Outdoor play helps encourage healthy eyesight

A new study shows that children and adolescents who spend more time outdoors have a lower lower risk is of developing myopia (nearsightedness). Researchers from the University of Cambridge, England found that there's a 2% drop in myopia risk for every additional hour a child spends outdoors each week. The study further shows that, "The average nearsighted child spends 3.7 fewer hours outdoors each week compared to children with no vision problem or those who are farsighted." Farsightedness, is simply the ability to see distant objects more clearly than you see close objects. The scientists also figured out various outcomes to see if any other factors affected eyesight, and couldn't find any variables that worked. Meaning, the researchers think that all the protective eyesight factors come directly from the simple act of being outdoors. Eyesight aside, I consider failing to encourage outdoor play to be one of the biggest parenting mistakes you can make. There are countless benefits of outdoor play, such as:

• Being outside creates new and developmentally appropriate sensory experiences for your little one.
• Outdoor playtime is linked to a decreased risk of obesity and all the icky diseases that come with being overweight, such as diabetes, heart disease and more. Don't believe it? Research shows that one-third of babies are obese by 9 months of age and further research shows that this is officially the very generation of kids ever who have a predicted shorter life span than their parents, and the same research cites obesity and lack of activity as the reason why.
• Early outdoor play encourages a healthy lifestyle for life. Kids who fail to spend time outside when they're little, are less likely to spend time outside being active when they're older.
• Being outdoors provides lessons in socializing and other life skills.
• Children with attention-deficit symptoms show marked improvement when they are exposed to natural settings.
• Outdoor play, particularly in green spaces with trees, is linked to smarter kids, especially girls.

Mostly though, being outside is fun. Kids should be running about, climbing trees, picking flowers and rolling in the grass. Do you really want your child's childhood memories to consist only of computers, TV and video games? Make outside time easier:

• How to go on a spring outing with a baby
• Outdoor summer safety for babies
• 5 great nature outings for baby
• Dress your baby correctly for active play and cold weather fun - yup, babies can be outside when it's cold

Image by btwist via sxc.