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10-12 Year Olds
Just like preschoolers, middle school children also get many benefits from playing outside.
Some of the benefits children ages 10 to 12 gain from outdoor play include:
Exercise
Making sure that your child gets some exercise each and every day will help keep them fit and lay the foundation for a healthy lifestyle.
It may also prevent them from developing health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease in the future.
In order for your child to continue to be well socialized and get along with others, they need to experience all different types of social situations.
Just like engaging with others in outdoor play helped develop their social skills when they were younger, it also helps as they get older.
Opportunity To Develop Life Long Interests
Many adults who spent a lot of time outdoors during their childhood develop life-long hobbies and interests such as camping and birdwatching.
These hobbies and interests simply make life more enjoyable.
Further reading:
As your child moves through their teen years, friends and peers have probably become just as important in their life as family.
They’re thinking is evolving to include more of the world around them and they’re starting too look to their future.
Outdoor play for teens will build on the benefits they’ve already acquired in earlier years, including:
Increased Physical Fitness
There’s a good chance that if your child continues with a healthy lifestyle during their teen years, it will carry through to their adult years. This will decrease the risk of conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.
Reduced Stress
Teen years usually equate to more physical types of outdoor play and that can lead to reduced stress levels for your child. Running around the soccer field, playing football – any kind of physical activity is a great outlet for teens and an excellent way to decrease stress and anxiety.
Outdoor play, especially team play, goes a long way to your teenager’s continued social and emotional development. Among other things, team sports teach teens about sportsmanship, healthy interaction with others and cooperation.Being outside in nature is an excellent way to enhance your child’s social interactions and bonding with their neighborhood and community. All these skills are really valuable and can make your teen’s transition from adolescence to adulthood smoother and more enjoyable.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt about it: Outdoor play time opens up an entire world for your child to enjoy and explore.
It also keeps them healthy and happy by allowing them to participate in a variety of activities they don’t have access to inside.
We hope we’ve given you some awesome suggestions for types of outdoor play so you and your kids can get out and enjoy the great outdoors!