Spending time in the great outdoors can benefit kids in a number of ways.

Did your parents force you outside growing up? Or did you go willingly? Either way, the time you spent in the fresh air offered you a number of advantages you probably weren’t even considering at your young age. Here are just a few of the benefits kids reap from spending time outdoors.

You don’t have to force them to take as many vitamins.

When you’re in the sun, you absorb vitamin D through your skin. Also, if your kids spend time in a garden or you take a trip to an orchard, you can enjoy fresh fruits and veggies with them in a way that is exciting to them, instead of forcing them at the dinner table.

Their eyes will be better.

Studies show that spending time outside is linked to lower rates of nearsightedness in kids. Attribute that to less time in front of the TV. They can now focus on far away objects like that mountain or tree, giving their eyes exercise. Either way, it’s a good thing!

Their bodies and minds will be more active.

Time outdoors encourages physical activity, which builds heart health, lung strength, muscle, and coordination. Being outside also encourages creativity, since the wide world becomes their playground. From coordinating adventures with friends to making up a brand new game, kids are more likely to push their creative boundaries when they have the canvas of the outdoors to paint.

Are your kids spending enough time in the fresh air? If you want to get them out into the great outdoors in a great way, contact Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Conejo Valley. We have a number of programs that encourage activity outside and help kids learn to love being out under the sun.