4 Mental Health Benefits Of Raising Kids In The Great Outdoors

The amount of appropriate screen time for children has long been debated. How much is too much and how often should they be engaged in other play? While we may have not come to a definitive answer on those questions yet, science has proven one thing. Raising your kids in the great outdoors comes with a plethora of mental health benefits. It turns out that letting your kids play outside isn't just good for getting their energy out, it is also boosting their cognitive function. Don't believe me? Here are 4 mental benefits of raising your kids in the great outdoors.

4 Mental Benefits Of Raising Your Kids In The Great Outdoors

Now let's get one thing clear. What do we mean by the phrase raising your kids in the great outdoors? That doesn't mean that you child has to be outside 24/7.  It also doesn't mean that you need to have access to a home with hundreds of acres of land. Rather, you just need to focus on having your children have access to and actually use an outdoor space. Texas Children Nature shared this alarming statistic. "Children today are spending seven to 11 hours per day sitting with media and only minutes per day playing outdoors."

They continue, "With that sedentary lifestyle we've found a rise in childhood obesity, depression, near-sightedness and ADHD." The aim of this study was just to see what happened when children were exposed to more "green space"; aka the great outdoors. The study examined a group of children from birth and followed them to age 10 to see what effects being outside had on their mental health. The findings were amazing.

1. Access To Nature Can Promote The Mental Well-being Of Children

Just having access to outdoor spaces can help combat many of the mental challenges that children are facing nowadays. Many children suffer with ADHD, depression, and anxiety. In this study where children were routinely granted access to "green space" many children showcased positive correlations between their mental health and nature. "Approximately half of the studies reported statistically significant positive relationships between nature and mental health outcomes." Not only did their mental health improve, but their overall health improved as well.

2. Raising Kids Outdoors Can Promote Young Children's Development

Playing outdoors allows children to engage in risky-play. Texas Children Nature shares that "Risky play, which offers children the thrill of uncertainty, is positively associated with physical activity, social health, and exploration and understanding of the world." This study looked at these children's behaviors before and after changes were made to their access to outdoor space. Once children had regular access to the outdoors, they saw significant improvements and mental health benefits. "Early Childhood Educators observed improved socialization, problem-solving, focus, self-regulation, creativity and self-confidence, and reduced stress, boredom and injury."

3. Better Emotional Regulation And Behavioral Development

Another study conducted in Scotland proved the mental benefits of raising kids outdoors. That study found that "Children with gardens had better social, emotional and behavioral scores; children with more neighborhood natural space had better social skills." Additionally, that study found that young children who had access to an outdoor play area had strong improvements in the area of hyperactivity. It found, "Children from low-education households without access to a garden had significantly higher levels of Hyperactivity, Conduct Problems, and Total Di?culties than children from high education households without garden access."

Furthermore, another study found that spending time in nature positively affects how children see and interact with the natural world. Children who spent more time outdoors had more positive attitudes and were better at regulating their emotions.

4. Raising Kids Outdoors Helps Reduce Anxiety

Another study in California set up two walks, an urban walk and a nature walk. After the walk, participants completed a set of assessments to test their physical and cognitive functioning. "Compared to the urban walk, the nature walk resulted in affective benefits (decreased anxiety, rumination, and negative affect, and preservation of positive affect) as well as cognitive benefits (increased working memory performance)."

These are just the mental health benefits to raising your kids outdoors. In addition to this there are also a plethora of physical health benefits of well. Things such as lessening the chance of childhood obesity, helping get appropriate amounts of Vitamin D, and reducing the risk of Type 2 Diabetes are among the few benefits. So, if you want to help you kid across all areas of their life, help them find time and a space to play outdoors. Hopefully for more than a mere 11 minutes a day.