Why outdoor play is important
Outdoor play is important for children because it allows them to explore the natural environment, engage in adventures, and express themselves, which helps build self-confidence and resilience.
It also provides more space for physical activities like running and jumping, which are beneficial for fitness and physical development.
Outdoor play can reduce the risk of developing short-sightedness and boosts vitamin D levels with safe sun exposure.
Additionally, being in natural environments can help children relax and improve their mental health and wellbeing.
Encouraging your child to play outside several times a day is beneficial. If you have an outdoor space at home, simply sending them outside can be effective, though younger children may need supervision for safety. Outdoor play can include helping with tasks like weeding or watering plants.
Visiting local parks or playgrounds is an easy, low-cost option that provides more space and social opportunities. Walking to the park can teach road safety and promote outdoor activity.
As children grow older, structured outdoor activities like junior sports can be encouraged.
Free outdoor winter activities
Even when it’s cold and wet outside, you and your child can still be active around your home and neighbourhood. There are plenty of free or low-cost things you can do:
- Put on coats, hats and gloves and head outside. Show your child what the beach looks like in wild weather or visit parks and gardens when the plants are all wet and glossy.
- Take your child to see how the flow of rivers, creeks and streams changes after rain.
- When it’s wet, dress up in gumboots and raincoats. Look for some big puddles to jump in. An umbrella can be fun to take along too. Your child might have fun opening and closing it a few times.
- If it’s darker, let your child play with a torch when you go out for a walk.
- Gather leaves, sticks, shells and stones from outside. You can take them inside and use them for sorting, painting or building.
- On a windy day, you can try flying kites, chasing leaves – or helping them ‘fly’ – and trying to find places to hide from the wind outside.
Free indoor winter activities
If you can’t face the cold and wet, here are some ideas for winter activities you and your child can do inside at home:
- Line up some empty plastic bottles inside and use an old pair of socks to play indoor ‘bowling’. Make it harder by adding some weight (like sand or water) inside the bottles. Your child could recycle the socks to play other games like soccer or tennis, or even puppet plays.
- Encourage your child to throw a scarf up in the air and catch it on an arm, leg, knee or head. Or let your child kick a balloon up as high as possible and then use a fly swat or plastic bat to hit the balloon.
- Move to music, make up dances and play dress-ups. Maybe your child could act out a new adventure based on a favourite superhero or cartoon character.
- Set up an indoor treasure hunt.
- If you have space, use chairs, blankets and boxes to build a fort or set up an obstacle course.
- Use an old mattress as an indoor trampoline and get your child to try funny running styles, or practise jumping, landing and tumbling.
