Summer is here! It's that beautiful time of year filled with warm weather, BBQs, farmers' markets, and lightning bugs! At Make It Cute, our playhouses can be lifesavers in winter and on rainy days when you can't get outside. We're here to tell you they're also excellent for summertime fun. First, they're the best break from those sweltering days outside when kids need time to cool off in the AC. Second, they make the best companions for outdoor playtime, adding a splash of fun to any scenario. We're sharing our best outdoor summer fun playhouse ideas to kick off the summer!
Bring your playhouse for some extra fun in the sun as the days are getting longer and the outdoors are calling your name. Our playhouses are made for indoors, but there is no reason they can't travel outside for some summertime fun on a dry day (or night). They're foldable and easy to assemble and break down, so the transport and setup are simple! When you're ready to head to the park or spend some time in your yard, don't forget to bring the fun with our versatile playhouses.
Benefits of Outdoor Playtime
Outdoor play offers numerous benefits for children, encompassing physical, mental, and emotional development. Here are some key advantages:
Physical Benefits
- Improved Physical Health: Regular outdoor play promotes physical activity, helping to combat childhood obesity and fostering healthy growth and development.
- Enhanced Motor Skills: Activities like running, jumping, climbing, and balancing improve coordination, strength, and overall motor skills.
- Vitamin D Exposure: Playing outside increases exposure to sunlight, which is essential for vitamin D synthesis and supports bone health and the immune system.
Mental and Cognitive Benefits
- Cognitive Development: Outdoor play encourages curiosity, exploration, and problem-solving, enhancing cognitive abilities and critical thinking skills.
- Creativity and Imagination: Unstructured outdoor play allows children to use their imagination and creativity, creating games and scenarios that foster innovative thinking.
- Attention and Focus: Natural environments can help improve concentration and reduce symptoms of ADHD, promoting better focus and attention span.
Emotional and Social Benefits
- Stress Reduction: Playing outdoors in natural settings has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, promoting overall emotional well-being.
- Social Skills: Interacting with peers during outdoor play helps develop social skills, including communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution.
- Independence and Confidence: Outdoor play often involves risk-taking and decision-making, boosting a child's confidence and independence.
Environmental and Sensory Benefits
- Connection to Nature: Spending time outdoors fosters a sense of connection to the environment, encouraging a lifelong appreciation for nature and environmental stewardship.
- Sensory Stimulation: Outdoor play provides diverse sensory experiences (sights, sounds, textures) that stimulate children's senses in ways that indoor play often cannot.
Overall Development
- Balanced Development: Outdoor play supports a balanced development across physical, cognitive, emotional, and social domains, contributing to well-rounded growth.
- Life Skills: The activities and challenges faced during outdoor play help develop important life skills, such as resilience, patience, and teamwork.
Incorporating regular outdoor play into a child's routine is essential for their holistic development and well-being.
Why Diversify Play Opportunities for Kids?
Changing up playtime, especially during the summer months, offers numerous benefits for children and can enhance their overall development and well-being. Making slight changes to your child's playtime routine can prevent boredom, promote holistic development, and improve learning opportunities. When children experience monotony during playtime, they can become less engaged during playtime. Varying their activities prevents this and boosts their excitement about playtime. Switching locations or play themes for children can lead to more diverse play experiences and allow children to explore new interests and hobbies. These new types of play offer unique learning experiences, from science and nature in outdoor play to teamwork and strategy in group games. Diversifying play opportunities allows children to cultivate new interests and skills, from honing their artistic abilities to harnessing their physical prowess for sports.
We've all seen what happens when children's playtimes get stale. We can recognize the signs of boredom starting to creep in, and their personalities shift slightly. They can become antsy and agitated, and even their voice can change to a whine. Of course, there is value in children developing a tolerance for boredom, like the ones outlined by Psychology Today, and having kids experience not being entertained 24/7; however, providing rich playtime experiences can promote holistic development for children, including their physical health, cognitive growth, and social skills.
When you reinvigorate playtime for children, you allow them to improve their overall fitness, including strength, coordination, and flexibility. You also will enable them to grow cognitively because they can engage in various play activities that stimulate different areas of the brain, enhancing creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. In addition, their social skills improve while engaging in solo-pretend play or with different groups in varied settings, which helps children develop robust social skills and adaptability.
Check out even more compelling reasons for caregivers to diversify play options for kids:
Stress Relief: Mixing up playtime with different activities can reduce stress and anxiety by providing a balanced and fulfilling play routine.
Boosts Confidence: Trying and succeeding in new activities can significantly increase a child's self-esteem and confidence.
Active Lifestyle: Offering various active play options helps children stay physically active, contributing to overall health and combating sedentary habits.
Outdoor Benefits: Incorporating outdoor activities promotes exposure to sunlight, which is crucial for vitamin D production and overall well-being.
Building Relationships: Different play environments and activities help children build diverse friendships and improve their social interaction skills.
Teamwork and Cooperation: Group activities teach essential social skills like teamwork, cooperation, and empathy.
Stimulating Imagination: Creative play activities, such as arts and crafts or imaginative role-playing, foster creativity and innovation.
Problem-Solving: Diverse play scenarios encourage children to think creatively and develop problem-solving strategies.
Self-Directed Play: Offering various play options allows children to choose activities that interest them, fostering independence and decision-making skills.
Responsibility: Engaging in different types of play can teach children about responsibility, such as caring for outdoor equipment or organizing their play space.
Shared Activities: Varied playtime activities can include family participation, strengthening family bonds, and creating cherished memories.
Quality Time: Diverse playtime offers opportunities for parents and caregivers to spend quality time with their children in different settings.
Changing Preferences: Children's interests can change rapidly, and offering a variety of play options ensures they remain engaged and happy.
Seasonal Activities: Different seasons offer unique opportunities for play and mixing up activities, which ensures children enjoy and make the most of each season.
By mixing up playtime, parents and caregivers can provide a richer, more engaging, and developmentally beneficial experience for their children during the summer months. It is an opportunity to build excitement, encourage exploration, expand on open-ended play opportunities, and make core memories.
Unleash Outdoor Playhouse Magic!
Now that we've shared the benefits of mixing it up this summer and having some outdoor fun, we wanted to share some of our favorite ways to use our playhouses outdoors for extra special summer playtime experiences.
Take a peek at these switch-up ideas for maximum summer fun:
Farmers Market: Turn your playhouse into a bustling farmers’ market. Put a cash register and some fresh (or play) fruit in baskets and watch the fun unfold.
Lemonade Stand: Create a sign and make a batch of fresh lemonade. Put it out with some reusable cups for some imaginative playtime.
Picnic Spot: Nothing beats picnic food and watermelon on a hot summer day. Set up a mini-picnic with eco-friendly flatware, and your kids will be ready to create core memories. Lucky for you, our playhouses are super easy to wipe down after the kids enjoy their tasty treat!
Read in the Shade: Place the playhouse underneath a shady tree for a cozy place to read and break out some of the kid's favorite books.
Obstacle Course: Use our playhouse as part of an epic obstacle course. It has a main door and a secret trap door in the back, so kids can quickly make their way through it and dash to the finish line.
Nature Museum: While outside, encourage your kids to collect some items in nature and put them "on display" in their playhouse.
Puzzle Party: Bring your puzzles outside! Your kids will love the change of scenery and shade while they use their fine motor skills to solve their puzzles.
Outdoor Kitchen: Everybody loves an outdoor kitchen. Bring out the play food and kitchen items, like pots and pans, and your kids will love cooking up a storm (while giving the adults some space to enjoy the grown-up BBQ.
Movie Night: Procure a small projector, pop some popcorn, and let your kids cozy up with blankets and pillows to enjoy an "outdoor" movie experience.
Make It Cute
As the seasons change, so do our kids. As they grow and explore, our playhouses can grow with them. Changing how they interact with their playhouse is an amazing way to fend off boredom and reinvigorate their play. Share your ideas for summer playhouse fun on Instagram @MakeItCuteKids, and connect with us for more fun ideas.