As a
father of three it is becoming more and more difficult to get our kids to
explore nature. They go to school all day, come home and do homework, eat
dinner, take showers and before you know it, bed time. A few times a week we
also have to manage sports practices, and the occasional running of errands.
The weekends are when we try to cram in all of the housework and look to spend
time with each other. The large structured family life leaves little time to go
camping, hiking, fishing, swimming, and all of the other fun things needed in a
child’s life. The importance of being outdoors as a child go beyond just
getting some sun.
1)
Social
life
Having children go outside and
participate in outdoor activities allows them to interact with others in a non-constricted
environment. By interacting with other
children outside, a child improves their self-confidence, improve their feeling
of acceptance, it helps learn to interact with others with limited resources,
and helps gain new friendships. There is also a undeniable bond with family as
well. Teaching a child how to get involved with an outdoor sport or activity
strengthens the bond between parent and child. According to Healthyplace.org
being outdoors can help “Find common ground topics and activities immune to
judgments and criticisms”, allowing for a better relationship experience.
2)
Creative thinking
Here’s a stick, what can you make out of
it? Well if you are a 90’s child like myself I would automatically become Donatello
from the ninja turtles. But research shows that being outdoors improves
creative thinking skills. Using their creative thinking to have fun outdoors exercises
the brain, and opens up new windows of opportunity to explore and create new
things. Building a fort out of scraps or claiming the small creek is lava and
you can’t touch it are common ways for a child to get creative. It may seem
silly to us adults, but the effort used to make up those scenarios are extremely
beneficial. Besides the extreme creativity, problem solving skills are developed
through creative thinking. For example, last week I took my daughter fishing
from the shore of a local lake. She asked if we could fish by the bridge since “there
was shade for the fishes and we could let our legs hang off”.
3)
Exercise
This should seem obvious but in reality it is
often overshadowed. Most kids in contemporary America get less than one hour of
exercise a day. While structured sports are essential and beneficial, doing the
same drills everyday can become boring and may not allow every muscle group to
get a workout. Playing outside increases balance, motor skills, endurance,
strength, and pain tolerance. According to Robyn Bjorrnson, executive at the
Children and Nature Network, “It damages physical and mental health,
contributing to nature-deficit disorder, which is the term used to describe the
human costs of alienation from nature.” How has this effected our youth? Here
are the facts about obesity in our children from 2-19 years old, according to
the American Heart Association.
For non-Hispanic whites, 17.5 percent of males and 14.7 percent of
females.
For non-Hispanic blacks, 22.6 percent of males and 24.8 percent of
females.
For Mexican Americans, 28.9 percent of males and 18.6 percent of
females.
The long term effects of this rising obesity
rate has effected childhood diabetes, heart and lung defects, and has also had
negative effects on mental wellbeing. Exercising outside also helps a ton of vitamin
D through sunlight, which researchers claim has decreased in children during
their most important periods of growth.
4)
Mental strength
Being outside generally makes
people happier. The freedom of not being enclosed and having the sense of
exploration is very beneficial. A recent study conducted by researchers from
the University of Essex and published by the mental health organization Mind
found that taking a walk in nature reduced depression scores in 71 percent of
participants. That’s pretty good, considering an estimated 5 percent of adolescents
suffer from some type of depression. The sun, fresh air, open play space, and
the feeling of being able to explore all contribute to positive mental health
in children.
This new idea of “green
therapy” doesn’t have to be expensive either. Just taking children to a local
park or nature trail for an hour or two will boost their mental awareness and
focus. One of the biggest complaints (including my own) is the lack of
resources to help parents get their children outside. While many outdoor enthusiasts
make the outdoors part of their lifestyle, not everyone is involved in these activities.
Check your State website for a list of state parks in your area. Many of these
parks have programs dedicated to child education and programs dedicated to the
outdoors. Many programs are free or cost a few dollars with the parents being
free. There has also been a large conservation effort to gets kids outside, the
decline in hunters, anglers, and campers has been increasing over the last
decade. Below are some links to help
with getting children engaged with the outdoors.
Erin Crooks is a
Northwest Mom who is also an outdoor enthusiast. Her site offers summer camps
around the country and also has a very cool link that allows you to donate or
request outdoor gear for children.
This is a global
network that has been gaining a lot of interest, their mission is to connect
children to the outdoors. They have a program for kids living in the city to
get outside and explore, and offer countless resources to help the reader
engage their youth.
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