Are you running out of ways to encourage less ‘screen time’ with your kids?

Marie from Babysits got in touch with us and loved what we do! The below guest blog is full of handy tips and hopefully the first of many collaborations!

Benefits of playing outside
Nowadays it can be extremely difficult to encourage children to play outside. Children are becoming extremely reliant on technology, therefore they forget basic skills such as social interaction. Day out activities can be extremely beneficial for kids. Here are some benefits to playing outside and ideas on how to encourage outdoor activities.

Playing outside encourages the development of children’s learning abilities. So much can be learnt through interaction and play such as social skills, language skills and much more. For example organising a day with Electric Zoo can help children to learn motor neuron skills and hand to eye coordination! Not to mention giving them their first driving lesson whilst interacting with other children! It encourages physical activities in a fun way.

Playing outside can improve and maintain children’s health. Once outside children become a lot more active due to all the space and freedom. Bringing your children to the park not only encourages physical exertion, it can teach the children about nature and the environment. All children are not fortunate enough to grow up in an area full of green fields and trees therefore the park is a great idea.

When children are encouraged to play outside, they are often not under extreme adult supervision. This helps them to learn independence whilst interacting with friends. They learn to share, negotiate and how to take turns when playing games. These are all extremely important skills which you cannot learn in front of a TV or smartphone.

Another benefit of the outdoors is vitamin D, this can help to improve your children’s mood and improve their overall attitude. The outdoors helps children to burn off excess energy, helping them get a better sleep at night, leading to a more focused student in the classroom. It also helps to build a strong immune system resulting in healthier children that are less likely to pick up classroom bugs.

Children have amazing imaginations and are always willing to explore new fun activities. Understandably it can be difficult for parents to find the time to bring their children outdoors to the park or zoo. Why not hire a babysitter for an evening and ask them to bring the children outdoors. There are so many possibilities for fun outdoors, it would be a pity for your children to miss out!