Tip—Outside play stimulates learning in many different arenas.

Last week we discussed the very important muscle development and physical benefits that specifically outside play provides for our children. But that’s not the end of the story. Playing outdoors also provides opportunity for important social and cognitive learning as well. Research shows that children are more likely to invent games when they are given free play time outside. Movement specialist Rae Pica writes that although children invent and play games simply to have fun, significant learning is taking place.

• They are exercising communication skills and building vocabulary (as they invent the game and create the rules)
• They are learning number relationships (as they keep score and count)
• They are absorbing social customs (as they learn to play together and cooperate).

In addition, playing outside stimulates the senses. Children learn through all of their senses. Pica points out that children who spend the majority of their time acquiring experiences through TV and computers are only using two senses (hearing and sight). Children who play outside can use all their senses: sight (seeing plants, animals, insects), hearing (the sounds of wind, water, animals), smell (the scent of earth, plants, flowers), touch (a fuzzy caterpillar, slimy mud, soft grass, hard rocks), and taste (snowflakes, raindrops, or parent-authorized berries).

Tools—Okay, you say, sounds great for summer. But have you noticed that it’s February? Believe it or not, you can provide outside experiences during the winter months—it just takes a little extra planning and appropriate clothing. Here are some cold-weather ideas for outside play:

• Go for a walk in the rain. Break out the rain slickers, boots, and umbrellas. Let the little ones stomp in puddles, pick up any worms they find, or chase birds.
• Ask your older children to walk the dogs. Again, rain coats and umbrellas are the order of the day. You can even put a raincoat on the dog—which enchants some kids.

• Build a fort. Helen Neville, author of Is This a Phase? suggests children make a fort out of tree trimmings or sticks left on the ground.
• Snow makes its own playground. Children can make tracks or snow angels, catch snowflakes on tongues, build snowmen, build a snow fort, have a snowball fight, etc.
• Go sledding.

Some parents worry that their children will get sick if they play outside and get cold. Simply getting cold will not cause someone to get sick. If you dress your children appropriately, they will be protected from the cold and the wet. Furthermore, getting a little cold teaches a child to move more and warm up. Overall, the benefits of exercise and the mood-lifting effects of being outside outweigh the risk of winter cold. Get out there with them.

(See also Tip & Tool article Highly Active Children in Winter Weather for more ideas.)

You’ll find more practical tips you can use right now in Is This a Phase? Child Development & Parent Strategies, Birth to 6 Years by Helen F. Neville, B.S., R.N.

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