For Release: July-September 2007
Outdoor Play for Children Play is your child’s job. Young children need to spend a great amount of time playing. Playing is crucial for learning and boosting all areas of a child’s development. Playing outside is an extremely important avenue for play. When children play outside, not only do they get fresh air, but they exercise their bodies and expand their learning by exploring the world around them. They are more likely to use their large muscles for running, jumping, skipping, hopping and climbing. By playing outdoors, your child will also learn to notice nature and how to observe the world around him, release energy and develop skills for using his body in new ways. You can encourage outdoor play by trying the following activities with your child: Old reliable large motor-skill games: Skipping by using a jump rope is a classic game to keep your child engaged and exercised. Hopping can boost motor skills. Ask your child to try hopping on one foot and then have her alternate feet. Hop with your child to a destination and add a sequence and see if your child can follow along. Ball games are great for hand-eye coordination by throwing, catching, - more -
FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
Michigan State University • 240 Agriculture Hall • East Lansing, MI • 48824-1039 517.353.9102 • FAX: 517.353.4846 • http://www.fcs.msue.msu.edu Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) program staff at MSU Extension can answer questions or help you learn more about money management, parent, food, nutrition and health issues. MSU Extension educators integrate university and community resources to provide tools that help families succeed. For more information on FCS programs in Michigan, call your county MSU Extension office. Check the government pages of your phone book for contact information. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status. Michigan State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and counties cooperating. MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer.
Outdoor Play for Children, pg. 2 and kicking. Bean bags are also handy when throwing at a target (use buckets, laundry baskets or hula hoops on the ground as “baskets”). Chasing games such as hide-and-seek can be great for running practice and amusing for all people involved! Outdoor painting: Young children love to express themselves through painting. Try filling spray bottles with water and different colors of tempera paint and let them spray a sheet of paper that you hang outside (on a clothesline, fence or tree). Or, use regular watercolor paints and then spray with water to observe how they mix together and change in color. You can also try using paint and a paintbrush on the sheet of paper to create a “rubbing” effect. If you use many sheets of paper, you can make a mural on your fence! Nature books: Help your child find many items of different sizes and shapes in the yard (for example, rocks, the side of the house, driveway, sticks, leaves, etc.) to place paper over and slightly rub with crayons. Help your child write the label of the item on the page. Collect as many different rubbings as you can together, and then bind them together to make a book. You can even arrange them in a specific order (for example, from smallest to largest). Have your child read the book to you and others. Outdoor collage: Take a walk with your child taking along a paper bag. Help her to collect anything interesting she may see in nature (especially flowers, different kinds of leaves, stones, small sticks, etc.). Make sure you talk about the things you see together along the way. When you get home, empty out the contents and help her label them and glue them separately onto paper. You can use one large sheet of paper for a collage, or create a nature walk book. As a variation of the nature walk, collect only different types of stones on your walk. Take them home and help your child wash them. Talk about their different shapes, sizes and colors. You can sort them with your child or paint them with tempera paint.
Outdoor Play for Children, pg. 3 Outdoor toy wash: Bring out small buckets or bowls filled with warm water and dish soap. Use sponges, dish cloths, wash cloths or old towels to have a mini “car wash” in your yard. You can wash toy cars or any outdoor toys or playground equipment that your child chooses! Remember, it is important to supervise and help your child at all times. Animal imitations: Take a trip to the zoo to explore different types of animals or read about them together. Talk about the sounds they make, how they walk and other special traits that the animals show specific to their type. Use the driveway or the yard so that you can run down one side, call out an animal and both of you imitate it as you run or walk back. Encourage turn-taking by having your child call out animals as well. Sensory tables: Use a plastic bin or large bucket to create several different sensory bins for your child. You can fill them with sand, different types of noodles, rice, water or small toys. Be sure to include measuring cups, large spoons and other safe utensils, and small containers for pouring and dumping. You can set them on the ground outside over a plastic mat or table cloth. Talk with your child about the texture, temperature, smell and overall feel of items in the sensory bin as you play. Help with chores: Parents can involve their children in many outdoor activities and help them learn by including the children in helping with chores. If you are painting, give your child a paintbrush and water along with an outside toy to “paint” while you paint. If you are gardening, give your child some safe gardening tools to help you dig and plant. If you are sweeping or picking up while outdoors, let your child help. Young children love to be helpful and will learn a lot working along side you.
Outdoor Play for Children, pg. 4 Outdoor play has many benefits; it does not have to be complicated or planned. In fact, the best play often happens naturally. Take walks, work and play outside every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. Be sure to notice the different objects, colors and smells of nature as you play and help your child grow healthy and strong. For more information on this topic and other issues on parenting, money management, food, nutrition or health issues, contact the (INSERT COUNTY NAME) County Extension Office at (INSERT COUNTY PHONE NUMBER OR INTERNET CONTACT ADDRESS). MSU Extension Family and Consumer Science educators are located in all 83 counties to integrate university and community resources to help families succeed. ### Submitted by Jaime Lewis, B.A.,associate, program leader, Family and Consumer Sciences, Michigan State University Extension.