How to Balance Indoor & Outdoor Kids Activities

As your kids grow up, they are discovering all kinds of new skills both physical and social. Playtime is intended to give your child a chance to practice new skills away from the influence of parents, whether that’s playing with a doll or riding around on their favourite kids bike. 

Playtime isn’t just for fun, it also gives your kids a chance to learn. Say you teach your children how to be polite and use the proper utensils when eating. Then within days, your child is having a play tea party, teaching their teddy bear to say please and thank you, and practising how to drink properly from a cup. 

In this guide, we’ll go into more detail about how you can balance indoor and outdoor kids’ activities to make the most of their development.

Why is playtime important?

Playtime is important for a child’s development. But the bad news is that child development experts say that free playtime for children has been reducing over the past 3 decades. 

Through their imaginative play, your child is practising the new skills they have learned. So, playtime for kids really provides them with a safe and indulgent way to practice the new skills that they are learning. 

Indoor games and their effects

Today we see that many kids are staying indoors and playing video games or watching TV rather than going outdoors. However, now is the perfect time to start enjoying the outdoors again! 

One way that parents can help is to start doing some of the activities that were done a couple of generations ago. But this doesn’t mean you need to ban kids from their everyday activities that include the use of electronic devices.

Why not find a way to balance the activities, so your child gets the best of both worlds?

Outdoor activities and their benefits

We as a species are biologically designed to be outdoors. But now, most people in society spend at least 80% of their time indoors. We need sunlight to provide Vitamin D and stay healthy. Plus, we need the fresh air. 

Being outdoors helps us concentrate better, balances our hormones, promotes weight loss, and resets our circadian rhythms. Connecting with the rhythms of nature helps us to de-stress and rejuvenate. So let us take a look at a few other benefits for kids and outdoor activities! 

1 – Learn about emotions

According to research published in the Early Childhood Education Journal, both free play and adult-guided play teach a child to be more aware of other people’s feelings. It also helps regulate their own emotions. 

2 – Increased activity 

Playing keeps a child active and an active child grows into an active adult, thus reducing the risk of heart diseases and other ailments emerging from an inactive lifestyle. 

3 – Social development 

Games have a great impact on sensory perception at a number of different levels. It also contributes a lot to social development. Games help children develop both fine and gross motor skills. 

4 – Boost physical development 

Physical activity boosts physical development. Different plays help promote different skills. For instance, skipping takes balance, sports activity involves coordination, and climbing monkey bars builds strength. The abilities your child develops during play carry on to their everyday life. 

5 – Decrease stress

Play also help children work through stress and crankiness. In fact, a lack of adequate play can make your child grumpy and tense. 

6 – Opportunity to have fun!

Last but not least, games promote family fun and togetherness. Children love it and reciprocate when parents interact with them and play with them, whether you’re playing tag or pushing them around on a toddler ride on car. 

How to find the right balance

Finding the right balance between indoor and outdoor kids’ activities isn’t always easy. We have to contend with the British weather, and there might be some days where you’d rather stay indoors than go outside.

However, there are ways you can find the balance between the two. The first tip is not to be too forceful – don’t take away all of their gaming devices! Instead, encourage them to spend more time outdoors in nature. 

A great way to do this is with kids electric cars. These wonderful kids’ toys get little ones outdoors and can help build their fine motor skills. 

Another way to encourage kids the play outdoors is to come up with some playtime ideas. Rather than sitting indoors playing games, why not take the games outside? There are lots of great playtime activities from playing make-believe to gardening and exploring the local area.

Below we have some other tips on how to find a balance:

Learn about your child 

Regardless of how well you think you know your child, there is always something that your child keeps from you. Developing a strong bond with your children allows you to know more about their lives and what they enjoy. 

Find time to go outdoors

After you learn about what your children would like to do, make sure that you do everything in your power to find the time for their activities. Community playgrounds and outdoor playground equipment are a great way to engage kids with outdoor activities.

Join in with playtime

Take the time to join in on your child’s play, especially if you’ve been invited. The attention you show to your child during playtime is important in building their self-esteem. 

Encourage more play with kids ride on cars

Finding a balance can be an excruciating task, especially with children who are set in their ways. But you have to find that balance if you want your child to have a healthy, proactive life. 

Use the above tips to make your child’s life more active and productive. This helps to build up his power of judgment and you get an idea of what delights him the most.Encourage more outdoor activities with our fantastic range of electric ride on cars for kids. We have everything you could ever dream of, from 12v ride on cars to kids electric scooters.