Balanced and barefoot
Subtitle: how unrestricted outdoor play makes for strong, confident, and capable children
By: Angela J. Hanscom ; foreword by Richard Louv
Contributors: Louv, Richard, author of foreword
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 244
ISBN-13: 9781626253735
Copyright date: 2016
Subjects: Child development; Play; Outdoor recreation; Nature
Description: "In this important book, a pediatric occupational therapist and founder of TimberNook shows how outdoor play and unstructured freedom of movement are vital for children's cognitive development and growth, and offers tons of fun, engaging ways to help ensure that kids grow into healthy, balanced, and resilient adults. Today's kids have adopted sedentary lifestyles filled with television, video games, and computer screens. But more and more, studies show that children need "rough and tumble" outdoor play in order to develop their sensory, motor, and executive functions. Disturbingly, a lack of movement has been shown to lead to a number of health and cognitive difficulties, such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), emotion regulation and sensory processing issues, and aggressiveness at school recess break. So, how can you ensure your child is fully engaging their body, mind, and all of their senses? Using the same philosophy that lies at the heart of her popular TimberNook program--that nature is the ultimate sensory experience, and that psychological and physical health improves for children when they spend time outside on a regular basis--author Angela Hanscom offers several strategies to help your child thrive, even if you live in an urban environment. Today it is rare to find children rolling down hills, climbing trees, or spinning in circles just for fun. We've taken away merry-go-rounds, shortened the length of swings, and done away with teeter-totters to keep children safe. Children have fewer opportunities for unstructured outdoor play than ever before, and recess times at school are shrinking due to demanding educational environments. With this book, you'll discover little things you can do anytime, anywhere to help your kids achieve the movement they need to be happy and healthy in mind, body, and spirit."--

"Today's kids have adopted sedentary lifestyles filled with television, video games, and computer screens. But more and more, studies show that children need "rough and tumble" outdoor play in order to develop their sensory, motor, and executive functions. In this important book, a pediatric occupational therapist explains why unrestrained movement and outdoor play are vital for children's cognitive development, and offers fun, engaging activities to help ensure that kids grow into healthy, balanced, and resilient adults"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-232) and index.
Table of contents: title: Why can't my child sit still?; title: The body and the senses; title: From restricted movement to active free play; title: The therapeutic value of outdoor play; title: "Safety first" equals child development later; title: What's wrong with the playgrounds and indoor play spaces of today?; title: Rethinking recess and the classroom; title: When is my baby ready for the outdoors?; title: Getting children to play creatively and independently outdoors.