Let the explorations of summer begin!
We all know our children are growing up under the cloud of a virus. Childhood has changed over the past two and a half years. Children over the age of two have grown accustomed to masking. Schools have new Covid systems in place, social distancing is a way of life, and hand sanitizer is a common accessory attached to a preschooler's backpack on a keychain. While we still have to take precautions and be mindful and cautious, we can give our children the wonders of nature to explore all summer long. This is a great way to defend and protect our children from the stresses of living under Covid.
Children are natural explorers and natural investigators. Show a child a worm, a frog, a rolly polly bug, and there is instant curiosity. In our homes, toys are plentiful. New toys take the place of old toys, which accumulate and create clutter. Parents often feel overwhelmed and triggered by the mess of toys. How could we not? There’s just so much of it.
Welcome to summer! A time to be outdoors, a time for schedules to lighten, brighter longer days and more joy after a long cold winter season with unexpected variants taking us by surprise. Let’s get our children outdoors more and back to playing in nature!
More than ever, children are experiencing a deprivation from nature and are more fearful of bugs and getting dirty. A wonderful book, Last Child in the Woods, follows a child who prefers being indoors rather than outdoors, staying plugged in on devices. Parents are fearful of children getting hurt, getting stung by insects. Sunburn and outdoor messiness means parents often choose indoor activities. It comes at a cost.
According to the CDC, teenagers may spend as much as 9-12 hours a day glued to a screen. The average 8-12 year old spends 4-6 hours a day looking at screens. Children between 2-5 years old are spending two and a half hours a day on a screen device. These are huge amounts of hours a day that do not serve our children, that do not enhance any skill, any development or anything emotional or cognitive. Sure there are many “educational games,” teaching numbers and letters. Time outdoors can do the same, only better, where brain development is truly made stronger. Counting a big pile of pinecones and acorns, arranging and sorting natural materials into groups and patterns, or an I Spy game of things that start with the letter B, are ways to teach young learners in a way that is engaging and exploratory.
Nature is a healer for children and for adults. Time in nature is a mood enhancer. Trees, flowers, plants, dirt, rocks, pebbles, sticks, twigs, boulders, acorns, seeds, petals, leaves; all these give children endless opportunities to create, think, learn and pretend. Add a bucket of water, a spoon and mixing bowls and you have endless opportunities of exploration and design in nature. Even with bigger kids, rolling down a hill, over and over is a mood enhancer, creating better emotional regulation and strengthens a child’s sense of where they are in space.
Time outdoors benefits children in so many ways.
1. Playing with materials found in nature develops a child’s imaginative, creative play, allowing for deep thinking and exploration.
2. A respect for the earth and for the environment is fostered, along with an appreciation for the beauty of nature. Being caretakers of the earth is easily taught when playing in nature.
3. Playing in nature is a very different stimulation than screen devices. Playing outdoors in nature stimulates a different way of thinking and interacting with the world in a way that is wholesome and healthy for a growing child’s mind, body and spirit. It creates a sense of amazement and wonderment that is captivating and mesmerizing.
4.Anxiety and stress are lessened, making way for more relaxation and instills calmness for a better night of sleep
5.Children need to move. A lot. Some children need what seems like endless amounts of physical activity in a day, especially our highly spirited and ADHD kids. Time in nature walking across fallen tree branches, rolling down a hill over and over again, skimming rocks, walking through puddles, looking for salamanders and collecting treasures from nature heals and calms the central nervous system.
Even city dwelling children can be in nature in our local parks. Many cities are offering free passes this summer to state parks. A fun hike, a day at the beach or a lake, time in the backyard with dirt, worms, a spray bottle of water and old pans makes for endless hours of exploration.
We give a gift to our children when we intentionally choose nature and time outdoors over time inside. As parents we can create limits and boundaries and create family values surrounding time outdoors. It starts with us, like everything in parenting does.
