Happy Healthy Kids:
Eight Reasons to Embrace Outdoor Play
A
By Jan Pierce, M.Ed.
re you one of those parents who wonder don’t allow much time for healthy, unstructured
if your child’s schedule is too crowded? outdoor exploration and play. As a culture, our
Too stressful? Do you watch him play children are paying the price in increased anxiety,
video games by the hour and get a little nervous poor sleep habits, and a higher degree of difficulty
about the long-term effects? Do you wish she had with attention and engagement in learning
time to “just play” rather than run from school to situations. Kids seem fidgety, easily bored, unable
lessons to team practices? to focus.
If you can relate to the above situations, you’re Take a deep breath. Remember how it used to
in good company. It seems today’s busy lifestyles be when children played freely without a lot of
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