Why the push to get outside? The science and reasons to get your kids outside.
Why the push to #getoutside?
Why? Because it will save your sanity. Why? Because it will save your health. Why? Because it will save your children’s lives.
Did that sound a little too dramatic?
It probably did, but honestly, I’m saying the “whole sorry, not sorry” line in my head as you read it, roll your eyes, and answer yes. The research is there. The dry facts telling us that spending time outdoors in the meadows and forests – or even just the back yard and trees in the neighborhood – can make a significant impact on our ability to manage stress, feel positive, regain creativity, and be resilient through life’s challenges. If you want to read more about the specific studies and facts and numbers and charts and graphs that prove my dramatic statements, let me know.
Instead of first focusing on research, close your eyes and take a deep breath. (Unless your children are near scissors or slippery bathtubs – I know things happen in an instant!) Briefly recall a favorite childhood memory. A time when you felt carefree and immensely happy. Where were you? Were you outside? Me, too.
We respond powerfully to sensory experiences and they become such strong memories for us. Spending time in nature is the ultimate sensory experience. The feeling of the breeze on your skin and through your hair. The warmth of the sun on your face. The sounds of the birds singing or a creek running. The sights of wide-open spaces or lush green moss or a thick forest of trees. The feeling of smooth stones and seed heads on tall grasses. All of these interactions are so restorative to our over-stressed and sleep-deprived brains and bodies.
It is easy to forget this restorative power when life’s demands take over. Relationships. Jobs. Family obligations. Lunch. Laundry. Dinner. Laundry. These demands tend to keep us inside. What if we flip the script and DO some of those things OUTSIDE? What?! Okay, maybe not the laundry. I am not proposing we get all the way back to nature by taking the laundry to the river. But what about those relationships with our children, partner, and friends? What about the opportunity to eat mindfully with or without others while taking in the beauty all around us outdoors?
How many of us say, “There’s just not enough time in the day!” or, “I feel like I never have any down time!” or, “Life is too busy!” With so much on our to-do lists and outside demands, it’s easy to forget that we need to schedule in time to let ourselves take a few breaths. Here are just a few of the research-based benefits presented in Florence Williams’ book, The Nature Fix, we enjoy when we make time to go outside:
Our mood improves after about 15 to 20 minutes in nature.
Our cognitive abilities and feelings of vitality and psychological reflection are stronger after 45 to 50 minutes in nature.
Our brains are less likely to focus on the negative things in our lives and more likely to be given space to feel more positively about where we are and what is going on in our lives.
Our bodies take in more microscopic bacteria and spores from the dirt and living things. Studies show this exposure reduces anxiety and increases our levels of serotonin.
Our heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels lower and give our physical bodies a break from the stressors of life.
How can we ignore such strong connections to our health and well-being? Better yet, how can we not make this a priority for our children, too? The best educational opportunity/game/toy/sport is, you guessed it, the great outdoors. Even better, it’s free! If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for your children – for their cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and mental health.
Do your children have the same strong connections to nature as the memories you made playing freely in your childhood? Maybe not. We have grown more accustomed to organized and structured play through group activities and sports. We keep our children in close proximity due to fears of the outside world. We have 98% more technology in our children’s lives than children from just two generations ago. Okay, so last one is a statistic drawn from my own experience of three tv channels (cartoons only on Saturday mornings) and no computers. But still.
The movement to take back childhood for our children by getting them outdoors is rooted in research as well. Here is a short list detailing a few studies showing the benefits children receive from time in nature. (Adapted from an article written by Dr. Lawrence Rosen, republished on the Children & Nature Network website.):
It encourages exercise. More green spaces = more physical activity.
It reduced anxiety. Less stress and more confidence and social competence
It improves focus. A 20-minute walk in a park led to substantial attention boost.
It makes kids smarter. Better cognitive scores for children who receive more “green” time.
It builds a sense of community. A strong sense of “place” and belonging.
It helps them develop deeper connections with family. Time with family outdoors improved family relationships.
It raises their interest in the environment. Greater time outdoors leads to increases in environmental stewardship.
Let’s give our children the opportunity to love the natural world as much as we do. More importantly, let’s work to give our children the opportunity to be children – freely exploring and learning all about themselves, our world, and each other.
In my next piece, I will address WHERE we can go to get these amazing benefits from time in nature. For now, I’ll leave you with a quote from my favorite book on the qualitative and quantitative benefits of getting outdoors:
“Nature appears to act directly upon our autonomic systems, calming us, but it also works indirectly, through facilitating social contact and through encouraging exercise and physical movement.” Florence Williams, The Nature Fix
Can’t wait to see you outside!
If you are in the Kansas City area, here are a few of our favorite playgroups around the city. Take a look and find one close to you!
*Well Wilderness Kids Therapeutic Nature Center
*Free Forest School of Kansas City Metro
*The Wanderlust Facebook Group
Meet Jill
I am Jill Anderson, M.S., ECSE, of Heart and Smile Creative Consulting LLC. But I am usually referred to as Ms. Jill by children and families alike. My mission/passion/purpose is creating nature connections for all through playing, wandering, and learning in nature and showcasing the beauty of nature through photography for indoor spaces. As an early childhood special education teacher, I am deeply committed to supporting the development of self-regulation and emotional intelligence through working with children, coaching families, and providing professional development for early childhood educators. My goal in life is to bring adults back outside to remember their most vivid memories as children -- usually freely playing independently and with other children -- and provide that same experience for their children.