How important is outdoor play for children?
Aside from the opportunities to use gross
motor skills while running, riding a bike, swinging on swings outdoor play for
children is FUN!
Unstructured outdoor play provides a much
needed outlet for stress (yes, young
children experience stress) and is a great avenue for children to move
their bodies and raise their voices in ways that are not appropriate while
indoors.
Especially for children under the age of
eight, learning occurs best when the whole self is involved. Outdoor play
provides an ideal platform for uniting the body, mind and spirit in the
carefree expressions of childhood.
Although a recent report from The
American Academy of Pediatrics says that children
should play outside for at least 60 minutes a day, another study from The
Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
states that almost half of three to five year olds don’t play outside on a
daily basis.
Providing young children with the foundation
and support they need is key for building and maintaining strong communities. As
an educator in the field of Early Childhood and Human Development for nearly 30
years, I have seen the positive impact that well-educated family child care
providers can have on a child and their family.
Rio
Salado College student Sharnet Parker’s lifetime goal has been to provide
quality care for children and families. Parker saw her goal become a reality
and currently owns and operates Rising STARS
Preschool and Childcare center in Chandler, Arizona.
“While
raising my own two boys, in 1996 with the support of my husband and family, I
fulfilled my dream by opening my family child care business,” Parker said.
She credits Rio Salado for providing
educational and professional development support for her career. Parker has earned
her Academic
Certificate in Professional Development and is working toward an Associate of
Applied Science in Early Childhood Education.
More than 5,000 students currently take Early
Childhood and Human Development classes at the college. Rio offers seven
certificate and three associate degrees in Early Childhood and Human
Development. The program provides a variety of pathways in online formats; infant/toddler,
preschool, school age (after school programs), adolescence studies, family life
education, adult development and aging and management of early childhood
environments. The college also works directly with employers to bring selected
courses to the workplace.
“It
is my hope to inspire others,” Parker said. “My passion isn't just teaching
children, it is also showing other providers how to be successful and to
inspire them to provide quality care to young children.”
This next week, April 22 – 28, the National
Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) will be celebrating Week
of the Young Child. As noted by NAEYC, the purpose of the week is to “focus
public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to
recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs.” Rio
Salado College will celebrate the week by participating in a community event in
Buckeye, and by hosting the Fifth-Annual Early Childhood Director’s Conference
on April 21.
Published in Tempe Republic April 21, 2012
9 comments:
It is really unfortunate though that these days, the kids are living a digital life. Even in here in our locale, not a lot of kids play outside anymore. Good thing there are people like you who thinks and share to everyone its importance. keep it up!
John Vincents
I think that it's the responsibility of the education system as well to provide opportunities for kids to explore the physical world and not only the digital environment they are forced by the modern lifestyle. Good thing that there are so many people interested in the courses you have.
It's kinda sad that we have to create campaigns to encourage kids to get out and play, but at the same time, it's best to instill an active lifestyle at a young age, because bad habits are hard to break.
As a parent of a home educated child with ASD and the physical disability of hypermobility, I agree with the idea that these children's social ability is the reason why they are home educated, and are not as a result of being home educated.
It is clear that the proportion of SEND in home education is higher than it is in school, and one of the reasons is that the inclusion movement in schools has actually made things worse for some types of SEND.
Research has shown that inclusion has not worked as they thought it would:"Progress towards classroom integration has been more evident for some groups than for others. Pupils with physical or visual impairments have benefited most from the integration movement; pupils with moderate or severe learning difficulties have benefited considerably less; and pupil with emotional and behavioural difficulties are in fact experiencing greater segregation than before." (New Perspectives in Special Educaiton - A Six-counrty Study of Integration by Cor J.W. Meijer, Sip Jan Pijl and Seamus Hegarty)
So with ASD children struggling in school, it is no wonder that so many of them are home educated, and it may well be that their outcomes will be much better for being HEed than if they had remained in a school that was not meeting their needs.
Both Tony Attwood and Simon Baron-Cohen are supportive of home education for children on the autistic spectrum.
Though we cannot stop the ongoing digital revolution that somehow brought everything, specially the games and play our children play, proactive campaign on the importance of physical activity for kids should be done. And, surely, the information campaign that this blog provides help.
well great post, id say its better to promote outdoor games to our children rather than online games, which is playing computers. anyways love your write up on this.
Educated child care providers should balance the involvement of children on both sides of digital and physical activities.It is their responsibility to make children's growth properly balanced and develop their social and motor skills as well.
I couldn't agree more with Mimi. There should be a balance with playing inside the house (tinkering with the digital gadgets) and playing outside the house to promote physical health. And only parents have the power to make that possible to their children.
Outdoor play is necessary for physical development as well as mentally for children. Most of parents just focus on study and neglect sports and this is crucial reason behind poor mental developmental. Few mental disorder come with birth but few came after birth and reason is hectic schedule of children.
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