Parent Resources/ Play
Parent Resources/ Play

For Parents: Soak in the Sunshine

“Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink in the wild air.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
The average American child spends 4 to 7 minutes per day in unstructured outdoors play, compared to over 7 hours in front of a screen. (Source: Child Mind Institute) However, recent studies have shown that children – even infants – need time outside. Spending time outside has a myriad of benefits for children of all ages. According to studies, some of these benefits include:
  • Builds physically healthier children
  • Contributes to cognitive and social/emotional development
  • Improves sensory skills
  • Increases attention spans
  • Helps children grow in happiness and immunity
  • Promotes creativity and imagination
  • Reduces stress and fatigue
  • Helps develop an appreciation of nature

Pediatric occupational therapist and author of Balanced and Barefoot, Angela Hanscom, suggests children have an average of 3 hours of unstructured outdoor play per day. This should be a time where kids are able to spin, flip, roll, climb, race, and explore. Hanscom states that free outdoor play is “the most beneficial gift we as parents…can bestow on our children.” (Source)


With its long days and beautiful sunshine, summer is the perfect time to get your little (and big) kids outside! Playgrounds and outdoor spaces are great for free play as they allow for endless opportunities to explore and interact with the world. Visiting one of Michigan’s 74 state parks, Metroparks, or your local neighborhood park allows children to climb and race through jungle gyms, run through open fields, and invent new games based on the items available to them.

However, children don’t always need large open spaces for this type of outdoor play. Small outdoor play spaces can ignite just as much creativity. In order to encourage free play in your backyard, Hanscom suggests including “loose parts” parts in your outdoor environment. Loose parts are simple and alluring materials that children can move, manipulate and change as they play. These items can be things as simple as boxes, rocks, shells, sticks, pom-poms, corks, and much more. (You can find out more about Loose Parts here.) Here is a list of more ideas on how you can incorporate child play spaces into your backyard.
Need more ideas on how to get your kids outside? Check out the links below.

Of course, it’s always important to remain safe while outside. While monitoring your children outside, make sure to look for signs of heat exhaustion which include: increased thirst, weakness and extreme tiredness, muscle cramps, irritability, headache, increased sweating, cool/clammy skin, and body temperature rises. Make sure to protect your child from the sun by wearing a hat, sunglasses, and SPF 30 or higher sunscreen. Also, since children are more prone to dehydration than adults, make sure they are drinking enough water.

For other summer safety tips, check out the links below:

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