5 Ways to Enjoy the Playground with Your Child
Outdoor play is crucial to children and provides so many great benefits! Exploration, risk-taking, fine and gross motor development and the absorption of knowledge are just a few of the benefits of taking your child to the playground. In addition, your child will be participating in physical exercise, learning healthy habits, and enjoying simply being a child. Below are some great ways to engage with your child on your next park visit (click here for some ideas on things to say to children while you are there!).
1. Balance Challenge
2. Hopscotch Activities
- Strengthens musculoskeletal tissue, resulting in stronger bones, muscles, and joints.
- Provides a cardiovascular workout for strong hearts and lungs
- Improves balance
- Improves coordination
- Improves flexibility
Equally as important, climbing helps your child to set goals, overcome fear, and build confidence. Children need the opportunity to participate in healthy risk-taking activities in order to develop physically and mentally. Next time you are at the playground, help your child find spots to climb vertically, horizontally, and on both flexible and hard surfaces.
4. Teach the Importance of Safe Landings
Educate your child about the importance of safe landings, landing on their feet with their knees bent. You will also need to educate your child on the importance of safety falls, falling backwards and rolling rather than reaching back with their arms. Once you have demonstrated and practiced safe landings with your child, make a game of it. Play the "five for fives" safe landing game. Anytime you see your child perform a safe landing, reward them with a high five. Count how many high fives they can get. Can they beat their record from the last time?
5. Be InvolvedAllow your child to lead the way, watch what your child likes to do and join them in those activities. Following their lead allows both their curiosity and confidence to grow. Find a born learning playground near you or try some of their tips at a playground near you to help parent and child growth and boding:
- Ask your child, "What should we do next?"
- Encourage your child to listen to the birds and mimic their sounds.
- Learn about nature together. Explore texture, size, and color.
- Make comparisons between trees and flowers or one slide compared to another.
- Get up and move with your child; climb, slide, run, and jump.
- Play a movement game. Try Simon says or Mother May I.
- Play pretend. Be a pirate in the ship or a monkey in the tree.
Next time you are at the park, know that whatever activity you choose to participate in is time well spent. You are helping your child to learn through movement, risk-taking, and observation. You are also promoting a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Outdoor time = great times!