As a parent, you know that bonding with kids is essential as they grow up. And one of the best ways to do that is to spend more outdoor time together, which will also enhance your overall health and mood.
Despite what many people believe, outdoor time isn’t just for kids. There are many reasons you should join your children outside, and we’ve listed them for you. All you have to do is read on!
Do It for Your Kids
You’d be amazed at how spending time with your kids can make a difference in your relationship. Not to mention, when you give them more of your time, this will impact their character development, and they’ll become closer to you and trust you more.
Bonding
Spending more time with your kids will strengthen your bond in so many ways. Not to mention, it’ll have an even better effect when you participate in activities they care about. And if you give them enough attention, they’ll feel more confident in themselves and won’t fear interacting with adults as much as they usually do.
Moreover, children’s way of building relationships is by playing because this is what they mostly care about at this age. So, if you go out to play with them, they’ll trust you even more. Playing outside with them works wonders for creating unforgettable memories with your child.
Not to mention, you’ll have a better relationship with your child, and you’ll find that resolving conflicts becomes so much easier after an outside playing session together.
Developing Skills
It’s a given that children who interact with people more develop social skills faster than others. And when you’re with them, you can gently make remarks on how they should act with adults and be polite.
And developing social skills is just one benefit of playing outside! There’s also the huge benefit of moving around and playing games that involve using hand-eye coordination.
To illustrate, when kids play alone, they don’t have a guide to tell them if they’re playing right. However, when you join them, you can help them hold the ball correctly or so. Over time, your advice will lead them to be better and gain better motor skills because kids inherently crave validation from their parents.
In addition, kids can face challenging situations outside, such as an angry adult or a barking dog. When you join them, they’ll see how you deal with those situations and become a little more courageous. This will help them become independent and more capable of handling such cases.
Do It for Your Health
The second most important aspect of spending more time outside with your kids is improving your health. And we’re talking mental and physical health as you’ll see below:
Mental Health
Studies show that spending time in nature can be excellent for our mental health and emotional well-being. With that in mind, it isn’t surprising that research has proven Americans were at their happiest in the 1920s–before mobile phones claimed their reign over our time and dramatically reduced the time we spend outside.
Nowadays, both parents and kids spend much more time on their electronic devices. However, outdoor outings are known to reduce stress. Can you guess what else is known to do that? Playing with kids! When you combine both of them, you get a guaranteed boost of happiness and tranquility. This doesn’t only work for you but also your kid.
Moreover, try to include physical activity in your time outside to maximize the benefits. If you suffer from anxiety or depression, you’re going to appreciate this for the soothing effect it has. Also, if you suspect that your kid might have ADHD, take them outside to play because playing in nature increases focus and concentration, reducing the symptoms.
Physical Health
The benefits of spending time outdoors aren’t over! You’re yet to know about the effect it has on your physical health. First of all, walking outside and staring at the wonders of nature like trees and lakes can lower your blood pressure and reduce cortisol and adrenaline, the stress hormones in your blood.
Second of all, outdoor time can improve your insomnia, lessen your pains and aches, and improve your overall mobility. So, you’re definitely going to appreciate this when you’re older.
In addition, kids’ and parents’ health are involved in a somewhat domino effect. When your kid is unwell, you’ll feel unwell and vice versa. So, you should know that the benefits of playing outside include both you and your child.
For example, physical activity improves children’s sleep, which means fewer visits to your room at night. As a result, you’ll both be more relaxed in the morning, and you’ll be less likely to have arguments and conflicts.
Also, more time playing outdoors means less time staring at a screen, which can be pretty detrimental to both you and your kids. Excessive screen time negatively affects your eyes and causes you to sit for more hours than you’re supposed to, contributing to obesity.
To Wrap Up
All in all, spending time outside with your kid can be pretty beneficial for your parent-child relationship. It’ll strengthen your bond and boost your child’s self-confidence. Not to mention, when you give your kids validation while playing, they’ll immediately trust you more and have fewer issues about your parenting.
In addition, outdoor time can have many positive effects on your health, such as reducing stress and improving your sleep quality. And it improves your overall physique. Ultimately, spending time outside means happiness for you and your child.