There’s undoubtedly a lot of benefits of going to the park with your kids regularly. Parks are not only great places to bond with your kids, they’re great to improve many aspects of your child’s life. It doesn’t have to be as big as a playground as Playmobil Funpark, your neighborhood park will be as good as the bigger ones.
To some, going on a swing may simply just mean going on it, but to a child, it could mean “Mom and Dad are spending time with me and watching me as I play.” Taking your kids to the park improves their overall physical and mental development and as mentioned, many other aspects. We’ve listed down these aspects and how going to the park contributes to each.
Table of Contents
Learning
Kids learn about their surroundings when out, and how they, a small being occupy that little space to be able to move around. Going about from one playground equipment to another, they learn to understand their movements. Other things they learn while at the park also:
Distance and Space
Jumping around cement, or over grass, running, and also climbing nets, make them aware of the concepts of distance. Trying to go up and finally getting on top of a climbing net gives them a view of how much they can go.
Motor Skills
Kids discover how much their bodies can do, from all the running to the climbing, they move every inch of their body and learn how exactly each function to achieve a goal they have at the moment.
Sharing
If a child doesn’t have siblings, the park is where they first learn to share toys and playground equipment.
Social Skills
Aside from learning how to share, kids can start making friends at a park. They will have to interact with other children as they wait for their turn, maybe a little chitchat about kindergarten, and other kid things.
Creativity
A child’s imagination is activated when at play. I remember my older son doing narrations of what’s happening at his pretend-castle. At sandboxes, they could make and create whatever they put their minds into. They can build a fortress with water running through floodgates, they can make shores and pretend that whales are swimming around.
Adventure
Parks are great for kids to experience challenges presented by the many installations there. They can climb ropes and wooden platforms, run around, explore, go over a bridge, jump over tires, thus, providing a sense of accomplishment for the many things they do.
Independence
Getting to do things by themselves, kids develop self-confidence and a sense of independence. They discover their physical strength as they do activities and play at the park. Having little supervision from adults mean having to rely on themselves little by little. Being around other kids, means sharing space for playing and interacting with them, or simply doing things by themselves to have fun.
Health
There’s a lot to do outside, and a big space to run, kids can burn extra calories and let out the stress or the opposite – the energy that’s been building up inside.
Playing outside means getting Vitamin D from the sun, even in winter. In a city where summer goes by so fast, it is important to soak under the sun as much, and get a little supplement in the winter when the sun is not cooperating to supply Vitamin D, what’s responsible for our positive mood. ^_^
Nature
Parks are great for kids to get to explore nature in a safe and comfortable environment. Aside from the fresh air, they get to be exposed to sand, dirt, plants, trees, sounds of birds and leaves hustling. This is great for their sensory processes. They get to see animals and insects (for free) in their natural habitat. Such experiences get them to love nature and cultivate green habits, and appreciate creation too.
There’s still a handful more benefits of going to the park with your kids – as mentioned mentally, physically. But emotionally? I’ts appreciating the time spent with them that they will remember when they’re grown. While they would be thankful to the toys and other gifts you’ve given, nothing would be more precious to them than looking back to their childhood with all those moments of you in it.
What other benefits of going to the park have you in mind? Let us know in the comments.