Summer is the best time to foster play and to visit new places. Check out how Landscape Structures is helping us focus this summer on freedom to play!
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Landscape Structures as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Freedom To Play
I grew up running a muck. Okay, not really, but my parents lived by the “find something to do or we will find something for you to do” attitude. This meant that my sister and I were never “bored. It also gave us a lot of freedom to play. As a parent, I am not exactly the “find something to do” mom, but I am a parent that believes in the freedom to play.
Allowing kids the freedom to play helps them gain confidence through mastery and self-discovery. The confidence and problem-solving experiences they learn can nurture and instill lifelong skills. As an adult, I can reflect back to my childhood and the lessons I learned through play and adapt those to situations that I am currently working through. I am a big supporter of freedom to play and practice this with my own children.
My kids love being outside, creating and dreaming up games. I have never been the mom that gets on the floor to play games with my kids, but I have always been the mom that will engulf my kids in experiences where they can learn through play. I watch them at playgrounds and at home and they are so good at both independent play and collaborative play. In addition, both of my kids have great social skills and are very confident. I attribute a lot of that to the fact that my kids have the freedom to play.
Landscape Structures
I like to get out of the house, to explore new places and to see what they can come up with when we are out and about. One of my favorite things to do is to check out new playgrounds and most of our favorite ones are Landscape Structures. Designed for all ages and abilities, Landscape Structures playgrounds are the signature gathering spaces for communities with the most innovative play experiences.
I personally love looking up the various Landscape Structures playgrounds in our areas and making a day of play out of it because I know that they will be clean, nice and have a TON of things for both of my kids to experience. All of the Landscape Structures playgrounds that we have went to have smaller structures and larger structures and are adapted for all abilities.
From climbing to swinging, sliding, problem solving and even exploring the world around them, my kids are learning through play and are having the best time. Most recently we found a new Landscape Structures playground with an insect theme to it, and you guys, my kids spent hours here, doing the garden hunt, pretending they were superheros and having races.
I love watching my kids learn through play. I love watching them interact with each other and with the friends they make on the playground. I love that they are running around, laughing, making memories and being so incredibly imaginative. I love Landscape Structures and the playgrounds they create for all kids and their take on the importance of play. Check out the video below for more inspiring information on play shaping kids.
Get Outside This Summer!
Summer is the perfect time to get outside and play with your kids. I am guilty of spending a lot of the winter in the house and watching movies with the kids. It is not bad, but we are pretty lazy when it is cold. In addition, the school year is a busy time for me and our schedules are always jam packed. With summer here, we are out and about and I implore all parents to get outside and play this summer!
If you are like me, you want to take your kids to the park to run off that energy, but instead of sitting and watching, jump in there and play with them! This doesn’t mean that I am playing with them the entire time we are there, but I do make an effort to jump on the swings or climb the equipment a few times with them, and you can bet that if they ask me to play, I am right there. Summer time is our time and I am making a stronger effort to engage and play!
