Outdoor play is not only great for children’s development but also a key factor in helping children to remain healthy. While playing outside is important, ensuring that children remain safe while playing outside is equally important. Outside there are a lot more hazards to children’s wellbeing. From busy roads to potential harm from the sun’s UV rays, they’re all around. While it is imperative for adults to be aware of dangers, these shouldn’t result in the prevention of outdoor play. Instead we should help protect children as they play.
Here are a number of ways of keeping children safe as they play outside.
Consider weather conditions
Whatever the time of year, it is important to keep children protected from harsh weather conditions. In winter it is vital to ensure children are kept warm and dry from cold and wintery rain. This can be done by ensuring that they are dressed appropriately for the weather conditions. And not forgetting to wear footwear that will keep their feet warm and dry. During summer, it is normally protection from the sun that is most important. While it is good for children to have exposure to sunlight as it provides them with vitamin D, keeping delicate skin protected from UV rays is vital. Ensuring children wear the appropriate sun factor will help to protect children’s skin. In very harsh and direct sunlight making sure they wear a hat and clothing that keeps them well protected. This will enable them to be outside without damaging their skin.
Keep children in a secure environment
While there are lots of dangers to playing outside, such as busy roads and fear of children wandering off, these can be mitigated by ensuring they remain in a secure environment. Gardens are an ideal environment for children to play as they are secure and provide the benefits of outdoor play. Another good alternative is parks; they are a secure environment and enable children to socialise with other children. Parks are also good in that they offer children a wide range of outdoor play equipment to use that they wouldn’t have access to anywhere else.
Ensure children are supervised
Another way of ensuring children remain safe while they play outdoors is to make sure that they are supervised. This doesn’t necessarily mean standing over children the entire time they are playing, however, children should always remain in sight and adults need to remain vigilant while allowing children to play. Keeping children supervised a key way of ensuring they remain safe while playing outdoors, as well as providing adults with reassurance that their children are protected.
Over the years outdoor play has been in decline, which has resulted in a negative impact on children’s development, health and fitness levels. While there are dangers to children playing outside, following these steps will help to ensure children remain safe while enjoying the freedom and benefits of outdoor play.
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