5 Health Benefits of Kids Playing Outside by Allyson Hepp

From team sports to a friendly neighborhood game of tag, there are many benefits that come from kids playing outside. However, most parents will argue that the benefits that matter the most are the ones that affect their child's physical and mental health.

We sat down with Alyssa Ross, from KaBOOM, Debi Huang, a mom and writer behind the Go Explore Nature blog, and Lindsay Legendre, from the Natural Wildlife Federations Be Out There movement, to give us the low-down on five of the most important physical and mental health benefits of kids playing outdoors.


1) Improves Vision

A study published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology found that kids who spend time playing outside are at a reduced risk of developing "myopia," or nearsightedness. The team of researchers found that a child's chances of developing myopia dropped by two percent for each additional hour spent outdoors, per week. The study concluded that getting kids to spend more time outdoors could be a "simple strategy" to reduce the progression and development of nearsightedness in children.

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