Your children are home from school. They’re out on the wooden swing set in your backyard, or engaged in some sort of outdoor play.

The school day may be done, but in a way, they’re still in the classroom. That’s because spending time outdoors helps them learn and grow.

“Green environments are an essential component of a healthy human habitat,”: says Dr. Frances Ming Kuo, an internationally-recognized expert in the relationship between nature and human health.

She uses the term “Vitamin G” (as in “green”) to illustrate how important it is to spend time outdoors. Just like vitamins A or D (which you also get from spending time outside), being in nature is something we need in regular doses.

Kids want to play, but just as importantly, they need to play. It’s good for them, and helps them become well-rounded adults.

As Deborah J. Leong and Elena Bodrova wrote in a Scholastic article on the importance of child’s play: 

“There is a growing body of research that shows a link between play and the development of cognitive and social skills that are prerequisites for learning more complex concepts as children get older.”

Here are eight things parents should know about child’s play: