Outdoor play is exciting, active, imaginative, educational, creative, sociable, promotes independence and extremely healthy. It is extremely important children spend time away from their tablets, games consoles and laptops. Children are increasingly living sedentary lifestyles which will have a negative effect on their health later on in life. Playing outdoors promotes independence and teaches children how to entertain themselves.
Half term is a great opportunity for parents to spend time with their children and encourage them to do outdoor play activities. Here are some activities to do with your children during the school break.
Children love to build dens because it gives them the opportunity to make their dream home. As well as promoting imagination den building develops problem-solving skills and creativity. It provides the perfect setting for role play games. Children pretend they are playing Minecraft in real life or are characters from their favourite stories. It develops team building skills which also improve communication skills. Most of all den building is great fun and a brilliant form of exercise.
Autumn is a stunning time of the year because all of the leaves on the trees change colour and fall to the ground. A nature treasure hunt is a brilliant way to explore the different shapes, textures, sizes and colours of nature. The hunt can be in the garden, park, countryside or playground. Set children the challenge to find certain types of natural objects such as an orange leaf, smoothest pebble or most interesting stick. The possibilities are endless depending on what you can find in the area you are in.
Puddles are a wonderful source of fun and pleasure children love to splash in them because of the noise and mess they make. Jumping in puddles develops cognitive skills and helps them to explore the world around them. Children will play in puddles for hours looking at the ripples they create, reflections in the still water and the shrieks from parents watching them. Kitting your children up in wellies and waterproofs makes the experience even more enjoyable.
Playgrounds are great places for children to let off steam, play with other children and engage in imaginative and physical play. They learn to challenge themselves physically, socially and emotionally. Imaginations run wild and the playground becomes the setting for lots of adventures and stories. Having other children to play with develops social skills and makes playing much more fun. Children are able to use playground equipment they do not have at home.
Pebble decorating, hiding and hunting is a popular activity for children and adults. Decorating pebbles with pictures and patterns brings out the artist in everyone. Hiding the pebbles is a good opportunity for a walk and to meet other people. Pebble walks are all over the world and many towns have a pebble Facebook page. This is a great reason to visit different towns and leave a pebble for others to find.
These are only just a few of the many outdoor activities you can enjoy. There are plenty of things to do in the great outdoors. Enjoy spending this half term outside and benefitting from the great outdoors.
If you would like to find out more about outdoor play equipment contact us and we would be happy to help.
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