Get Out!
Enjoying the great outdoors rewards families on every level. Read on to learn exactly how kids benefit and get one local mom’s suggested nature adventures!
Kids & Outdoor Play
by Jennifer Woodford
More and more families are making outdoor play a priority, and their children are reaping the benefits.
Outdoor play, says Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder (Algonquin Books, 2006), is especially important in developing children’s imaginations. To maximize imaginative growth, he says, parents must protect and encourage outdoor play each and every day. It is the parents’ responsibility, he argues, to help their children “detach from electronics long enough for their imaginations to kick in.”
A more active imagination is only one benefit. The American Society of Pediatrics noted in a recent report that outdoor play results in an increased level of creativity. Ultimately, that creativity can help children discover their interests, solve problems, relate to others, and adjust to school settings.
In his book, The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness (Ballantine Books, 2003), Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., asserts that playing helps children learn important skills, such as resourcefulness, optimism, “people skills, a can-do attitude,” and creativity. These skills, say Hallowell, correlate with happiness as an adult.
Time outdoors also boosts exercise levels to help children reach or maintain healthy weights, build stronger muscles and bones, and reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Other studies directly link the advantages of unstructured outdoor play to lower stress levels, stronger immune systems, and fewer symptoms of ADD and ADHD.
Exploring Your Own Backyard
Your backyard or a nearby park is the perfect setting. The trees, rocks, grass, and flowers provide an unending supply of interactive, natural fun. Simple activities — identifying wildflowers, watching ants, and studying leaves — are all it takes to inspire a sense of wonder in most children.
At home, parents can encourage outdoor play by keeping shovels, nets, binoculars, and other inexpensive toys and containers where children can grab them to fuel their own ideas and experiments.
As children get older and gain more confidence outdoors, parents can introduce camping in the backyard, nature scavenger hunts, journaling, bird viewing, nature photography, and other activities.
Jennifer Woodford works with Dehavilland and Associates, an educational consulting firm.
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