The impact of technology on social interactions is profound. It’s true that our lives have changed with digitalization and connectivity on so many levels. Most of the activities have been simplified saving our valuable time and lot’s of things don’t require much effort but are rather accomplished with a simple touch.
But with great devices comes great addiction. We are so used to doing everything with our smartphones, and carrying it always with us makes it almost impossible to remain uninterested to the messages and notification we receive.
For example, many people take out their smartphones as they talk with their family members, friends, colleagues, and even strangers. Many people consider this behavior as rude because it interrupts conversations leading to deteriorating levels of social interactions.
Another profound impact of advancements in communication technology is a heightened level of individual isolation. In other words, people focus on their gadgets more than they do on the people around them.
Therefore, they estrange themselves from their loved ones spending much of their time on smartphones, tablets, and laptops, and this leads to a lot of abnormalities which are manifested differently in the mental health but also the overall human health depending on the individual.
Outdoor activities are an opportunity for parents to recreate bonds that they once had with their children. They can also create these bonds if they did not exist. Other benefits of outdoor activities exist besides strengthening the relationship between you and your children.
In fact, the health benefits of outdoor activities for children are as follows:
Exposure to Vitamin D from the Sun
Vitamin D is unavailable in most foods. In fact, it primarily comes from the sun. More specifically, the body receives it through the synthesis of a compound known as cholecalciferol. This synthesis occurs when UV radiation from the sun acts on the cholecalciferol compound that is present on your skin.
Outdoor activities ensure that kids have enough exposure to the sun for this process to occur satisfactorily. Remember, the lack of Vitamin D in a child’s body leads to rickets whose symptoms include weak and deformed legs. And with the latest development, as technology advances the need for isolation rises. Kids have every kind of entertainment they want on their tech devices and after a long period of use, the outside activities or environment no longer have an appeal.
Improvement in Social Skills
As previously mentioned, the gadgets people have estranged them from society. They have also led to deteriorating levels of social interactions. Children suffer from this fate as well.
Remember, they have smartphones, tablets, game consoles, and laptops. They have access to TVs as well.
Healthy outdoor activities help them to change their environments. For example, they will meet kids from different backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities. In fact, they will come across children who speak different languages.
A keen interest in these languages will develop in your kids. In fact, they will speak some of them in addition to the one they already know. That is how they will embrace multilingualism. They will accept different cultures as well.
Having a best friend from another nationality will raise the chances that your child speaks another language. Raising a child that speaks two languages has a lot of advantages and you should know that bilingualism profoundly affects the brain, making your child more intelligent and skillful.
Bonding and Empathy
Sedentary lifestyles lead to the deterioration of human bonds. Instead, people develop scripted responses through emails, texts, and inbox messages. In fact, some individuals speak to others through their social media posts as opposed to communicating with them directly.
Healthy outdoor activities encourage the development of interpersonal relationships. This development creates strong bonds between parents and their kids. For example, kids will learn to ask for help during some activity. They will learn to rely on their parent’s advice.
Empathy will be a hallmark of your children’s character as well. More specifically, they will fall while running, take time learning to ride a bike, and lose in a particular game. These struggles will teach them to emphasize with other kids who struggle as well.
Instinctual Tendencies
Gadgets do not teach kids about instincts because everything in these devices results from programming. That means even the games they play on them do little to develop their intuition. In contrast, healthy outdoor activities teach them to think critically and quickly.
This kind of thinking develops in them because they have to respond to unscripted events. For example, they might see a small rodent as they walk on a footpath. People might need their help with an emergency.
These are occurrences instill instinctive tendencies in your child while he or she is young. These tendencies are critical especially when they have to take care of themselves as they approach adulthood.
Ideas on Healthy Outdoor Activities
Camping
Different activities take place at a camping site. They include fishing, lighting campfires, skipping stones, and canoeing among others. These activities have tremendous health benefits for you and your kids.
For example, camping helps them exercise their muscles so that they grow strong. On the other hand, the different activities require a set of skills and you can teach your children how survival tricks preparing them for the future journeys they will take on their own.
Being in contact with nature will also have its effect on the spirituality of your children making them grateful and aware of the beauties nature has to offer for us. Instead of a bedtime story or a youtube video your child will experience the marvelous sky and witness the beauty of stars like never before, and you can talk about astronomy, teaching them orientation and star constellations.
It’s very important to be fully prepared for your camping adventure because you don’t want to miss items that can lead to frustration and lead to a bad camping experience which will guarantee your children’s abstention the next time you want to do it. Visiting an e-commerce camping store would help you gather the things you need for a camping adventure. They have incredible choices for the best camping adventures with your kids.
Hiking
Kids build an adequate amount of strength in their hamstrings, quadriceps, and hip muscles when they hike frequently. Their blood pressure levels decrease as well after the hike. Moreover, their level of bone density receives a significant boost.
The fresh air, trees, birds chirping while hiking has a very tranquil effect on the mind and soul of humans. This is the ideal time in the perfect conditions to get to know your child better and ask them about the meaning of life.
Getting to know their perspectives help you understand your child better and this improves the overall communication. Children will feel special with this kind of treatment because they will have a feeling that you are not just a parent but also a friend.
Planting
As a human being and especially a parent it is your responsibility to engage your children in activities that are good for nature. Teaching them about the respect and praise they have to show towards mother earth is a major pillar of human character which has wider positive effects. Protecting and nourishing earth makes us healthier and we have to pass this knowledge on.
You can teach your kids about the environment as well by encouraging them to participate in planting activities. They can plant small seedlings and then visit the same spot years later. That will teach them about doing some work today so that they can reap the benefits in the future.
Picnics
Picnics are a standard outdoor event, but their health benefits are still as profound as the benefits of the other activities are. For example, they give your kids a chance to breathe fresh air. It reduces their stress levels as well.
It’s the most fun thing to do for your kids. Preparing for the picnic, buying the items and the favorite foods and drinks, and engaging your children in packing the things up makes them responsible and helpful.
While outside their creativity will come in use where you can play different games and have a memorable day full of joy and laughter. All these are memories that will cause a great sensation and trigger the love feeling that never fades out in a parent and child relationship.