When its Time to Pull the Plug…

Cell phones, mobile e-mail, and all the other cool and slick gadgets can cause massive losses in our creative output and overall productivity.
~Robin S. Sharma

If Yoda were real and he saw what today’s kids were up to, do you think he would have approved? Knowing his wisdom, I don’t think he would have. You can’t just sit and watch your kids become the victim of technology! So to help you out, I have listed down a couple of ways that can help you pull the technology plug and encourage your kids to have more outdoor time.

 Explore the Outdoors

I know what you are thinking. Isn’t walking to school an outdoor activity? It is, but it’s not enough. An outdoor activity should constitute a healthy amount of time spent with outdoor playground equipment or any other play structure. If a play structure is not available, then simply spending time in the nature is enough. However, as a parent, you have to decide how much time your child needs to have outside.
Encourage your kids to explore and enjoy various outdoor recreational areas. Weekends are great for family recreation, so don’t just sit around on the couch this weekend and plan a trip with your kids.

 Increase Outdoor Activities

Today, most children prefer tablets and a cozy couch in contrast to the fresh vegetation smell, mud and the commercial playground equipment that awaits them. The only way kids can ever consider spending their evening outdoors is if you get them the kind of equipment that they find interesting. Today, the play systems have become advanced and more thrilling, but due to budget problems, community parks cannot afford.

However, you don’t always need to have an expensive set of play systems to make things interesting for your children. There are a million ideas to add flare to your current background setting or to increase enhance the community parks.

 Edify them about the Importance of Outdoors

This is the most crucial thing when it comes to helping kids understand why they need to be outside in the nature. Children are usually unaware of why they need to play outside. It is your job to edify them and help them make smarter choice about their play activities. Start early and begin to educate your children about how they need sunlight and nature for better physical and cognitive development. Do not hesitate to explain them everything about the cognitive development that can only take place when children play outside in a challenging environment.

Our children need to understand that where technology is making things easier, it is also crippling their creativity and the power to do things by themselves. We may not be able to understand the devastating impacts of technology now, but our children may suffer a lot in the long run.
How do you encourage your kids to play outside? Share your opinion with us through our comment section below and let us know what you think about the subject matter. In your opinion, what can be the best strategy to get kids to go outside?

Outdoor Activities: Why Mud, Muck and Rain Water might be Good for Your Child?

It’s not evident which doctrine or biblical apocrypha embedded the belief in our culture’s roots that dirt or any other naturally occurring sullied substance is essentially bad for our children. Since the inception of recreational activity, parents believe that dirt, mud water and other similar elements that pass as a pollutant are extremely dangerous for kids. However, the research shows a different side of bacteria found in dirt. A recent research shows that dirt and mud might be good for your kids. This article will discuss why.

Bacteria: The Good Side

Most people are not very keen on believing that bacteria might actually be good for health. Well, this recent development might make people thing differently about germs. Apparently, the various bacteria found in the dirt are known to have positive effects on your child’s brain. The bacteria in the soil naturally activate the neurons in the brain that are responsible for producing serotonin—a chemical that charges various bodily functions.
Why your kids need serotonin? Here’s why:

• Serotonin makes the heart stronger and reduces the risk of heart problems at an early age, as well as in the future.
• Serotonin helps in brain development and many cognitive functions.
• Serotonin works as an antidepressant and helps children relax.
• Lack of Serotonin can cause sleep problems, so playing in the mud can help children have the essential dose of Serotonin.
• Serotonin is a natural mood booster.
• Serotonin keeps the various important bodily functions such as appetite, mood, sleep and energy.

Enhanced Immunity

Dirt is great for increased immunity in children. If you believe that by providing a clean environment for your kids you are keeping them safe, then think again. Research shows that exposing children to natural microbes in an early age can help build a stronger immune system that is more disease-resistant. Children who have a stronger immune system rarely miss their school days and are more active in other challenging physical activities than the other kids.

Character Development

It is a well documented fact that children learn more outdoors than indoors. Whether it’s an old-fashioned outdoor playground equipment or a barren patch, kids find out ways to engage in structured and unstructured activity. Children who spend more than 13 hours of their total activity time playing in dirt have lower blood pressure and stress level. But that is not the only benefit of spending more time in the backyard or any other play area for that matter.
Kids develop strong character that helps them build interpersonal skills that are essential for academic success. Strong character, not only helps children develop self-confidence, but also helps them become self-sufficient.

Development of Childhood Memories

This is probably the biggest benefit of letting kids play in the mud. The kids develop one of their most memorable memories while playing outdoors. The mud castles, the feet impressions in the sand and even the simple commercial playground equipment can leave a long lasting imprint on your child’s memory. So, do not rob your kids of the joys of playing outside simply because you think they’ll catch a disease. Let them make memories!

Overprotecting Kids: Is it the right Strategy?

Would you rather have  your child involved in a physically active play with outdoor playground equipment that offers both adventures and dangers of injury, or the video games that glue your child to a single couch.  Back in the day children would do anything they wanted and even come home with a swollen cheek or a bruised knee. Today, there are hardly any such circumstances as children have confined themselves in their little world of never-ending  digital gaming.

Is Over Protection Necessary?

Are we ruining our child’s health by overprotecting him? Yes and no. It is okay for parents to excessively worry about their children, especially when they are outside away from the scrutiny. However, it is not okay to keep your child from the physical activities just to make sure that he doesn’t come home with a bruised cheek.

Playground accidents are inevitable; there is no guarantee that a school playground equipment will keep your child safe and sound during the activity.  However, it is not a good excuse to incarcerate your children. As a parent, you have to understand that children need to learn the power of courage, self-confidence, and self-reliance and for that they need survival skills, which can only be learned from a generous physical activity.

Why Risks matter?

Research shows that reasonable risks  in everyday life are crucial for the overall physical and mental development of your child. Risks allow your child to develop strong survival skills that are impossible to garner from any other kind of activity.

School playground equipment today does not follow complex designs that would pose a threat to your child’s safety. In addition, most playgrounds do not offer children much to work with and mostly children indulge in active, physical play with their playmates. So, there is nothing to worry about as long as your children are in the nearby playground, or hanging around in the neighborhood.

Kids need to experiment with their life, just like you wanted to when you were a kid (come on, you know what I am talking about). So, put your fears aside and let your kid have a life that he deserves. Overprotecting your child will not only make your kid lose his courage, but will also create problems for him in the near future.

Got something to add to the above discussion?  Do not hesitate to leave a comment in the comment section.

Learning to Survive: How can Playgrounds Help Children do well in their Later Life

Is your child equipped with the power of self-confidence, self-reliance and self- esteem? If your child usually faces peer rejection in school, then there is a good chance that he’s lacking self-esteem and confidence that play a key role in academic achievement and social development. Lack of survival skills can cause serious peer rejection in school, which can eventually lead to decreased academic performance. 

Outdoor playground equipment is the most crucial element that provides the opportunities for  essential physical activity. Research shows that children who are physically active develop essential skill set that helps them strive in life.

Here are some of the benefits of playgrounds that can help your child develop skills that will help him lead a prosperous life.

Social/Interpersonal skills

Commercial playground equipment is designed to be utilized by a group of children. When children play in a group, they learn to negotiate and share with other playmates. Playgrounds build the basic foundation of social development that stays with your child for the rest of his life. The social skills learned at the playgrounds prepare your child for the future associations and networking that not only help him do well academically, but also build a solid career in the future.

Behavioral skills

Playgrounds provide more than just the fun-oriented activities; they help your child discipline himself and learn the behavioral traits that are crucial for overall personality development. When children socialize with other children they learn to respect ad deal with rejection. In addition, children learn to understand the various boundaries of social relations that they must never cross.

Most children who depict disruptive behavior are bad at social skills, which greatly impacts their self-esteem and self-confidence. Playgrounds provide a healthy environment that can help your child discover his personality and build a perception about the world and the people around him. According to a recent research survey, children who spend more than 28 hours a week in a playground are more social and mentally active than the others.

Improved Cognitive Development

It is a well-documented fact that physical activities promote the cognitive development a child. Various past researches have shown that after proper nutrition, physical activities are the most important element that can enhance the growth of brain cells that play an important role in the overall brain function development.

Tablets and video games limit your child’s imagination and restrict the brain from getting unique exposure. In order to develop enhanced cognitive function, the brain needs different experiences that can only be provided through substantial physical activity. So, set the game consoles aside and let your child ride free in the sun for the nourishment he needs.