In the good old days playing usually meant going out of doors and having fun under the heat of the sun. However as time pass by and as technology improves and introduces new and exciting things that work with the push of a button, more and more kids are taking their time playing games inside the four corners of their homes.

And through all of these, a lot of moms and dads realize that nothing still beats the good old games that they used to play outdoors. Why? There is much to be learned and to be gained by boys and girls who play outdoors. Here are some of the few popular reasons.

* Outdoor games are great exercise. Outdoor games such as tag, capture the flag, hide and seek and Simon says to name a few involve a lot of hand gestures, walking, running or are basically quite physical activities. More if your kid is into basketball, baseball or perhaps soccer football. All that running around would work to wake up and strengthen your child's muscles and trim them well. Active outdoor playing kids are said to me more brawny and well-built as compared to their computer games playing counterparts given all the exercise they get from constant bustling and hustling to score a point in the game.

* Sun exposure is good for one's health. Remember the story of the Secret Garden. The one in which the child Collin gained back his health after a few days out of his room and exposure to the healthy rays of the sun. Even as the news of global warming and sunstrokes are alarming, sunshine is still as healthy for anyone just as long as you know when to catch it and how much you should take.

The healthiest rays are generally the ones we get in the early morning. This is the reason why medical practitioners often tell mothers to expose their newborns to at least 10 to 15 minutes of the sun's first rays each day. Mom and dads should advice their little boys and girls well to take shelter during lunch or midday when the sun's rays are most harmful. However by late afternoon, it is good enough to play. A bit of sunshine and a smell of fresh air can definitely make good to your little tike's health.

* Play outdoors and gain friends. When kids play outdoors, they do not play alone. They play with a bunch and even a gang of other kids. And amid all of these playing, these kids begin to bond. They begin to build friendships, some of which would last up until their adult life. With these, your child is not only developing his motor skills when he plays outdoors but he is also building his emotional intelligence quotient and his maturity to interact with other people who have personalities different from his. Then also there is the spirit of sportsmanship which is the ability to be humble when you win and to accept defeat when you lose the game.