Book 10, Question 131
Why Schedule Outdoor Play?
We schedule outdoor play because daylight, movement, and nature time are good for your body and mind. They support your mood and your sleep, and they make play more fun. Sunlight also helps your body make vitamin D.
More fun facts
- Kids use five times as many words when they play outdoors compared with indoors.
- Outdoor play helps build important motor skills.
- Free outdoor play is good for planning, managing emotions and solving problems.
- Nature play is often more cooperative, sparking group projects like building forts.
- Children allowed to play outdoors become more independent and self sufficient.
- A 2018 study found American kids spend 35 percent less time playing freely outdoors than their parents did.
Sources: BBC, National Geographic, National Geographic
Questions kids ask
What counts as outdoor play?
Running, building forts, or making pretend food with dirt and flowers all count.