learned about what your children would like to do when they are not burning their eyes in front of a screen, make sure that you do everything in your power to find the time for their activities. Community playgrounds and outdoor playground equipment are a great way to engage kids with outdoor activities. However, kids do not appreciate the same kind of jading playground equipment. So try something new.

The role of parents

Finding a balance can be an excruciating task, especially with children who are set in their ways. But you have to find that equilibrium if you want your child to spend a healthy, proactive life. Use the above-mentioned ways to make your child's life more active and productive.

Give your child the liberty to decide what to play and how to play but within the limits of safety. This helps to build up his power of judgment and you get an idea of what delights him the most. Join your child's play but only when you are invited. The attention you show to your child during playtime in important in building his self-esteem. Both indoor and outdoor games have equal contribution to the child's development.

To encourage more outdoor activities, check these cool kids ride on cars