Children and Nature: A Growing Need for Green

by Richard Louv and Cheryl Charles

During the past three decades, without most of us realizing what was happening, children have become disconnected from healthy play in nature. As parents, we want to do what is good for our children. With the best of intentions, we drive our children to and from school, after school activities, sports events, dance class, clubs, church and social events. All of these activities have the potential to be of value, but life is out of balance.

Children have little free time. Their lives are structured, organized and timed nearly to the minute. When they are home, and could be playing outdoors, they are often indoors and attached to electronic media instead. Some of this change is due to the degree of fear that parents feel about strangers and other risks, amplified beyond reason by news media and the entertainment industry.

The result? Today we see dramatic increases in childhood obesity, attention difficulties, impaired social skills, lack of self-esteem, behavior problems and depression. We are inadvertently adding to their stress levels and severely impacting our young. And risks are very real.

The remedy? A healthy, natural balance. Research and common sense tell us: Nature is good for children. More information about the research studies that support the benefits of connecting children to nature is available on the Children & Nature Network Web site.

Children need experience in nature more than we know. Most of the new evidence that connects nature to well-being and restoration has focused on adults, but during the past decade, scientists have begun to study the impact of nearby nature on child development. Nature in or around the home, or simply a room with a view of a natural landscape, helps protect the psychological well-being of the children.

People who care about children and the future of the environment need to know about such research but, for the most part, they do not. When these issues are discussed at the conference table or the kitchen table, direct childhood experience in nature is seldom mentioned. Yet, the growing nature-deficit-disorder experienced by today's children, and potentially for generations to come, may be the most important common denominator. Solutions are within the reach of every parent — open the doors and windows and let your children experience the benefits of growing outside.

Five Benefits from Connecting Children to Nature

1. Green plants and play yards reduce children's stress.
   Grow part of your backyard so that your children can go outside, make forts and castles in trees and bushes, and invent imaginary places. If you don't have a backyard, create a "wild box" with rocks, twigs, some sand and seashells, or other natural treasures. Natural landscapes don't need to be large and grand. They can be a small and magical corner of a porch or deck in a city, suburb, or anywhere else. All you need are a few natural objects and for the child to have permission to play.

2. Free play in natural areas enhances children's cognitive flexibility, problem-solving ability, creativity, self-esteem, and self-discipline.
   Beyond your porch, deck, or backyard, find the places in your neighborhood where your children can play safely in areas that still have "loose parts." While asphalt and manicured playgrounds are good for some things, children also need those places where things simply grow as nature had in mind.

3. Students score higher on standardized tests when natural environments are integral to schools' curricula.
   Beyond what you can do at home to create enticing, natural, safe places to explore, encourage your child's school to make nature an integral part of the curriculum — from school yard habitat programs to field trips.

4. Effects of Attention Deficit Disorder are reduced when children with this disorder have regular and frequent access to the out-of-doors.
   Outdoor projects are confidence-building and calming. Have tools — from shovels to hammers and nails, or seeds and hoses — around for projects small and large. Plant a garden, build a trail to prevent erosion, or get outside every day to look for birds and butterflies. Whatever you do — with your children or simply by letting your children have these experiences on their own — the results will be beneficial.

5. Children are smarter, more cooperative, happier and healthier when they have frequent and varied opportunities for free and unstructured play in the out-of-doors.
   Re-connecting children and nature is as easy as opening the door and going outside. Let your children have places to play that are safe, natural, and nearby. Encourage children to play together in the out-of-doors. They will learn to get along, will solve problems together, and will experience the natural benefits of growing outside.