Because children in Finland play in nature on a regular basis, the number of cases of asthma and allergies has been decreasing for years. In the Netherlands, there is still a lot of work to be done to turn indoor children into outdoor players, but parents can already take the lead in this. In this way, they not only strengthen their child's immune system, but also teach them to deal with risks.
Playing outside is the way for children to discover and push their boundaries. Parents play an important role when it comes to risky outdoor play and previous research by VeiligheidNL shows that they are positive about this. This should translate into more children playing outside, but this number is actually decreasing.
Children find playing outside one of the most fun activities, but unfortunately they only experience this feeling when they are actually outside. From rough play and climbing high to running fast and bumping into each other. It is precisely these risky situations that are necessary to be able to deal with setbacks later in life.
So parents are called upon to transform their positive view of risky outdoor play into actively encouraging it. Let your children climb trees, stand barefoot in the mud or build a hut with kindling. And discuss this with other parents in the neighbourhood so that everyone has the same opinion. In this way we help children not to develop an allergy to the outside world, but also to grow up stronger, more independent and more resilient.
Article by: Veiligheid.nl
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