Today’s children are spending half the time outdoors then their parents ever did.
The American Psychological Association has reported that the average American child is spending over 7 hours per day on media usage (outside of school). As our children continue to move further from outdoor play in the natural world and spend more time on screen, the question we must ask ourselves is…how does this continued disconnect from nature and outdoor play impact our children’s health and wellbeing?
Researchers, doctors, educators, and child advocates across the globe all agree that this great disconnect is having a major impact on our children’s health and development. In his 2008 landmark book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv explores this growing disconnect between today’s children and the outdoors and how it is impacting our youth. Louv explores the links of today’s screen obsessed youth culture to a variety of disturbing childhood trends including childhood obesity, attention deficit disorders, anxiety, depression and many other social and health risks.
It is in nature that we connect to living things and the world around us. Through this connection, we become more mindful of our own body, thoughts, and place in the natural world. Once children begin the reintegration process with the natural world they can undergo a dramatic shift in their attention, behavior, social skills, confidence, and self-awareness. With a steady diet of natural play and time spent both in free play and guided exploration outdoors, many have seen a major transformation in how they see themselves and the world around them.
For children with learning differences, time spent playing outside and connecting to nature can be even a greater challenge. Some factors creating these barriers include physical access to getting and playing outdoors, sensory issues, social skills issues, anxiety, depression, and an overall lack of connection and even fear of the natural world. Although overcoming these barriers can take time and requires a skilled approach, it is possible for all children, including those with learning challenges, to connect to nature in a meaningful and impactful way.
In 2004, the American Journal of Public Health asked parents of 5 to 18 year-old children with ADHD about the effect of different after-school and weekend activities. Parents reported that their children showed enhanced focus following outdoor activities when compared to indoor activities. Further, they reported that activities in greener environments, with lots of trees and grass around, lead to the biggest improvements in attention of all the outdoor activities. This may be because nature gives the mind a respite and helps calm and focus one’s thoughts and body. In other words, nature helps us bring clarity to our thinking and promotes mindfulness. Other observed benefits beyond greater attention and calming one’s thoughts include the development of fine and gross motor skills, building and maintaining social skills, investigating and exploring through creative play, engaging new learning interests in the natural world, and encouraging independence, resiliency, bravery and the overall healthy lifestyle that comes with increased time outdoors and natural play.
Children with both physical and social emotional challenges can have significant transformations and improvements in their overall quality of life once they connect to the natural world. In some cases, children may need scaffolded supports to make the leap from the screen to the trees, but with the right guidance and reinforcements can have transformative experiences that often change their lives once they weave in to the fabric of the natural world.
Eric Bloomstein M.A., Ed.S., Certified Kripalu Outdoor Mindful Guide