3rd October 2018

Unfortunately, the digital days have favoured our communication system in many ways but at the same it has reduced the outdoor activities among kids. Making them inactive, and also they are affected by serious diseases and ailments like obesity, diabetics and more. The reason is basic, they are seating or lying down in one corner of the bed and keep reading or playing games on their smart devices, desktops while munching on the junk foods. Debunk the entire lifestyle.

How relevant is outdoor activities?

Almost, all the healthcare practitioners would suggest parents and teachers to arrange and promote outdoor activities among kids. In fact, they should be encouraged to nurture a particular outdoor sports or games, apart from their usual indoor activities. Even though children, nowadays get little amount of play time, it is the duty of the global educators and teachers to understand the need of the time. Accordingly, they are to create interactive lesson plans suiting the overall development (cognitive, social, and emotional) of the children.

Let’s talk about some of the outdoor activities –

1. Hopscotch – One old school popular activity has been the Indian outdoor game, hopscotch where team building is required because some rules or guidelines are to be followed. This will make students mix with each other; understand the concept of discipline and rules. However, the rules have some twists and turns making the child understand the complexities or difficulties of life as they grow up. As the levels go higher the difficult rate will go up from simpler versions.

Children need to use chalk and draw the hopscotch pattern on any concrete floor outside their house, or can use stick to draw the outline or use sand to mark the lines as an alternative one.

2. Cat and Mouse chase –

If you look easy to understand the outdoor games then nothing beats one, it is better to relate with the catch me if you can game which is probably an older option of playing. This is really fun and can be played in groups of two or more kids. The basic play format is one kid will count and the other needs to run. The moment one catches the other the kid need to repeat the chase game from the start.

How play becomes relevant in development –

Play is crucial to the development of children's gross and fine motor skills. Through play, children practice and perfect control and coordination of large body movements, as well as small movements of hands and fingers. Child care providers can support young children's motor development by planning play activities that provide children with regular opportunities to move their bodies. – As confirmed by the leading scholars.

Another view “Fine motor skills involve the careful control of small muscles in the hands, feet, fingers, and toes. Controlling the muscles of the tongue and lips in order to speak or sing is also a fine motor skill. Child care providers can plan activities that encourage children's developing fine motor skills.”

Gross and fine motor skills are an essential tool that children use in the classroom, at home and on the playground. Play is one of the best ways to strengthen motor skills. When given ample opportunities to play with a variety of interesting materials, young children will grow many new and exciting ways. These are all preached by significant global educators.