Every single parent wants to do what they can to improve the child’s chance of future health and success. Really, there is only one way to do that – getting them outside. From generation to generation it’s passed down that fresh air heals all ills, but the biggest contrast with our current generation over the past couple of years is the amount of time children tend to spend indoors.

To be fair, there has been a pandemic, lockdowns, difficulties with getting anywhere, and astronomical price rises that make flights and accommodation bookings difficult. However, with something as simple as lawn installation and the right outdoor toys, your children can maximise their time outside simply in your backyard. Here are six ways that playing outside will help children.

• Sunshine. Within the first 30 minutes of being outside, we’ve absorbed most of the vitamin D into our skin that we need. Slathering the kids in sunscreen and sending them out into the sun is really going to help their health. Sun exposure plays a big role in our immune system, as well as helping us to have a healthy sleep. Our bodies work best when they have been exposed to sunshine every day, and the same is said for your children.
• Movement. Children need to move around for at least an hour a day, and being outside to play is one of the best stages for their imaginations. Children of course can exercise indoors – that’s what indoor play centres are for on rainy days – but with a ball, a bike or a bucket and spade in the sand, children are encouraged to be active in their playing which is the best exercise for their minds and bodies.
• Problem-solving. Children get to be creative, use their imaginations and solve problems when they’re playing outside. With unstructured time and the chance to go out and just be, children are allowed to make up their own games and figure things out for themselves. Children can use their skills and practice their opportunities to use their life skills.
• Children can take risks. What happens if they bite that piece of grass? What happens if they roll down that hill? Sure, they may have broken an arm or eaten a bug. That’s the whole point of childhood. It’s exploration and adventure and that could be taken in the garden rather than being wrapped in bubble wrap and never experiencing anything.
• They get to make friends. Children need to learn how to work together and socialize, and when they go outside to play with children from other places they can do this. This helps them to socialize, make friends and have a great time.
• They learn to appreciate nature. The world is changing, and what you see as an average tree is like a giant to a child. They can see and have an appreciation for the flowers and the bumblebees, and they will pick worms and count woodlice. Children see the world in a different way to us, and they will be able to appreciate nature better when you give them a chance to get up into it.

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