Indoor vs Outdoor Kids Activities

Wondering how much time your kids should be spending outdoors vs indoors? It’s a common consideration among parents, especially as the colder months draw in and, as your kids get older, you start experiencing more struggles over screen time.

The fact is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both indoor and outdoor activities boast lots of advantages for kids of all ages, and as long as they’re staying active and engaging in activities that they enjoy and which help them build on their skills, you can’t go far wrong.

Let’s have a look at the benefits of both indoor and outdoor play, and how finding the perfect balance is key to your child’s happiness and development.

The Benefits of Indoor Activities for Kids

Let’s start with indoor activities. We’re talking arts & crafts, board games, reading – anything your children can do at home. Plus there are exciting activities that you can take your kids out to do, things like soft play, laser tag and bowling, all of which we have here at Out of Bounds.

While the latter of these activities keep your kids active and social in a safe environment, lots of indoor activities and games also encourage cognitive development and help develop a child’s creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Indoor play can also be calmer and quieter, for those moments when your child needs a bit of down-time or a chance to process what’s been going on in their day-to-day.

And while you think your kids might get bored staying at home, being bored isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s widely known that having some free time will help kids think creatively and independently by coming up with their own games, and seeing what they’ve achieved on their own is a great self-esteem booster.

The Benefits of Outdoor Activities for Kids

So now it’s time to get out and about! Here at Out of Bounds, we have a whole host of fun outdoor activities too, like high ropes, adventure golf and adventure nets for the little ones. So what’s so great about playing outdoors?

For starters, it’s great for your kids’ physical development, having all that space to run and climb (or even zip!) about. Keeping active is great for mental wellbeing too, helping to reduce stress and improve mood. Organised activities and team sports also help build social skills and learning to work as a team.

Plus, just being outside and away from the home allows children to connect with nature, see new places and learn by experience, helping them to better make sense of the world around them. Not to mention all that fresh air and vitamin D!

How to Find the Right Balance

So now we've established that both indoor and outdoor activities have a whole range of different benefits and plus-sides. Combine the physical, cognitive and developmental benefits of both, no matter the season, and you’re on to a winner.

But how do you get the right balance? Well, a lot of that could depend on the weather and where you live, but also on your child. Younger kids might need more outdoor free play and supervised activities, while older kids might benefit more from taking part in structured indoor hobbies.

And of course it also comes down to your child’s personality and interests. Whilst we can always encourage them to try a range of different things, it’s also important to listen to what they like doing and which activities will make them happiest.

Exciting Indoor & Outdoor Activities at Out of Bounds

The great thing about Out of Bounds is that we have something that every child will love. Whether they enjoy a bit of friendly competition on the bowling lanes, love a challenge on the climbing walls or prefer taking things a bit slower on the adventure golf course, they’re spoilt for choice with our range of thrilling indoor and outdoor activities.

So, check out the list below of what’s on offer and come visit us soon. We’re looking forward to it!

Indoor activities: