Outdoor educational games: benefits
Children's contact with the outdoors undoubtedly benefits their psycho-evolutionary development. It promotes increased empathy, significant development of social learning, and improved imaginative (undirected) play.
It also fosters irreplaceable experiences for cognitive development in childhood. Playing outdoors allows for contact with other living beings such as animals and plants, experiencing sensations in nature through observation and contact with natural phenomena such as discovering the wind, the rain, or the effect of the sun, and also the surprise of discovering one's own shadow.
Socializing with others is one of the most important lessons learned from outdoor play. These spaces promote free interaction with other children and adults, fostering skills such as respect and cooperation. And without a doubt, playing outdoors provides a tremendous amount of exploration into a world full of things to discover.
Below, we propose 5 educational games to enjoy this summer with family and friends, which help to enhance different skills that are very important for development during childhood.
Balance bike
Also called pedal-free bikes , these help develop the balance needed to learn to ride a bicycle. They are recommended for children aged 2 and up, as they complement the development of stability while walking.
These balance bikes help children gain stability. At first, they ride as if walking, but gradually they pick up speed and lift their feet when they need to push off. They also provide a significant boost of confidence when cornering, as the curve of the handlebars is supported by their own body weight. This allows them to learn to turn without fear.
Another very important function these bicycles stimulate is that they improve motor skills development. Not only do they promote balance, as we've already mentioned, but they also encourage children to become aware of how to use their legs to move forward and stop, and to coordinate their arms and hands to maintain direction. Without a doubt, it's a wonderful toy to introduce children to the conscious experience of self-awareness in the world.
Children's scooter
The three-wheeled children's scooter makes it easier for them to balance immediately, helping them focus on steering and gross motor skills.
The benefits of riding a scooter for children are numerous and varied: it stimulates psychomotor activity and tones muscles (we mustn't forget that this toy is a very fun and easy-to-use tool that encourages our children to exercise). It promotes general coordination, balance, and stability; it fosters spatial awareness and organization, improves mood, and reduces nervousness.
Furthermore, it contributes to values education since, over the years, it can become - just like the bicycle - a clean means of transport.
Diving and pool toys with parasol
When introducing play in water-based environments, there are two things to keep in mind: first, that children overcome any fear of water they may have, and second, that they learn to play while controlling their breathing. For this, playing with submersible balls , for example, is a great way to entertain them.
With this toy, children learn to put their head underwater each time they take out a ball, and also to control their breathing and do it correctly underwater.
In any case, all activities associated with infant swimming increase our children's sense of independence and self-confidence at all stages of their development. In the first few months of life, babies in the water discover their own bodies; the ability to float promotes the development of balance, which, along with the coordinated movement of legs and arms, improves coordination and motor skills.
For these first aquatic experiences, we recommend the pool with a parasol , which includes a UPF 50 UV sun filter to protect your baby from the sun.
Climbing tower
Climbing is a sport with many physical, psychological, and social benefits. For children in particular, it offers eight key advantages: it helps develop psychomotor skills; improves agility and balance; develops flexibility, muscle strength in arms and legs, and endurance; boosts confidence and self-esteem; helps overcome challenges; and promotes teamwork and trust among peers.
Those of us at Educar Jugando invite you to take a look around our online store and discover theSmoby climbing tower , and all the educational games available, to develop the skills mentioned here and many more, to accompany the development and growth of our children this summer.
