Give children the space to benefit from outdoor play activities
01/03/2010 Giving children an area of the garden which feels like their own is a great way to help them benefit from outdoor play activities, reports the National.
According to the Dubai-based newspaper, allowing children to take part in outdoor play activities helps them develop an appreciation for nature, as well as improving their physical fitness.
However, this often proves tricky in built-up areas, such as large cities, and parents are advised to create space for their children to explore the outdoors.
Sam Scarborough, the author of Cool Spaces for Kids, said: "It is very important to give kids a sense of place and space. They love being contained in an area that they feel belongs to them."
David Sobel, a developmental psychologist, added that the period between the ages of seven and eleven is when children develop their sense of self and giving them an area to do so, such as a wooden play house, helps aid their development.
Advice from the British Medical Association is for children to regularly take part in outdoor play activities and eat healthily as a way of keeping their weight down as "prevention is better than cure" when it comes to obesity.
According to the Dubai-based newspaper, allowing children to take part in outdoor play activities helps them develop an appreciation for nature, as well as improving their physical fitness.
However, this often proves tricky in built-up areas, such as large cities, and parents are advised to create space for their children to explore the outdoors.
Sam Scarborough, the author of Cool Spaces for Kids, said: "It is very important to give kids a sense of place and space. They love being contained in an area that they feel belongs to them."
David Sobel, a developmental psychologist, added that the period between the ages of seven and eleven is when children develop their sense of self and giving them an area to do so, such as a wooden play house, helps aid their development.
Advice from the British Medical Association is for children to regularly take part in outdoor play activities and eat healthily as a way of keeping their weight down as "prevention is better than cure" when it comes to obesity.
