Five Benefits of Spending Time Outside in Any Weather and Every Season

How much time do your kids spend outside? When you have a free afternoon, do you mostly stay at home watching TV or take your little ones to the mall or for other activities or get out there for some fresh air? What about when the weather is t the most welcoming at first sight - do you immediately stay cooped inside or work with your options? Recently I’ve been inspired to spend time outside, and I’ll share some ideas and science crafts behind it in this post!

In the early 1980s, a Harvard biologist Edward Wilson proposed a theory called biophilia, and idea that humans are instinctively drawn towards their natural surroundings. Many 21st century parents would question this, as they watch their kids express a clear preference for gadgets over playing outside. The national panic about kids spending too much time indoors has become extreme at some point that it even received a name: Nature deficit disorder. The name might be merely rhetorical, but the fact is that with urbanization and very high information flow, availability of gadgets and cartoons as an easy distraction, statistically, the average American child spends 4-7 minutes a day in unstructured play outdoors, and 7h+ a day inside and often in front of a screen ...

---

Recent studies have exposed the benefit - even necessity - of spending time outdoors, both for kids and adults. Some believe that it’s all about “wild nature”, the others think that it’s all about greenery (and a few started making a point that painting your walls green even might do the trick). Nuances aside, most of the studies agree that kids who play outside are smarter, happier, more attentive, and less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors, so Mother Nature, here we come! Some cultures are much more prone to taking kids out there even in “bad” weather. A Swedish American journalist, Linda Akeson McGurk wrote a whole book, “There’s no such thing as bad weather” on the benefits of exploring outside for kids. “In Sweden children play outside all year round, regardless of the weather, and letting young babies nap outside in freezing temperatures is not only common—it is a practice recommended by physicians. In the US, on the other hand, she found that the playgrounds, which she had expected to find teeming with children, were mostly deserted. In preschool, children were getting drilled to learn academic skills, while their Scandinavian counterparts were climbing trees, catching frogs, and learning how to compost.” In “The Highly Sensitive Child” book Elaine Aron also stresses the importance of being outside for the little humans with sensitive e nervous systems. So what is it so special that being outside gives us in addition to saving some money on electricity and watching less TV? 1. Being outside allows for rough and tumble play, it provides space to be LOUD, messy, run around and jump much more than staying inside. 2. It helps establish to the earth, daily rhythms, basically grounding. Spending time in fresh air and oxygen is extremely beneficial for our bodies and minds, and being outside is the broad daylight helps kids sleep better 😉 3. In colder time of year we are all lacking Vitamin D, as it is produced in our bodies when we have sun exposure. Lack of vitamin D has been connected to depression, and even the artificial supplements we take don’t get ingested the same way and are unlikely to fully compensate for this lack. When we get out, sun exposure, even if the clouds, helps us get this precious vitamin, thus helping in regulating mood and warding off depression. In addition to that, Vitamin D can modulate the innate and adaptive immune responses. Deficiency in vitamin D is associated with increased autoimmunity as well as an increased susceptibility to infection. Given that we are facing a pandemic of coronavirus (covid-19) right now, it's a great idea to go on walks in more secluded areas and soak some sun in as it can be very beneficial for your immune system. 4. Learning outside can be much more fun than learning inside. Outdoors provides kids with open ended problems (e.g., challenges of climbing somewhere, getting to places they want), autonomy and opportunity for open ended and creative play. Great big outdoors helps kids learn - and not just learn what little humans consider boring, but learn about the world around us and things they see as fun! For example learning about trees, grass, moss on paper vs. seeing and touching those in real life, seeing how things grow and change over time is a completely different experience. They see it as a sort of experiment, and nature nurtures not only their bodies and souls, but also their growing minds! 5. Outside has so many opportunities for fun (if we allow them to engage in them) Jumping in puddles, playing with dirt, not even talking about building snow fortresses and all sorts of play with snow... Opportunities are endless! What about you, friends? Do you try to take your kids “into the wild” often? Do you notice the difference in anxiety levels in them or yourself afterwards? I’ve noticed my daughter sleeps much better and often in longer stretches after going on a little hiking adventure. Please share your experience in the comments section, we'd love to hear from you!