Why I Always Take My Daughter to the Playground

Jennifer Landis - 23 Jul 18

Got kids? You’ve spent your fair share of time at the playground, I’d wager.

Making the journey comes with a mix of glee and dread for the parent. What if it rains? What if someone bullies your kid or your kid bullies another kid? What if they fall? What if they catch something gross on the playground because the jungle gym is caked in dried snot? These are the playground woes of parenthood, to start.

Getting out of the house is challenging enough, but once you’re there, it’s totally worth it to see the smile on your kid’s face. Those swings, slides and other colorful playground equipment also come with a multitude of benefits when your kid gets to play on them. Here’s why I always take my daughter to the playground and why you should partake in these benefits too.

Save That Money

I work hard for my money, and so do you. Want to know one of the best reasons for always going to the playground? It saves you cold hard cash because it’s free! Take the money you would’ve wasted on quickly forgotten toys, and put it into a college savings account.

Free Play Matters

Free also means free play. How many opportunities do kids get to use their imaginations these days? I want to expose my daughter to that as much as possible, so we take advantage of the neighborhood playground. Pretend play lets kids explore their moods, feelings, likes and dislikes — not to mention social skills.

Besides, I refuse to let my inner child die, and I play with my kid until my sides start burning. Old age isn’t fun, but your achy bones do wonders for semi-accurate weather forecasts.

Brain and Body Boost

Play also encourages healthy brain development. That’s why kids always want to play — they’re born with it! A playground offers many forms of play and development, from mental and social to physical.

Kids learn interpersonal skills and negotiation while developing hand-eye coordination on the monkey bars. They tinker, climb, swing, pull and more! Let them work out those problem-solving skills.

Vitamin D Exposure

Be free, little one! Want to know what that bright shiny thing in the sky is? It’s called the sun, my darling — far, far away from the blue screen of death and perpetual paleness. It’s a star, just like you. Skip ye merrily forth, and climb all the things!

Not ready for a vampire child? Then get your kid some sun exposure outdoors and let them run feral on the playground. Being outside equals free Vitamin D and helps your kid build strong bones, and sadly, more kids are developing Vitamin D deficiency. Even 20 minutes will do the trick for getting enough Vitamin D. I like my kid sparkly, but not Twilight sparkly.

Socialization

My version of welcoming my kid into society isn’t some cotillion down the road — it’s letting her dirty up her clothes on the playground and playing pretend with other kids. The playground, proverbial metaphor that it is, remains the perfect place for kids to start learning interpersonal skills and how to socialize.

They learn the value of sharing and other positive behaviors by using their common sense, playground rules and your rules to navigate their interactions on the playground. Collaboration, respect for personal space, communication and verbal conflict resolution are a few of the many valuable social skills that kids navigate on the playground.

They argue and cheer. Egos step aside sometimes to accept the role of Robin over Batman. Let your kid make their first friend or frenemy.

Improved Mood

Get a mood boost for you and your kiddo by playing together on the playground. All you need is a change of scene to relieve stress, and besides, exercise releases endorphins that encourage the expansion of positive feelings and perceptions. Taking my daughter to the playground sometimes completely saves the day.

Animal Exposure

Not yet ready to get your kid a pet but want to teach them to respect animals? The playground is the perfect environment for animal exposure. Many families bring their pets with them, and you also have access to nature to teach your kids about birds, squirrels and other animals.

This benefit is the one thing about the playground that my daughter loves best as she gets older. She loves being in nature and learning about how different ecosystems work and what eats what. It’s more than “The cow in the meadow goes moo.” It’s a multi-sensory learning experience that engages her imagination and creates memories she’s more likely to recall years down the road in school.

Take Your Kids to the Playground for Your Own List of Perks

Remember these seven benefits when you’re struggling to drag both you and your kid out to experience nature. Netflix is appealing, I get it, but how many times do you really want to watch “Frozen” again in one day? Thought so. Go soak up the sun! Get your kid socialized, brain boosted and exercised.

Put on those rain boots and splash in the puddles. Forget about germs and dirtying up clothes. Go play with your kid on the playground and expand your horizons. You know your little one — one minute you’re an alien in a spaceship, and the next, you’re a slug. Who needs Netflix with that kind of imagination anyway?

Jennifer Landis

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