Don’t let your child’s innocence be limited, and don’t deprive him of his playtime. Make sure he has a chance to experience the playground equipment and allow him to get his energy out by playing, climbing, swinging or sliding. Here are 8 reasons why your child needs to have exposure to the playground.
- A perfect way to promote physical activity. Children love being outside, exploring all different kinds of environments, having new experiences and simply just being kids. The playground offers many opportunities for developmentally appropriate physical activities – running, jumping, swinging – that are so much fun they’ll hardly realize they’re getting exercise! As kids climb through monkey bars or scoot down slides their muscles are building strength as well as dexterity. The playground will allow them to be more physically active than they would otherwise, and this activity will boost their physical development as well as their muscles.
- Encourage socialization with peers at an early age. As kids begin to play on the playground they learn how to interact with their peers in meaningful ways. They learn to take turns, sharing toys, manners, rules and much more through interaction within the playground environment so these important life lessons won’t require much explanation later on when you pick them up from crèche or young nursery facility.
- A fun way for children to expand vocabulary skills. Kids love to imitate the sounds and actions of others, not only adults but also other kids around them! Children might copy each other’s movements and words as they play on the equipment. This helps to expand their vocabulary and aids in conversational skills so you’ll be able to hear them communicate better with their peers later on when they start preschool or crèche.
- A chance for kids to experience working together. Cooperation is an important life skill that can be developed early on if parents provide opportunities for it. Since the playground only has one slide, one jungle gym, and swings all within proximity of each other children are forced to learn how to share these items, even though most of the time they’d rather have it all for themselves.
- Kids are given a chance to explore their surroundings through movement! The best way for children to learn is through play, and the playground is one place where they can be certain to do exactly that. Research has shown that children who spend time exploring their environment by running around touching everything, climbing on things, and generally “monkey see, monkey do” will have an easier time adjusting to new surroundings than those who don’t.
- Activities that stimulate creative development. Creative or imaginative play is important for language development as well as cognitive patterns of thinking since it allows kids to take objects from their immediate surroundings and use them in fun ways which reflect problem-solving skills later on when they start preschool or crèche. Just watching your child act out these scenarios with swings or slides or even other items found near the playground might spark his imagination and creativity, leading to hours of colourful play later on!
- Opportunities for kids to learn about the environment around them – on their terms. The playground is a great starting point for teaching children more about nature. Kids can explore the grass on the ground by running through it or sitting down with some sticks and pails to dig holes or build sandcastles. They’ll be able to experience new things like leaves, rocks, dirt and more without any long-term consequences since they’re not using these items outside of the playground environment where they might get into trouble or hurt themselves by playing too roughly.
- A chance for children to develop skills that affect how they will act later in life as an adult. According to Tara Richter, an early childhood education specialist, children who spend time playing on playgrounds are more likely to act the same way when they grow up. She says, “Kids learn through play and most of what they learn is how to interact with adults and peers in everyday life.”
