Letting Kids Play Outside Safely

It’s not rare to hear people proclaiming that kids are constantly stuck indoors these days, and that they don’t get any playtime outside. A quick look around is often enough to disprove that though, and in fact, many kids seem to be showing a particularly strong interest in exploring the outdoors these days. A responsible parent should allow that to happen, but at the same time, they should keep an eye out for potential dangers, and know how to react in certain situations.

Know the Area Yourself

The first and most important step to ensuring that your kids are safe outside is to know the area yourself. Since you live there – or close by – that should not be much of an issue, even if you have a busier schedule. You can always take the time to go out with your kids to see where they like to play exactly, and take notes of the peculiarities of the different areas. Don’t expect them to reveal all their secrets to you of course, but on the other hand, it should not be too difficult to get an idea for other possible locations they might be playing in.

Technology Is Useful

Even though the main point is to get your kids to play with things that are not gadgets, modern tech can still prove useful for these purposes as well. A smartphone can help you out a lot when it comes to reaching your kids, finding out where they are, and generally keeping in touch with them. There are also special electronic watches designed for kids nowadays, featuring limited functionality that can allow them to call you and perform other phone-like actions without having an actual phone at hand.

Know What to Do in an Emergency

And in case something does go wrong, you should be prepared with an adequate plan of action and know what your options are. Kids can get hurt in the most ridiculous ways, and you should have at least a basic understanding of what to do in these cases. On the other hand, there are also things that are probably best left to a professional. Treating broken bones is an example of this, as well as anything that could potentially get infected. If your kid gets bitten by a wild animal, this probably warrants a trip to the ER too. You can never know what that animal might be sick with, and some diseases transmitted through bites can be devastating.

Above all though, try not to interfere too much. The whole point of your kids playing outside is to learn about the world that they live in, and to develop social skills with their friends. Having their parents around too much is kind of counterproductive to that, so keep a reasonable distance while still keeping them safe. It might take a while to get the balance right, but once you’re there, it will be pretty easy to keep things going without intervening too much. And of course, ask your kids for their opinion on how things are going!