Playtime Just Like When We Were Small

Powered by the sun and refreshed by the warm whiff of air! This is mostly the way children in the 1960s and 1970s enjoyed playtime. I enjoyed eating freshly-picked guavas on the tree top in our backyard.

• An afternoon with the neighborhood kids would be out playing ring a rose, hide and seek and freeze tag...familiar?
• Do you still remember skipping rope where a line of kids wait for their turns to jump? The added fun was every skipping game had its own song so it made jumping all the more enjoyable.
• The hopscotch, remember? We mark a hopscotch course on the pavement with chalk and use a piece of flattened stone to throw into one of the squares.
• Our toys were much simpler and it's fun as we see some of today's little homemaker toys started with the girls of the 1960s, my decade! :=)
• I love watching my little honeybunch (the name I call my siblings' children) play cooking time. They have a way of transporting me back to times before.

"Check!" uh-uh, I miss this!...

That's when my king gets nowhere to run from my sister's raging rooks. It was fun how we would race avoiding a checkmate and possibly getting a pawn to the other side for a queen. We'd be jumping in joy when lucky. I once had to give up my rook and knight to get position for the mate and when I got it in the next two moves... I was proud of myself...VERY!... lol.

Chess to me/us is a game that has stood the test of time. I'm glad we were taught how to play this classic at an early age from a player father.

Merely a look back in time at what I was playing and how my honeybunch look at these same games today are things so fun relishing.

Indoor games were Chinese checkers, millionaire's game, dart, chess and scrabble. We enjoyed playing these board games with some friends but oftentimes with the whole family.

We can't deny that television and video games have become the bone of contention to most children today. It's not uncommon seeing kids cry when told to get off the computer for lunch, or scream when not allowed to play. Should we just throw up our hands and say, "Give him what he wants!"

Nature Play Under the Open Sky

Outdoor fun can divert their attention from the technological world. We're not suggesting exactly the way we played in the sun before, and it's not much of a task suggesting for nature play, but this way we re-build our children's connection to nature.

Getting out there allows them to meet nature. The sunshine on their skin form health-giving vitamin D necessary for strong bones and muscles, plus, sunshine is fun!

Children are motivated to go outside when it’s fun. From playing ball to the simplest pleasures of running into the pile of leaves, buddying up with the birds, and chasing a butterfly - these kinds of fun reduce stress levels among growing ages. It helps kids develop healthy habits.

Fresh Air and Exercise

Germs cannot stand fresh air, so our kids should get plenty of it, indoors and outdoors. Gardening can be awesome it exposes them to growing things and giving them fun cultivating, making holes, cutting roots and planting them. Let's not worry too much if they get dirty. This helps them learn all about nature.

Thrilling Adventures

Taking night walk together is another great fun. The thrills of darkness outside can be a great adventure. Not only a good way to stay cool, but a surefire way to spark a child’s imagination for the moon and shape of stars. Have you tried laying down the lawn and watch stars together? or going for a bike after sundown?

Cycling

Regular cycling is a fun fit exercise. Thankfully, it is the most competitive hobby my honeybunch has been into today. One thing I love about this is that it tones their legs and bottom, plus, a great way to build their cardiovascular fitness.

It's fun watching them ride up hills or off-road. They do this a couple of shorter rides in successive weekends then a longer one over the next. My smaller bunch joins as early as 5:30 in the morning and they're enjoying a weekend full of energy.

Getting them in the weekend cycling habit allows more family rides and interesting things on route. You and your kids will love biking too!

These days, even the laziest summer days can be filled with outdoor activities. Outdoor play, with its fresh air and physical benefit can be cure for teens who prefer to sit and play video games or watch TV all day.

Being outdoors invigorates green passion among children and teens. If we allow them to learn through nature play, they get good sleep, become physically fit, and are able to handle physical and emotional challenges better.

Our reward?... Healthy, contented and happy children.

Sometimes the simplest outdoor play leaves the most lasting memories for kids. I know how much children loves to experience freedom and learn from their own mistakes and experiences. I was once a kid and I have a lot of them :=)

Very Important: Since we are the adult here, it is our responsibility to make sure they know the principles of safety and security.