Children are prone to react to their environment much more strongly than adults are. When they have a healthy balanced lifestyle, it shows through their happy cheerful demeanor. However, if there are any extremities, they show up too. For example, an over-sheltered child may act fearfully in ordinary situations or be unwilling to try new things. So it is best that children’s lifestyle is well thought out and balanced.
Unfortunately, these days it is impossible to ensure that children are having the optimal life quality that they should. With rapid urbanization and growing technology, outdoor exposure has reduced to a minimum among children and it can cause all sorts of issues in your child.Lack of play affects child development. Let us take a look at what they could be-
Vitamin Deficiencies
Being outdoors is not just good for the spirit, but also for the physical health of your children. Lack of outdoor activity can result in vitamin deficiencies in a kid. Playing outdoor gives children exposure to the sun. While excessive sun exposure can lead to sunburns and UV exposure, it is still a crucial requirement for growing children. Sun exposure provides essential Vitamin D and the element of outdoor excursion helps the absorption of vitamins.
Irritability
Too much indoor time and time spent in front of digital screens can lead to the kids being cranky and irritable all the time. In order for proper physical and mental development, children need to be able to have experiences of their own which are not limited to virtual experiences. Outdoor experiences with peers expand the children’s energies constructively and help with their mood stabilization. In the absence of this, children can become cooped up or irritable to deal with.
Loneliness
Social growth is a crucial part of growing up. If children are not exposed to a peer group on a regular and unrestricted basis, they may develop difficulty in dealing with other people in life resulting in feelings of loneliness. When children engage in outdoor activities like playing or traveling, they become more sociable and approachable. This gives them a huge boost in achieving their life endeavors.
Lacking in Creativity and Executive function
Executive functioning refers to basic skills that each one of us possesses in some form or the other. These skills include planning, prioritizing, troubleshooting, multitasking, etc. As one can guess, these turn out to be pretty important for overall growth and success in life. Children develop these skills as they engage with each other and unforeseen circumstances in life. These do not occur in sheltered environments and thus it is crucial that children are exposed to outdoor experiences like travel at an early age.
Related Read: 23 Best Adventure Activities All Students Should Know About & Start Exploring
Inadequate exercise
One of the most crucial requirements for health is to get proper exercise on a regular basis. This habit needs to be instilled at an early age or else children become complacent towards their own health. Too much screen time or indoor time can result in children not receiving and not liking the prospect of exercise which can be disastrous in the long term.
Overall, a child’s development is largely based on the kind of lifestyle that they have. So for a well-rounded personality, it is important that the child goes outside, plays with their friends, travel with and without the parents, among other things. Student education tours are a great way to engage children in constructive outdoor experiences. You can check out the available options with Pencil Voyages and reduce the hassle of planning the whole thing. Do you know of any great outdoor activities too? Let us know in the comments.
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