The delights of the outdoors are among the greatest joys of childhood, but a growing number of young children today have less time to play in their neighborhoods or yards.

Instead, they are spending more time behind locked doors watching television, playing video and computer games, and as recent studies have shown, growing obese. Other children often have afternoon schedules full of structured activities, including music, dance instruction, drama classes, and tennis lessons.

Compounding the dilemma is the trend of public school districts eliminating recess in elementary schools. Those doing away with outdoor activity claim that it is a waste of time better spent on academics, that playground injuries promote lawsuits, that children might come in contact with threatening strangers while outdoors, and that there is a shortage of teachers and volunteers willing to supervise play activities.

While these concerns are valid, school recess is often the only time during the workweek that young children are able to be carefree--a time when their bodies and voices are not under tight control.

It is a widely held view that unstructured physical play helps reduce stress in children's lives, and research shows that physical activity improves children's attentiveness and decreases restlessness. Here are just a few examples of the value of outdoor play:

Our society has become increasingly complex, but all children still need to feel the sun and wind on their cheeks, and to benefit from the joys of outdoor play. Your children's attempts to make their way across monkey bars, negotiate the hopscotch course, play jacks, or toss a football require intricate behaviors of planning, balance, and strength--traits we all want to encourage in our children. Ignoring the developmental functions of unstructured outdoor play denies children the opportunity to expand their imaginations beyond the constraints of the classroom.

Early Years Are Learning Years is a regular series from NAEYC, providing tips for giving young children a great start on learning.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the nation's largest and most influential organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through third grade. For more information about NAEYC, call 202-232-8777 or 800-424-2460, or visit the website (www.naeyc.org).