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These days, most parents know that children sitting in front of the television or playing video games all day long are not going to benefit in terms of their overall health. The more active a child is the more that they can develop their minds and bodies as a whole. Physical activity such as running, jumping and using their hand and eye coordination is a great way to ensure that their development is getting a great head start.

Children can enjoy active play indoors as wells as outdoors. However, outdoor play gives them a wider range of options for play areas, as well the room they need for running and other physical play. Using balls, trikes, bikes and other outdoor play toys can bring a lot of fun and excitement to the world of child development. Active play also allows the child to stretch his or her thinking and behavior in everyday life situations. It also helps them develop coordination, and practicing their everyday basic skills will become easier with a greater number and variety active situations. Hand and eye coordination is an important series of steps that children need to take before the age of five, and being active will make this easier for them. Climbing on a jungle gym, swinging on a swing set, running in the playground and using all of their motor skills is essential to their development.

Solo and group play

Active play, especially outdoors, allows a child to freely make noise and thereby use forms of self-expression that would likely be restricted indoors. Many times, parents are afraid to let their small children brave the outdoors, especially alone, but being outside is the best way to let them make noise and do the things that they cannot do in the house or in the classroom. You can gather a group of your children’s friends together and have them do some activities and games together. You can get together with other parents and form a playgroup that gets together on different days of the week, and even trade chaperone days with other parents. This can help you with time planning, too, as you can have time to do shopping, clean your house or other get other things done while your child is playing with the group.

Studies have shown that children that suffer from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) function better when they are active in a green, outdoor setting. The studies have shown that the greener and more open the setting, the less severe the attention deficit is for the duration and some time afterward. In addition, active play and activities can reduce the stress in a child. With both structured and unstructured play, children can express themselves and work out the emotional stresses of everyday life.

Engaging all five senses

Children are also capable of learning faster when they are subjected to all aspects of active play and hands-on activity. The more a child is allowed to lead an inactive lifestyle with television and video games, the more likely it is that they will carry these habits into their adult lives and therefore perpetuate the same inactive lifestyle as they had as children. In addition, they will likely pass it along to their own children. Allowing a child to be freely active and play with other children will nurture them for the future and thus build the foundation for confidence, competence and productivity as an adult. They will learn to be free and natural, in both mind and body, in responsible and healthy ways.

Touch, taste, sight, smell and sound are all key elements in active play, as well. The more a child can use their senses in active play, the better the development of all their functions will proceed. Being outdoors as mentioned before is a key element in developing all five senses. When children are active outside, they can touch the grass, plants, water and all kinds of things in nature, and feel the kiss of the sun. They can smell the fresh air and the fragrances of flowers, taste the fruit of an apple or peach tree, see the animals in the park and get a completely new perspective on how they can relate to the great outdoors.

The world that children live in today is becoming increasingly complex and can be a bit scary, too. However, the fact remains that children need to play and be active whether they are inside or outside. The more you allow your children the freedom to express themselves through active play, the more you will empower their minds and bodies to expand beyond the constraints of the house and classroom.

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