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