Outdoor games and activities that are suitable for your child

Playing outdoors gives your child the chance to explore the natural environment around them. They will also have adventures while playing outside their houses. The child can play games, test their physical limits, express themselves and build their self-confidence at the same time while playing outdoors. Outdoor play can also mean more mess and more mess means more fun for kids.

Your child will have more space and freedom for big movements like running, jumping, kicking and throwing. These types of physical activities are good for your child’s fitness and physical development. Also, some safe play in the sun can be good too as small amounts of sunlight exposure can help boost their Vitamin D level. Playing outdoors and being in natural environments can also help children relax and feel calm. This means that outdoor play is good for your child’s mental health and well-being too.

It is a good idea to encourage your child to play outside several times in a day. It will be great for your kid if you have an outdoor space at home. Then all you will need is to send your child outdoors and let them come up with their own games. Just remember that when your child playing outside, they need your help to stay safe while playing outdoors. Many children love to ‘help’. This means that outdoor play can also include working with your child on everyday tasks such as weeding, sweeping the driveway, watering vegetables and hanging clothes on the line.

So, making time to visit your local park is a low-cost and easy option if you don’t have a yard. Your child will have even more room to run around in the park and might meet other children with whom they can play with. If you have to work to the park, then you can teach your kid about road and pedestrian safety. Even smaller children can get out of the stroller and walk for a little while in the park. Walking together with parents shows that the parent also value and enjoy the outdoor activity. Other kids outdoor activities include riding bikes, scooters, battery operated cars and more.

Outdoor play help babies to learn about their surroundings. They start to feel more comfortable with the world around them. Some ideas for outdoor play with your baby include enjoying crawling on grass watching tree leaves move and listening to birds and looking at different coloured cars. Toddlers are keen to explore the world around them and they try to test their growing physical skills. Outdoor play for your toddlers includes throwing and chasing balls, wheeling and pulling different toys and objects, walking, running or jumping around trees, blowing bubbles and chasing them as they float away and playing in sand, mud or small amounts of water.

Pre-schoolers are learning how to play with other children. They also like to play make-believe plays. You can help your child make the most of this stage with outdoor play ideas which include playing games of chasey, hide-and-seek and kick-to-kick, crawling through tunnels and climbing over fallen trees, moving in different ways with colourful leaves, flowers or streamers, making mud pies with dirt, going on a nature walk with parents, looking for birds, insects and new plants and building a cubbyhouse out of boxes. A school-age child is becoming more involved in structured play like sport. But it is important to make time for free play outside. At this age, child enjoy, building and creating with equipment and climbing trees.

It is natural to worry that your child could get hurt while playing outside. Sometimes your child wants to try something new, but you should not keep your child from playing outside.