Think back to your own childhood. Chances are, some of your fondest memories are of outdoor activities and places. Perhaps you had a favorite climbing tree or secret hiding place. Maybe you remember jumping rope or learning to turn cartwheels with your best friend or playing fetch with the family dog. Do you recall the smell of lilacs, the feel of the sun on the first day warm enough to take off your jacket, or the taste of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich eaten on a blanket in the park? Did you enjoy lying on your back and finding creatures in the clouds?
Now ask yourself: Don't I want my child to have similar memories? Wonderful, happy memories?
Unfortunately, a great many of today's children will grow up without such fond memories because today's children spend far less time outdoors than did previous generations. According to William Doherty of the University of Minnesota, over the last twenty years there has been a 25 percent decline in the time children spend playing and a 50 percent decline in time spent in unstructured outdoor activities.
It is unfortunate because when children spend most of their time indoors, they'll not just be missing out on memories but also on everything else the outdoors has to offer them.
To begin with, the outdoors is the best place for young children to practice and master emerging physical skills and to experience the pure joy of movement. It's also the place where they're likely to burn the most calories, which is absolutely necessary in the fight against obesity.
Also, the outside light stimulates the pineal gland, which is the part of the brain that helps regulate the biological clock, is vital to the immune system, and simply makes us feel happier. Outside light triggers the synthesis of vitamin D. And a number of studies have demonstrated that it increases academic learning and productivity!
Young children learn much through their senses, and the outdoors is a virtual wonderland for the senses. There are different and incredible things for the children to see (insects, clouds, and shadows), to hear (traffic sounds, birdsongs, leaves rustling in the wind), to smell (flowers and the rain-soaked ground), to touch (a fuzzy caterpillar or the bark of a tree), and even to taste (newly fallen snow, a raindrop, or a freshly picked blueberry). Children who spend much of their time acquiring experiences through television, computers, and even books are using only two senses (hearing and sight), and this can seriously affect their perceptual abilities. Additionally, much of this learning, which falls under the content area of science, can't be acquired indoors. Nor can children who spend most of their time indoors be expected to learn to care for the environment.
Outside, children are more likely to invent games. As they do, they're able to express themselves and learn about the world in their own way. They feel safe and in control, which promotes autonomy, decision making, and organizational skills. Inventing rules for games promotes an understanding of why rules are necessary. And although children are just playing to have fun, they learn:
* communication skills and vocabulary, as they invent, modify, and enforce rules;
* number relationships, as they keep score and count; and
* social skills, as they learn to play together.
Then, too, there's the aesthetic value of the outdoors. Because the natural world is filled with amazing sights, sounds, and textures, it's the perfect resource for the development of aesthetics in young children. Since aesthetic awareness means a heightened sensitivity to the beauty around us, it's something that can serve children well at those times when, as adolescents and adults, the world seems less than beautiful.
Further, Mary Rivkin, author of The Great Outdoors: Restoring Children's Right to Play Outside, tells us there is on very basic reason that children need to experience being outside: humans evolved in the outdoors. They thus have a link with nature that can't be replaced ? in fact, will be atrophied ? by technology. She asks if, lacking intimate association with nature, we can still be human!
Children learn their values from the important adults in their lives. When they're not encouraged to go outdoors, they learn sedentary habits not easily changed and, more unfortunately, that the outdoor environment is of little significance.
Rae Pica is a children's physical activity specialist and author of Your Active Child: How to Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Development through Age-Appropriate Activities (McGraw-Hill, 2003). You can visit Rae and read more articles at http://www.movinganndlearning.com.
efficient cleaning crew Northbrook ..In an actual war, to be attacked means to have... Read More
I am sure that this list can be jogged and... Read More
It's a familiar scene: Kids screaming at each other, complaining... Read More
Teenagers are a work-in-progress, and parenting teenagers can be tricky... Read More
I still remember the scene vividly. I was getting out... Read More
In the last 20 years we've all been introduced to... Read More
You no longer have to use Ritalin or other stimulants... Read More
How excited do kids get with the start of school... Read More
Software for parental control is a useful tool, if applied... Read More
In June, elementary school children across North America cheered as... Read More
Q. Things have been relatively calm and OK with our... Read More
Do any other reality TV junkies remember a show on... Read More
'How can I start getting my children to help out... Read More
The popularity of EEG Biofeedback Training continues to grow both... Read More
Not Letting Them Think.We all implicitly know that anything questioning... Read More
1. STOP focusing on what you are going to make... Read More
Here is something that you might want to keep if... Read More
I had just completed a session with 17-year old Julie... Read More
Should a parent give a child a tangible reward when... Read More
It is so important to create an environment that promotes... Read More
Bi-Polar Disorder, or Manic Depression, is characterized by mood swings,... Read More
To protect children's self-esteem or deflect complaints by parents, many... Read More
It's that time again! Parent-teacher conferences are coming. Are you... Read More
While youth gangs are nothing new -- they've been traced... Read More
Research literature, recent books, and common sense, all point to... Read More
cleaning lady near Wilmette ..It's hard to explain to the uninitiated the changes that... Read More
Dear Camille,As I thumb through the photographs that I carry... Read More
If you were to ask 100 parents why they think... Read More
My son recently had his third birthday party and it... Read More
Quite simply, an absolute nightmare for parents and babies alike,... Read More
Q. I need your help with a question about my... Read More
Not so long ago a dad-to-be would pace up and... Read More
Q. Our 17-year-old son wants us to let his girlfriend... Read More
I will never forget the day that my daughter's sixth... Read More
The purpose of this article is to address some of... Read More
Well first off, please to don't institute the ? hour... Read More
By not planning for the future we guarantee that we... Read More
Suppose that you rearrange your life to homeschool your child... Read More
The 'phone conversation had nothing at all to do with... Read More
Assuming there are no serious motor problems present, what can... Read More
If you are a member of a stepfamily, you know... Read More
Past experience with federal education programs predicts that the No... Read More
Many parents seem to be more than a little confused... Read More
Part of the responsibility of being a father is to... Read More
"Get down from the table top right now! What are... Read More
Now is an excellent time to have your child's vision... Read More
The question I have for you drives right to the... Read More
"All that I am or ever hope to be, I... Read More
There are millions of young children in this country who... Read More
There's a new trend for party entertainment. It seems as... Read More
Parenting |