I must admit.
Sometimes, I get frustrated and need a little bit of quiet time. And SOMETIMES, when I need this quiet time, I am guilty of giving Gellibean her iPad so that she sits on the sofa next to me, while I try and gather myself.
I know this is not a good thing if I use this tool often.
I call it a tool, because if it’s used properly, it can help me in parenting all of my children. BUT if it is abused, we will definitely run into some problems in the future.
This past Saturday, Nickelodeon Asia welcomed the public to an ALL DAY Adventure of play. The event took place in the Filinvest Tent so it was perfect for us to bring all the kids to help Gelli (and even Diego) burn some energy.
Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play is an initiative to get kids outside playing, bonding, and spending time with their families. #DayofPlayPH empowers kids to choose a healthy lifestyle, and celebrates all the ways they love to play and stay active.
With five different areas of play to focus on with the participating sponsors, I was sure that Gelli would be kept busy, without ANY use of electronics.
- FIT KID with Ninja Academy
- UP & UP where Gelli jumped her way into Phonics
- PLAY BALL where Diego could shoot some HOOPS
- HEART for ARTS where kids turned real life art into pieces they could take home
- SCI HIGH where the bigger kids got to create science experiments
You know what she loved the most?
She went nuts for Ninja Academy!! She did not stop running and even wanted to complete the obstacle course TWICE!
Ok, so why do we want our kids to disconnect and go outside and play?
Here are just a few of the benefits your children will enjoy by playing outside instead of on electronics:
- So much learning takes place outside the classroom. By playing outside, your child will learn to process new information as it comes, and will be able to adjust to different environments.
- Outdoor play encourages creativity. Kids have to use their imagination.
- It encourages healthy habits. Running, jumping, and playing outdoors can increase their heart rate making them heart healthy! Plus, just a few minutes of morning sun gives our kids an advantage of taking in Vitamin D.
- Taking the kids to your nearest playground also helps them develop their social skills. Remember, we don’t want our kids learning social skills through social media! We want them outside with people, learning to interact with one another, share, and take turns.
- Kids who play outside are usually healthier, and calmer. They have an excess of energy that needs to be spent. Expending this energy can even help them focus more while sitting in class. This is why we also need to fight for playground time while the kids are in school!
- Kids who play outside are more likely to reach developmental milestones that require gross motor skills, this enables them to challenge themselves, and eventually participate in more strenuous activity like team sports.
- Kids who play outside are LESS stressed. Growing up now, is much harder than it was when I was a kid. Seriously. I think the kids have so much more thrown at them on a daily basis and honestly, I want my kids to be kids just a little longer.
This is why it is part of Gellibean’s routine EVERY DAY to go to the park and PLAY outside before dinner.
BONUS: She even got to take a photo with Spongebob and Patrick Star!
Want to know an even bigger bonus?
Because Nickelodeon knows the importance of PLAY, especially in areas where children are most affected by war, unrest, and poverty, they partnered with Sinagtala, (a non-profit organization that helps Internally Displaced Children (IDPs) and Women in Crisis due to conflict or big natural disasters in the Philippines) to bring PLAY into the lives of kids who need it most.
Photo Credit: Leah Eriguel
Nickelodeon hosted them so they could experience all of the event activities. To cap their Nickster play date, the children of Marawi heroes got first dibs at meeting and taking groufies with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star. Sinagtala will also deliver pre-loved toys gathered during the ‘Road to Worldwide Day of Play’ school tour. These toys will be donated to the Toy Library on the Marawi Capitol Grounds. Sinagtala’s mission is to build three more Toy Libraries in surrounding barangays to help in psycho-social therapy sessions.
Playing for a cause?
Disconnecting from electronics?
Being mindful of the activities we want our kids to invest time in?
These are all great reasons why as a parent I support the #DayofPlayPH. It’s another reason why I know I want all my kids to get outside and get moving. It’s part of their childhood to be outside. To explore. To run and “BE KIDS.”
http://www.nick-asia.com/win/dayofplayph
https://web.facebook.com/Nickelodeon-Philippines
Sources:
http://www.fawns.co.uk/blog-posts/seven-benefits-outdoor-play-children/
http://www.fisher-price.com/en_US/parenting-articles/outdoor-play/the-benefits-of-outdoor-play
Absolutely Loved This Post!!!