Why you need to get your kids outside

Conjure up images of your childhood, and you probably have a few good ones that involve the great outdoors. Maybe you went camping with your family on labor day weekend, went seashell hunting at midnight, or had a hair raising experience with a wild animal.

Spending time in nature has been proven time and again to be beneficial to our health. Those who spend time outdoors experience elevated moods, fewer mental health problems, greater focus, and greater immunity. There are dozens of wonderful benefits that come from being outdoors, but our children are spending less and less time in it. Recess is getting cut short so children have more time to study, and what recess is available often takes part on asphalt with very little nature.

This flies in the face of scientific studies, which found that kids who spent more time outdoors were able to focus more and showed better acadamic success than those who didn't. Unfortunately, it's not always up to teachers to decide how much outdoor time children can get. Most of the time, getting kids to play outdoors falls to the parents.

 “Parents are the gatekeepers to nature,” says Stephanie Wear, a scientist with the Nature Conservancy. “They have the power to foster a love of nature in their children – making them happier, healthier and smarter – just by going outside.” 

If you're hoping to help your child reap the benefits of outdoor time, here are a few things you can do to encourage them.

Go outside with your children 

Most of the time your child doesn't have access to nature without your help. Even if they have a backyard to go out into, there's little to do there for children on their own, especially if they are an only child. You can help by going outside with them to play catch, look for frogs, or simply enjoy the sunshine.

 Push through discomfort

In the United States, discomfort is the number one reason why kids don't spend more time outside. While it might be a bit cozier to curl up on a couch with an iPad when the weather isn't perfect, it's not ideal for anyone's health. Instead, help your child dress for the weather and see what fun hurling snowballs or splashing in puddles can be.

Bring technology outside

If your child can't imagine being away from electronics, you can smooth over the transition by bringing an element of technology to the outdoors. Offer your child a camera to take pictures with, and challenge them to make a photo journal with different kinds of plants, birds, or other animals in them. Getting them to pay attention to their surroundings can help them experience nature in a whole new way, one camera click at a time.

Getting your child outdoors isn't just great for them, it's great for you too. Build memories with your child that will last forever, and maybe give them in edge in school too, all at the same time.