Why Playing Outside is So Important for Kids

Kids need physical play as much as they need scholastics for brain development

We’re biased. We love our playsets, and our families love them, and their families too. They’ve become an integral part of our homes over the generations. A place to imagine, to invent, and to create. Our kids have created games that integrate physical development with creative storytelling. They work out energy while they laugh, share, and grow. As parents, we watch and also share in the fun, playing super tag around the sets, having “tea” in their imagined café, seeing how high we can still swing. In summers, our kids stay out playing, swinging, and laughing until way past dark.

And as the generations keep enjoying the playsets, we’ve come to learn that they are much more than a way for kids to burn a few hours. When our kids play outside, they seem to focus more, and they sleep better. And better yet, they get to play in any way they want. From role-playing in their own restaurant or spa, or imagined journeys across the high seas, to games of “avoid the hot lava” by moving from accessory to accessory above the ground, the options are unlimited.

Now we’ve come to learn that science bears out what we’ve been saying for years. The number of studies linking physical activity to brain development is countless. Our sets have big and small accessories that enable all kinds of movements from balance to strength to gravity. Try a contest to see who can slide down the slide the most times, or who can do the most pull ups, or use the playset as your own obstacle course, there are endless games that will build strength and skill. Here is a link to all the different physical attachments.

Many studies also link creative role playing and making up games with cognitive development, which helps them do better at school, make and keep relationships, and develop better social skills. Which is why we’ve developed such a wide range of imaginative accessories to help them with their storytelling. Kids can convert their set into a swashbuckling pirate ship or a fire station, bakery, anything they can imagine. 

Today these benefits are more important than ever. With daily screen time increasing for nearly every child, it’s becoming difficult to find time to play outside. And when we do find the time, creating activities that are fun can be a challenge. Parents must work too! So how do we, as parents, compete with screen time? Woodplay Playsets give them all the tools they need to learn, play, and explore their own limits, in a self-directed way that they’ll love just as much as you.

Shop all our playsets here and all our playset accessories here.

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