為什么孩子需要戶外活動

為什么孩子需要戶外活動

When my children have not played outside enough, I can tell. Their energy levels ratchet up, the noise increases in the house, and they squabble incessantly. I can feel my own mood shift. I start snapping at them to be quiet, to calm down, to please move out of the kitchen where they tend to congregate.

當(dāng)我的孩子們在外面玩得不夠的時候，我能看出來。他們的精力水平越來越高，房子里的噪音越來越大，他們不停地爭吵。我能感覺到自己的情緒在轉(zhuǎn)變。我開始要求他們安靜下來，冷靜下來，離開他們經(jīng)常聚集的廚房。

The author's children spend hours digging holes in the yard.K Martinko

So I tell them it's time to go outside. Usually they complain and try to come up with reasons for why staying in is better, but I insist. Within minutes they're out and running around, and an immediate sense of calm descends on the house. Sometimes I give them a minimum time limit, say 20 minutes, before they're allowed to come back inside, but often they forget about it once they're wrapped up in a game.

所以我告訴他們是時候出去了。通常他們會抱怨，并試圖想出理由來解釋為什么待在家里更好，但我堅持。幾分鐘后，他們就出來了，到處亂跑，一種平靜的感覺立即降臨到房子上。有時我給他們一個最短的時間限制，比如20分鐘，他們才可以回到室內(nèi)，但一旦他們沉浸在游戲中，他們往往會忘記這一點。

Kids need consistent daily outdoor play. Indoor activities are not a replacement for outdoor ones, which is why it's up to parents to insist that children get their daily dose of fresh air. There are numerous benefits to be had, some of which I'd like to share.

孩子們需要每天持續(xù)的戶外活動。室內(nèi)活動不能代替室外活動，這就是為什么父母堅持讓孩子每天呼吸新鮮空氣的原因。有許多好處，其中一些我想分享。

Physical Benefits

身體上的好處

Outdoor play gives children exercise outside of a structured group-sport environment. Give a kid a bike, a scooter, a pogo stick, a skateboard, and their heart rate will be racing in no time as they practice (and take pride in) new skills. Outdoor play builds core strength. Active kids haul sticks and logs, move rocks, lug buckets of water, and shovel dirt while building forts, designing ramps, and digging holes.

戶外游戲讓孩子們在一個有組織的團體運動環(huán)境之外進(jìn)行鍛煉。給一個孩子一輛自行車，一輛滑板車，一根彈簧單高蹺，一個滑板，當(dāng)他們練習(xí)新技能時，他們的心跳會很快加快(并且為之自豪)。戶外運動可以增強核心力量。活躍的孩子們在建造堡壘、設(shè)計坡道和挖洞的時候拖著棍子和木頭、搬石頭、拖著水桶和鏟土。

Pediatric physiotherapist Devon Karchut explains how big movements, like rolling, spinning, and jumping, stimulate a child's vestibular system. "This sensory system is the 'air traffic controller' or organizer for all of the other senses and influences things like attention, regulation, balance, spatial awareness, and coordination of the eye muscles." Children need to stimulate this system on a regular basis, and outdoor play allows this to happen more naturally.

兒科理療師Devon Karchut解釋了大的運動，如旋轉(zhuǎn)、旋轉(zhuǎn)和跳躍，是如何刺激兒童的前庭系統(tǒng)的。“這個感覺系統(tǒng)是‘空中交通管制員’或所有其他感覺的組織者，并影響注意力、調(diào)節(jié)、平衡、空間意識和眼部肌肉的協(xié)調(diào)。”孩子們需要定期刺激這個系統(tǒng)，而戶外游戲可以讓這個過程更自然地發(fā)生。

Mental Benefits

心理上的好處

Outdoor play gives children a rare chance to be in a space without fixed rules. There are fewer requirements to calm down, to be quiet, to stay clean. Outside, they're free to do anything that entertains them (within reason). They're allowed to operate apart from parental or teacher oversight, which is more conducive to imaginative play and getting into a creative flow state. Instead of hearing "don't do that" all the time, the outdoors is a place where "let's do it!" takes precedence. This is empowering.

戶外游戲給了孩子們一個難得的機會去一個沒有固定規(guī)則的空間。人們對冷靜、安靜和保持整潔的要求越來越少。在外面，他們可以自由地做任何他們感興趣的事情(在合理范圍內(nèi))。他們被允許在沒有父母或老師監(jiān)督的情況下進(jìn)行操作，這更有利于想象力的發(fā)揮，進(jìn)入創(chuàng)造性的流動狀態(tài)。在戶外，人們聽到的不是“別做那件事”，而是“讓我們做吧!”這是授權(quán)。

Children learn how to assess risk on their own when playing unsupervised outside. With no hovering adults to say what's safe and what's not, they try things that push their limits, but are more inclined to listen to their bodies because they know they're responsible for themselves. This can help set them up for longer-term success.

孩子們在沒有人監(jiān)督的情況下在戶外玩耍時，會學(xué)習(xí)如何評估風(fēng)險。沒有成年人在身邊說什么是安全的，什么是不安全的，他們會嘗試挑戰(zhàn)自己的極限，但更傾向于聽從自己的身體，因為他們知道自己要對自己負(fù)責(zé)。這可以幫助他們建立長期的成功。

Educational Benefits

教育上的好處

There's so much active learning that goes on outdoors. The outdoors is like one giant sensory bin, just waiting to get unpacked. When kids are out of the house, they take the discrete facts and information they've heard in the classroom and apply it to real life, e.g. experimenting with pulleys to haul stuff into a treehouse, building a bridge across a deep hole that will support their weight, getting the right consistency of mud by mixing dirt and water, seeing how sand adds traction to an icy walkway and a sprinkling of ice melts it, how to dig a tunnel in a snowbank without it collapsing. They'll do better in school, too, after spending more time outside.

在戶外可以進(jìn)行很多主動學(xué)習(xí)。戶外就像一個巨大的感官垃圾桶，等待著被打開。當(dāng)孩子們離開家的時候，他們會把在課堂上聽到的離散的事實和信息應(yīng)用到現(xiàn)實生活中，比如用滑輪把東西拖進(jìn)樹屋，在一個深洞上建一座橋來支撐它們的重量，通過混合泥土和水來獲得合適的泥漿稠度，觀察沙子如何增加結(jié)冰通道的牽引力，少量的冰如何融化它，如何在雪堆里挖隧道而不讓它坍塌。在戶外多花些時間后，他們在學(xué)校的表現(xiàn)也會更好。

Lilian Henglein / Getty Images

Playing outside connects children to the seasons. They become aware of the changing weather and how it affects animals, plants, and soil around them. They can watch animals foraging and hoarding food in the fall, buds appearing on trees, birds building nests, raising babies, and migrating. Time spent outdoors puts children at ease with the seasons, teaching them how to dress appropriately and not to fear non-sunny weather. This in turn will make them more finely tuned to changes in the weather, and hopefully more concerned about climate change as they grow because they know what they want to protect.

在戶外玩耍使孩子們與季節(jié)聯(lián)系在一起。他們開始意識到天氣的變化以及它如何影響他們周圍的動物、植物和土壤。他們可以看到動物在秋天覓食和儲藏食物，樹上出現(xiàn)嫩芽，鳥兒筑巢，養(yǎng)育后代，遷徙。在戶外度過的時光能讓孩子們輕松地適應(yīng)季節(jié)，教會他們?nèi)绾蔚皿w地穿著，不要害怕沒有陽光的天氣。這反過來又會使他們更好地適應(yīng)天氣的變化，希望他們在成長過程中更關(guān)注氣候變化，因為他們知道自己想要保護(hù)什么。

Outdoor play makes children happy. You'll see it when they come inside, tired and satisfied, cheeks and eyes glowing. And you, as a parent, will feel happier, too, because you've had a brief respite from the noise and the chaos. So make this a priority by designating time each day for children to play outdoors.

戶外游戲使孩子們快樂。當(dāng)他們走進(jìn)來的時候，你會看到他們疲倦而滿足，面頰和眼睛閃閃發(fā)光。作為父母，你也會感到更快樂，因為你在嘈雜和混亂中得到了短暫的喘息。所以，每天為孩子們指定戶外活動的時間，把這作為首要任務(wù)。

Take them to parks and forests on weekends or after school if you can. You don't have to play with them; I often sit with a book, a coffee, or a friend, observing from afar and enjoying the break while they lead their own explorations. Spend some money on making your yard more interesting for them. Instead of buying technology and other toys for indoor enjoyment, buy a basketball net, a scooter, a shovel, materials to build forts and ramps and a mud kitchen. Your kids will get hours of enjoyment out of these things, and the benefits are far-reaching.

如果可以的話，在周末或放學(xué)后帶他們?nèi)ス珗@和森林。你不必和它們一起玩;我經(jīng)常和一本書、一杯咖啡或一位朋友坐在一起，遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)地觀察，享受著他們帶領(lǐng)自己探索的休息時間。花些錢讓你的院子對他們來說更有趣。與其購買科技產(chǎn)品和其他室內(nèi)娛樂玩具，不如買個籃球網(wǎng)、滑板車、鏟子、建造堡壘和坡道的材料，以及一個泥廚房。你的孩子會從這些事情中得到幾個小時的快樂，而且好處是深遠(yuǎn)的。