Why Outdoor Activities Are Crucial for the Development of Children
Go outside! You might have heard your parents say at some point in your own upbringing. But in today’s frenetic and at times unsafe world, the possibility of outdoor play has been diminished, in a way that has an unfortunate and detrimental effect to the happy, healthy development of young children.
It’s not just about getting a bit of dirt under your fingernails, what about lessons of community? Teamwork? Positive activities that get hearts pumping and minds ticking are now an invaluable service to parents looking to see the best in their excitable youngsters – and with English Quest Camp we offer all this and more, in an environment that guarantees their safety.
The necessity of outdoor activities isn’t just an anecdotal phenomenon, scientific studies have been conducted that prove there is credence to our parent’s traditional wisdom.
Here’s just some of the ways that outdoor activities foster positive development in young children.
Getting Some Fresh Air
Much like the idea of dirt under the fingernails, fresh air goes beyond folk wisdom and has been shown to have actual benefits for developing youngsters. Air quality has diminished across the world as a result of pollution, and now, this much advised mantra is more important to follow than ever.
Being in the sun has virtues outside of a nice tan – Vitamin D is provided mostly by sunlight – and has a vital function in the development of young bodies, helping you to absorb calcium to strengthen bones, and keep teeth and muscles healthy.
Advice from the British NHS even suggests that everyone should consider taking a vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter, in the parts of the world that perhaps do not get as much sun.
That’s unlikely to be the case with our camps, in sunny Larnaka, Cyprus; Tarragona, Spain, and Porto, Portugal.
Fresh air has all kinds of health benefits compared to the stuffy air you might be breathing indoors. It helps you to clean out impurities in your lungs from dust and those ever-present car exhausts, as well as reduces exposure to the often used household chemicals that collect in an improperly circulated home. It also diminishes the chance of catching colds – a lesson many of us learned during the mandated outdoor socialisation of the Covid pandemic.
In fact after various restrictions and lockdowns dealt with by many countries over the past few years, your kids might not only be clambering for some time outside, but in need of outdoor activity more than ever!
Motor Skills and Psychical Activity
Jumping, running, playing, paddling. They all have benefits in helping to develop those essential motor skills – the skills that enable the movements and tasks we do daily.
Gross motor skills are the ones most developed by outside activity, improving strength, coordination and reaction time by developing bone density and large muscle groups.
Outdoor activities will also help to control a child’s body mass. And in today’s world of processed food and reduced movement – in all people – exercise is vital in combatting child obesity.
It’s important to get to work early here, as frequent activity will improve the energy of your child and reduce their preference for sedentary activities – video games, television – all fun and often engaging, but not necessarily good for a child’s health and ultimate wellbeing.
Our safe, fulfilling adventures are conducted in and outside the classroom – among amazing mountains and serene seas, with staff who are qualified, experienced and well trained in working with children in various activities.
Teamwork and Self Esteem
Playing outside is rarely a solo adventure – be it a walk among the woods, an impromptu football match, or a simple game of hide and seek. Outdoor activities frequently see your children participating as a team: working together, sharing skills and advice and developing their social abilities. Even considering the myriad health benefits – this might be the most vital part of outdoor play in respect to your child’s development.
By working together to achieve a common goal, your child will learn how to better communicate with others. By observing the world around them, and learning about the natural landscape, they will gain greater self-awareness, and a love for the beauty and sustainability found in outdoor spaces.
In a world fraught with environmental concerns, this may be more valuable than ever, and in providing your children with fond memories of the natural world, they’ll grow to not only appreciate their surroundings, but perhaps even seek to improve them, too.
As with Video Games, TikToks and mobile apps, kids are becoming accustomed to a world of immediate gratification, and while these things are good in moderation, the unpredictability of the outdoor world will help them to build more resilient personalities better adaptable to the frequent changes that adult life will no doubt throw at them!
Education
We see our outdoor activity goals as working in tandem with your children’s English education. As they learn about the natural world, forge friendships and participate in amazing adventures, they’ll be developing vital English skills too.
In the interconnected world we live in, speaking English to a good standard has become one of the essential skills an employer looks for. With our camps, you won’t just be setting up your children for a more active, healthy life, but also investing in their future success and happiness.
To learn more about our fantastic summer camps, and to reserve a space for your child, check out our website.
Whether indoors or outside, safety remains our number one priority. All students will be carefully supervised throughout the day, and we make sure our activity equipment conforms to British or European standards.
Outdoor activities have myriad health benefits in areas both physical and mental – people of all ages should seek to do more of them.
