Wellbeing 

Children Need to Spend Time in Nature

These days, children spend much more time inside, mostly thanks to technology. Spending time outdoors isn’t just enjoyable — it’s necessary. Many researchers agree that children who play outside are happier, better at paying attention and less anxious than children who spend more time indoors.

Recent studies have exposed the benefit—even necessity—of spending time outdoors, both for children and adults. Some argue that it can be any outdoor environment. Some claim it has to be a “green” environment—one with trees and leaves. Others still have shown that just a picture of greenery can benefit mental health. These nuances aside, most of the studies agree that children who play outside are smarter, happier, more attentive, and less anxious than children who spend more time indoors. While it’s unclear how exactly cognitive functioning and mood improvements occur, there are a few things we do know about why nature is good for children’s minds.

It builds confidence. The way that children play in nature has a lot less structure than most types of indoor play. There are infinite ways to interact with outdoor environments, from the backyard to the park, to the local hiking trail or lake, and letting your child choose how he treats nature means she/he has the power to control their own actions.

It promotes creativity and imagination. This unstructured style of play also allows children to interact meaningfully with their surroundings. They can think more freely, design their own activities, and approach the world in inventive ways.

It teaches responsibility. Living things die if mistreated or not taken care of properly, and entrusting a child to take care of the living parts of their environment means they’ll learn what happens when they forget to water a plant, or pull a flower out by its roots.

It provides different stimulation. Nature may seem less stimulating than video games, but in reality, it activates more senses—you can see, hear, smell, and touch outdoor environments. As the young spend less and less of their lives in natural surroundings, their senses narrow, and this reduces the richness of human experience.

It gets children moving. Most ways of interacting with nature involve more exercise than sitting on the couch. Your child doesn’t have to be joining the local soccer team or riding a bike through the park—even a walk will get her/his blood pumping. Not only is exercise good for children’s bodies, but it seems to make them more focused.

It makes them think. Being in nature creates a unique sense of wonder for children that no other environment can provide. The phenomena that occur naturally in backyards and parks everyday make children ask questions about the earth and the life that it supports.

It reduces stress and fatigue. In natural environments, we practice an effortless type of attention known as soft fascination that creates feelings of pleasure, not fatigue.

Donna Allen