It’s a bright summer day, and you’d think that all the kids would be outside playing soccer, tag, or football. I mean, who wouldn’t want to enjoy the bright, golden sun before the winter months came, right? Wrong. Sally’s sitting on her warm, cozy recliner crunching on cheetos, even though the day is warm. She’s all curled up in her cute blanket, a smile on her face as she looks down at her phone, probably watching a funny YouTube video. Her little brother runs up to her, an excited gleam on his face. “Sally, won’t you please play with me? The trampoline’s dry!” To his dismay, all he gets is a grunt as she shifts the other way. He sulks off to play by himself.
Unspeakably rude? Disgusting behaviour? Yes, it is, but unfortunately, that’s the reality in most households. A study conducted showed that kids ranging from 10-16 only spent 12.6 minutes of their day outside in a physical activity, and 10.4 hours that they are awake inside, doing relatively nothing! Crazy, huh?
There are many benefits of playing outside, children can become more adventurous, a piece of rotting wood might turn into an awesome fort, or their secret hideout where no one can find them. A kid that is used to sitting inside might look at the piece of wood and wonder who forgot to take the trash out.
Not only might kids experience growth in their imagination, they also will experience an extreme increase in their independence. The ability to take an old, rotten plank and make it into a palace is a great skill to have for when you graduate college and don’t have anyone to do your work for you. That’s the same kind of things that is needed for any of the great leaders in history. Building imagination and independence is exactly the same thing as prepping a child to someday change the world. Where would we be if Thomas Edison hadn’t invented the light bulb? Well, he surely needed imagination and indepence to create something so ingenious.
Going outside can also help anybody that struggles with social awkwardness.It is a great way to make friends. Who knows who you can meet by just taking a walk around the neighborhood? For example: Tommy has no friends. He’s a really nice kid, with great interest, but nobody even takes a second glance at him. They think he’s rude for not starting many conversations but he’s just shy. So one day, he decided to take a bike ride, he saw a few kids around his age shooting some hoops. Basketball was his favorite sport! He gulped and slowly walked over. “C-can I play?” He asked shyly. They all smiled and welcomed him in. They were impressed by his great skill, and soon they were hanging out everyday.
Exploring outside is also a great health benefit! The sun emits something called vitamin D, which supports lung function, makes your bones stronger, slows depression, and even prevents diabetes! Hanging out outside could help protect you from struggles with health in the future.
As you can see, there are many benefits in having fun in the sun.only does it help personal skill, support imagination, and help with independence, it could also potentially save your life. The sun is extremely good for you, so next time it’s a warm day, consider that. Wait a second, what are you still doing here? Get outside!