Pros and Cons of Letting Your Kids Play Outside

Some of my earliest memories were running through our field of corn back behind my parent's home. My cousin and I would pretend that we were Native Americans or pioneers. I remember spending hours outside with no shoes on and just an imagination to fill the days. One of my biggest goals as a parent is for my kids to have their dreams expand through exploring outside! What are the pros and cons of letting your kids play outside?

Pros of Letting Your Kids Play Outside

1. Kids get a lot of vitamin D by playing outside. We always worry about them getting their vitamins and living to their full potential. It is tough to do that when they don't have sunlight. I know that without a few hours of daylight every day, I quickly get depressed and grumpy. This also applies to kids! They need the sun!
2. Outside leads to hours of entertainment when given a chance to explore. Leaves, mud, rocks, and sticks can be turned into anything. How many things can a child create with these four simple "toys"? Now imagine if you add a few pinecones and flowers into the mix. They will never want to come inside!
3. Kids learn fantastic life lessons outside. If you fall, pick yourself back up. If you get dirty, wipe yourself off. If you plant something and take care of it, it will grow. The sky is your limit. Literally!
4. When your kids play outside, they tend to fight less. They suddenly start getting along better and are happier when they go out. I don't know if it's just my kids, but when they are cooped up inside our house, they tend to have meltdowns more. 
5. Your house stays clean for a longer time. If your kids are always inside, you have that much more work. Yes, outside can bring in a few more leaves and clumps of mud, but you don't have a tornado through your house of toys thrown about. 
6. Not only do they get vitamin D, but I've also heard their immune systems grow stronger as they have outside time. I don't know about you, but I am grateful when my kids are healthy! 

Cons of Letting Your Kids Play Outside

1. You have to be outside with your kids if you don't have a yard. In our first apartment, it was hard to give our kids outside time because we didn't have a yard to let them run around. I was required to go with them if they wanted to go out. This became a helicopter parenting thing.  
2. If you like your kids, being perfectly dressed all the time and looking their best, outside time is probably not the way to go. Keeping clothes nice when your kids are playing with dirty things is hard. 
3. Kids tend to get hurt worse outside than they do inside. Sticks poking their eyes, eating poisonous mushrooms, getting bit by a snake, jumping off tall things, and climbing trees are only a few ways your child could end up in the ER. 
4. Getting kids ready to go outside is like a circus during the winter months! The list goes on and on: coats, gloves, hats, and snow boots. It might take 45 minutes to get them outside for 20 minutes of play. Good luck! 

"Our goal is to help the world make decisions with a list of Pros and Cons. We invite all to add to our lists to help others make the most educated decision possible. We are all in this world together to help each other and learn from what others have learned from their lives journey."

- Pros and Cons Team

Written By: Sarah