Keep Them Entertained This Summer - Outdoor Games For Kids

Studies have shown that the recent trend of indoor entertainment can have a negative impact on children's health. The plethora of new children-orientated television channels, the multitude of gaming consoles available on the market and the emphasis on technology directly correlate with overall poor health in the nation's next generation. Childhood obesity is at an all-time high and more children are developing diabetes as a result of lack of exercise and frequent snacking. The rise of diagnosed ADHD has also been linked to the frantic over-stimulation of media-based entertainment. This is why outdoor games for kids are rising in popularity among health-savvy families.

Outdoor games for kids are often far cheaper than their indoor equivalents. There can be hours of fun derived from a single soccer ball, which often costs under ten dollars for a cheap plastic model. Compare this to the cost of a PlayStation or Xbox game, which can cost nearly sixty dollars and are quickly discarded after one or two play-throughs. A soccer ball can provide entertainment for one child by himself, as he practices his dribbling skills or kicks the ball against a wall. Likewise, it can provide bonding and socialization opportunities as the child participates in a game of soccer with other kids from the neighborhood. The benefits from this are immediate and obvious: the child learns teamwork, co-operation with others, gets some exercise and has fun while doing it. What exercise is the child who sits indoors playing a soccer simulation game on a console getting, apart from occasionally moving his fingers?

There are also many cheap toys (under ten dollars) that can be used in outdoor play. A skipping rope can be used alone, which is an excellent form of exercise; or three people can take part in a complex skipping game with one child hopping up and down in the middle. A hula hoop is great for exercising belly muscles, and a favorite summer pastime for kids is seeing who can keep the hula-hoop in the air for longest while music plays. Another cheap outdoors toy is a skittles set - the game can be easily set up on a sidewalk or a quiet cul-de-sac, and several kids from the neighborhood can get involved in a skittles championship league. All of the above games are cheap and durable, and when taken care of properly will last your child for years.

Slightly more expensive, but equally as fun, are the more sports-orientated games. A baseball ball and mitt can provide hours of entertainment, as well as bonding time between family members. An additional bonus is that this hobby can become a lifetime one. The child could join a local Little League team, and continue the sport throughout high school and college. The child ends up having so much fun bowling and catching that they don't realize that they are actually getting some exercise! Street hockey, with a junior-sized stick, is also a great way of incorporating actual sport into kid's play.

The health benefits of outdoors play are undeniable, and the additional socialization that accompanies it is invaluable for a child's development. The number of obese and unfit children is on the rise in America, and it's time to buck the trend.

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Using Outdoor Activities to Stimulate Childhood Development

In regards to childhood development, it is crucial that children get a well-rounded mix of time outside as much as inside, including in periods away from school, and over the weekends. Either playing video games or sitting in front of the TV, spending all of their personal time inside doesn't provide the same level of developmental benefits a child receives from going outside and being active, either at the park, or just playing around the block.

There's much a child may do to stay active around your own home, either by playing basketball or catch in the driveway, or even using their imagination to make an entire other kind of arena to play in, whatever the case, there truly is no limit to what a child is able to do when provided with the best means to express themselves. Do not underestimate the value of imagination in a child's development and how it may help them in other areas down the line, but by being able to exert themselves in an outdoor setting, free of boundaries and the level of structure they are accustomed to in the remainder of their lives.

When attending school, kids are expected to conform to a great deal of rules, and even in preschool, they're starting to learn about structure, but the time spent on playgrounds for preschools is just as valuable as the rest of the day's activities. This continues all throughout the rest of a child's educational career as well, from recess in elementary school, all the way through P.E. in high school; the importance of outdoor activities during adolescence should be appreciated for providing children with more than just physical exertion, but also with important problem solving skills that they could apply to many facets of everyday life.

When not in school, children could also make the most of all that their neighborhood parks have to offer, with even the most basic plastic outdoor commercial playground delivering enough to get them out there and active instead of being closed up all day inside. Getting them outside on a regular basis would help them gain an appreciation for all that they might learn and explore in the world outside in order for children to truly make the most of their younger years and get used to staying active and healthy.

The benefits of an active lifestyle will be brought with them, even into adulthood, and the skills children develop here will be used all throughout their lives.

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Let Your Children Play Outdoor Games

Summer is coming and that means it is time for outdoor games. As the weather gets warmer it is time to get your children out of the house so they can get some exercise and have fun. There are thousands of different games that can be played and many of them involve very flexible rules and little or no equipment, but they all have some things in common; they all help the kids expend energy and they all help with family unity.

Chase

Chase games involve having one player who is designated as "it" who chases and attempts to tag all the others. The basic game involves all the kids running around avoiding being tagged, sometimes with a designated location, usually a tree, as being home base where they cannot be tagged. When it tags another child that child then becomes it and must lead the chase. There is no end to the game and no designated winner, but all the kids will get exercise and enjoy the game for hours.

Hide-and-Seek

Another popular chase game is hide-and-seek. The game starts out with it hiding his eyes on home base and the other kids hide as he counts to ten, or twenty, or one hundred. It then yells out, "Ready or not, here I come," before starting to hunt for the other players. Any player found then has to run to the home base before being tagged by it. After everyone is found either the first player tagged or the last player tagged then becomes it and the game starts over.

Freeze Tag

Yet another Variation include freeze tag where if a player is tagged by it, he must stop where he is until another player tags him and then he can continue to the home base. For this variant, the kids can also designate that anyone away from home can then be tagged. Whoever is the last player tagged becomes it and the game begins again.

Capture the Flag

Finally, for a more organized approach to chase there is capture the flag. In this game the kids are divided into two teams and each team has a flag they have to protect while at the same time trying to get the opposing team's flag across a line in the center. Here the rules vary; either the players can be tagged anytime they are on the wrong side of the line, or only if they have the flag in hand. A tagged player can either be out or forced to freeze until he is tagged free by a teammate, and the flag can then either be returned to its original place or can be left where it was. The game is won when someone crosses the line with their opponents' flag.

Exercise is one of the healthiest things a child can do to avoid obesity and related childhood diseases and instilling exercise in a child when he is young is the best way to make this a lifelong habit. When your children are out of school and daylight lasts deep into the evening, it is even more important for your children to be outside and outdoor games are some of the best ways to get them off the couch and away from the television.

Looking for a great source for classic board games and outdoor games? Enjoy time with friends and loved ones with family board games and more!
http://www.thegamesupply.com/boardgames

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Four Fun Games Your Kids Can Enjoy With Outdoor Playground Sets

With all the cool toys that kids can play with indoors, finding outdoor activities kids will actually go and do can be a challenge. Many children are drawn indoors by the lure of video games, television and other technology, leading to problems with sedentary lifestyles and childhood obesity. Outdoor playground sets can provide children with hours of fun in their own backyards. You can encourage activity amongst your children or grandchildren by teaching them some of these fun games they can enjoy with outdoor play sets.

• Obstacle Course: Making your own obstacle course with a great playground set keeps kids excited about playing outside instead of hibernating indoors. Use cones in conjunction with your play set and draw a map to outline the obstacle course. You'll want to have the kids go through the course one at a time so you don't have any accidental collisions. Once everyone has gone through the obstacle course you've made, you can enlist the help of the children to create a second obstacle course involving the different components of the play set and other yard toys.

• House: Kids love emulating their parents and playing "house" is a game that every kid loves to play time after time. Drape an old sheet over the slide to create the house and encourage the kids to use swings for their vehicles. It won't take much to fire off their imaginations as they pretend to be Mom and Dad taking care of day to day activities, going to work and coming home.

• Relay Races: If your children seem to have endless amounts of energy you can help them use it up before bedtime with relay races. Creating a relay race in your yard that involves a lot of different activities such as using the slide on your swing-set, swinging 5 times and climbing up and down the ladder will put them in action. When these components are combined with running around the yard, kids get a great workout that helps them develop large motor muscles and have fun, too.

• I Spy: Perspective makes a difference and children will see things differently from the upper areas of the play set. Have kids take turns "spying" different things from the treehouse portion of the play set while everyone else guesses.

Outdoor play sets provide lots of fun and many children are satisfied by simply swinging and sliding the afternoon away. But when a little extra creativity is called for, you can keep your children active on outdoor playground sets by playing one or more of these games. All it takes is a little outside the box imagination to make the kids reach for more imagination too. Before you know it, all they'll need is a sunny day and a little free time to entice them outdoors.

As a child, Gretchin Hammill loved playing games on her outdoor playground. Children of all ages can enjoy outdoor fun on Little Tikes playgrounds.

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Outdoor Roller Skating Is Fun!

Roller skating can be fun whether it is inside a rink or outside. But there are some unique benefits if you do it outside. First, you are out in the fresh air. Breathing in the fresh air as you skate can be very healthy! Secondly, you get the opportunity to see new things every time you skate; something that is not possible if you are in a rink.

But in order to have an enjoyable experience, you need to make sure you have the right equipment. I have had customers tell me that they decided to skate inside because it was too uncomfortable skating outdoors. After asking them a few questions, I realized the problem. They are using wheels that are intended for inside use only. They did not know they needed a softer wheel for skating outside. I would not get a wheel harder than a durometer of 85A. If the surface you are skating on is a little bit rough, I would go with a softer wheel. Maybe a 75A hardness would be appropriate.

You can use any kind of skate boot outside. Some like the high tops and others like the low tops. The difference, as mentioned, will be the wheels. So get any kind of boot that you would like, but pay close attention to the wheels.

The best places to roller skate outside would be cement or tar covered walkways. One of the best places to roller skate would be a bike path. But if that is not available, I would suggest sidewalks, parks, or parking lots (after hours or on weekends when they are empty of traffic)

Do not skate at night unless you are in a well lite area. You would have difficulty seeing cracks and other objects that could cause you to fall. And if you do skate at night, please have someone with you especially if you are a female.

Finally, make sure that you have some protective equipment. Even the best skaters can fall. Wearing a good helmet and a pair of knee pads are essential. Some desire elbow and wrist guards as well.

If you skate outside you can't use the excuse that you can't afford to go to the rink. Outside is free! You can skate as often as you want (I would not skate, however, in the rain or snow). With these simple tips I hope you will find roller skating outside to be a fun activity!

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Modern Solar Power Kits for Outdoor Recreation

Spring brings joy to both children and adults, who've been forced to stay indoors during the chilly winter months. As the weather warms, many Americans begin planning barbecues and other outdoor recreational activities, such as hiking, camping, fishing and more. These days, outdoor enthusiasts tend to carry a relatively large amount of electronic devices. In the past, this meant having to pay for and carry plenty of extra batteries; however, modern advances now allow people to tap the sun's rays to power their devices. Before you plan your next outdoor adventure, learn how portable solar chargers can make life away from home much easier.

For Hikers and Climbers

Because they tend to push their bodies through and over rugged land, hikers and climbers can't afford to be weighted down. Packs of extra batteries are expensive and can help contribute to premature fatigue. Fortunately, modern foldable solar pads provide the perfect solution for outdoor enthusiasts who want to travel light. Collapsible and light-weight, these battery chargers are powerful enough to quickly charge flashlights, radios and any other battery-powered device. They also fold down to conveniently fit inside bag packs; and, because they are flexible and strong, you don't have to worry about damaging them while you're testing yourself against Mother Nature.

For Campers

Portable solar-powered charging devices aren't necessarily new; however, modern varieties are far more powerful than older models. For example, these days you can harness the sun's power to recharge RV batteries in just a couple of hours. What's more, devices, such as Goal Zero powering packs, allow campers to quickly and easily recharge smartphones, tablets and laptop computers. Nowadays, if you can charge it using a wall outlet; you can charge it using portable solar power kits. This is especially beneficial for outdoor enthusiasts who need to entertain children, who may be too obsessed with modern technology to enjoy the outdoors.

For Recreational Vehicles

These days, many people rely on motorized vehicles for fun under the sun. Personal water crafts, motorcycles, snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles provide outdoor thrill-seekers the opportunity to fly at high speeds over water, land and snow. Unfortunately, during extended camping trips, batteries can go dead. When this happens, the fun stops unless you have a solar-powered charging unit. Portable and powerful, these handy modern devices can quickly breathe new life into a dead battery; so you can continue having fun without missing a beat.

George is a freelance author in Grants Pass, Or. An avid outdoorsman, Mr. Zeed mainly writes motorcycle battery charger and solar-powered charger features.

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