How long are kids supposed to play outside every day? And what are the benefits of playing outside, anyways? Read on to hear what the experts have to say about kids’ outdoor play.
When it comes to parenting, there’s no shortage of experts telling us what we’re supposed to be doing with our kids on the daily. From how long they can watch TV to how long they should play outside, the powers that be have prescribed- to the literal minute- how our kids should be spending their days.
There’s absolutely no way that you can hit every target on the head. Some days you’ll fall far short of your goals, and other days you might exceed them. It’s hard to get those numbers out of your head, and even harder not to measure your “success” as a parent by whether or not you meet those goals.
So as with any expert advice, we want to advise you before we dig in- take a deep breath. Doctors, teachers, and parenting experts are here to guide us in the right direction, not to penalize us when we fall short. Use all recommendations as a general guide and move towards best practices over time.
With that said, something almost ALL of those people agree on? That our kids are simply not getting enough unstructured, outdoor play time. So how can we, as parents, fix that? How do we make sure that our kids are getting the most of their outdoor play?