Why Children Need Outdoor Activities To Boost Well-being

Outdoor activities are important for the development of our children. However, according to the latest research, we spend up to 90% of our time indoors. Children spend less time outdoors, mainly due to their focus on structured academic activities, overuse of screen time, and less use of safe and inspiring outdoor environments. In turn, this limits their outdoor exposure and daylight, which are vital to their well-being. Moreover, it causes a number of problems that affect their physical and mental health. Let's find out how to bring this generation back to nature through creative and inspiring outdoor activities.

Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) attaches great importance to encouraging children to play outdoors. Outdoor activities are highly regarded for their positive effects on the well-being of children. The simple yet important benefits of going outside can be summarized as shown below.

A key part of outdoor play is the exercise element. Children have space and freedom of movement, they can work out energy and sweat. Through outdoor exercise, they can improve their speed, strength, endurance, and motor skills. This, in turn, also helps to improve their self-esteem, self-esteem, and awareness of their own body.

When movement or physical activity promotes intellectual growth, it is called embodied learning. When children are active, they explore and interact with the outside world. They interact with their environment, contact external reality, and learn through touch. On the one hand, it fuels their curiosity and desire to learn more. On the other hand, it significantly affects the way children learn directives, internalize abstract ideas and make sense of the world. Thus, outdoor activities directly contribute to children's brain development.

An indisputable element of outdoor play is the love for nature, which she brings up in children. Research has shown that a sense of connection with nature promotes holistic, creative and innovative thinking. When you face a challenge in nature, even a challenge as simple as climbing a rock, it doesn't just motivate you to overcome it. It will also help you understand the environment