How times have changed. I remember from my generation (that of '82, which was not so long ago) how children used to get together in the afternoons to play outdoors. To the rope, to the pilla, to the hiding place, to the handkerchief, to the cop and the thief, to the blind chicken ... and everything that comes to mind. Today's children no longer know how to play.
Today children have to adapt to a world of adults with many demands, where their hours of games are sacrificed to seem something banal. If we knew all its benefits we would not think the same.
Today children spend their days locked in four walls. In addition to passing marathon days in schools that in many cases equal the working hours of adults, then they have to be at home as many hours doing homework that they have put. In their Few free time is dedicated to playing with the tablet, computer or mobile. There is no light, no air, no laughter, no games.
Society has changed. Today's children are being robbed of their childhood.
Benefits of playing children outdoors
- Contact with the nature. We were in direct contact with nature, we played in the field, in the grandparents' house, in the mountains and on the beaches. We played with the sand, the leaves, the fruits that fell from the trees, the earth ... It is very important that children learn to play with their environment.
- Exercise. When playing outdoors they run, jump, jump ... they release all their energy. What's more prevents childhood overweight and obesity, so worrying in recent years due to the huge amount of sugar they take daily and little or no exercise they do. Prevents sedentary lifestyle, improves their health and unloads their energies. Children need movement and play outside to develop properly both physically and cognitively.
- Imagination. When we play we develop all the creativity and imagination. They create, invent games and their rules, experiment and have fun. Their wit develops and they learn to improvise as they go. By not being in a controlled environment like your home, you will learn to adapt to eventualities that arise.
- Social relationships. It's one of the Main benefits. By going outside, they learn to interact with other children and make new friends, and strengthen their social skills that will be so necessary throughout their lives.
- Autonomy. Playing outside makes them more autonomous and independent, which will allow them when they are older to face the problems that come.
- Prevent depression. In recent years, the number of cases of children with anxiety and depression has increased alarmingly. The game makes them face risks and challenges that they must face and find solutions. What's more learn to manage their own negative emotions.
Gambling should be your main activity
As we have seen, the game is not just for fun and fun. Play should be one of the child's main activities. This is how he learns, how he relates to his environment, how he socializes, how he learns to create and respect, and to face challenges. It is a way of making them happy that we cannot take away from them.
If I play there is no challenge, and without challenge there is no learning. We can also set an example, putting aside the mobile and playing with them. They are memories and moments that will not return.
Obviously today there are risks that did not exist when we were little but that does not justify that we deprive children of something so important for their development. We must allow them to take risks, make mistakes, learn, fall and get up, get frustrated and balance.
Because remember ... we can always keep an eye out for if they need us, but you have to let them explore the world.