When everything is going to hell in a hand basket, sometimes the best thing you can do is get outside! Nature has the power to heal, calm, rejuvenate AND connect your kids to the power of play.

6 Minute Read

Nature is a miracle in so many ways, but when it comes to parenting it can be downright transformational. I am always recommending to parents that when everything in your family feels like it’s going to hell in a hand basket and the kids are crying, fighting, whining and you’re about to explode…one of the best and most restorative things you can do (for everyone) is get outside!

Now, I recognize that getting out in nature is not easy for everyone. For those living in cities or in apartments where you don’t have a backyard or can’t easily access a park or trail, it definitely takes a little more effort. That being said, I still think the effort is well worth it because of the benefits you are likely to uncover.

Remember when we were kids and driving our parents crazy and they would often just shoo us outside? Turns out they were onto something. The advantages of being out in nature are numerous and the research is irrefutable, showing that there are incredible benefits for both your mental and physical health and well-being.

One of the most interesting, to me, is that having a connection to nature is associated with lower levels of anxiety and depression. Can I get a hell yeah!!

Many researchers agree that kids who play outside are happier, pay better attention and are far less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors. The fact that nature helps kids with focus is of special importance for kids with ADHD or ASD, who often struggle with self-regulation and focussing their attention. And of course there is usually more exercise involved when kids are playing outside and we all know the important benefits of exercise on healthy child development.

I read a quote by Richard Louv the other day, author of a fabulous book entitled Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Defecit Disorder. He said, “Time in nature is not leisure time; it's an essential investment in our chidlren's health (and also, by the way, in our own).”

These days children are spending increasing amounts of sedentary time indoors, with links to a deterioration in their physical and mental health - the fact that this coincides with a prevalence of screen usage is a connection not lost on me. I feel like if you asked most kids, even those who love the outdoors, if they’d rather be on a screen or playing outside, the majority would choose the device (my own kiddos included!).

It’s so hard for Mother Nature to compete with the flashy, dopamine-inducing lure of a screen. But while screens (social media especially) are now being connected to increases in anxiety and depression amongst kids, especially teens, nature is healing and restorative.

And so sometimes, as parents, we might have to insist. And nudge. And push them out the door. What might be even easier is if YOU go with them (that way you’ll soak up those beautiful benefits as well!).

There doesn’t have to be a structured activity - in fact, it’s much better when there isn’t. Let the time outside be free-flowing. There is so much value in play that is unstructured, exploratory and imaginative.

There is literally never “nothing to do” outside.

Although to be fair, sometimes kids (especially ones who don’t currently spend much time outside on their own) might need some help getting started.

My children are country kids. We are so blessed to live in a beautiful, rural setting where nature is literally right out our front door. And yet, I STILL have to encourage my kids to get outside. Every weekend when we tell them we are going on a hike, they whine and moan and beg not to go. “It’s BORING Mom!” Or “Can’t we just stay home and watch a movie?”

But, my husband and I have learned that no matter how much protesting there is at the beginning, literally the moment we get onto a trail they are off…running, jumping, playing, laughing, exploring. It’s magical to witness and it’s never a wasted trip.

Right when I start to lament that my 11 year old is getting to the age where kids don’t “play” as much, I take them on a hike, or to the beach, or into the woods, and I watch that magical language of play rekindled. It awakens in him and suddenly he and his sister are pretending they’re motorcycles racing down the trail, or they’re making a “witch’s brew” in a tide pool, imagining dinosaurs crashing through the giant firs and huge ferns, or looking for faces in the trunks of the moss-covered cedars.

They will skip stones across the ocean, collect shells and sea glass, pause to watch birds or squirrels on a trail.

And you know what they’re NOT doing? Worrying. Arguing. Whining. Or thinking or asking about screens.

There is creativity there. And imagination. And a connection to the world around us. It always brings to mind that old saying, “Going to the woods is going home.”

If you’ve ever been lucky enough to accompany a group of kids to a farm, or a nature reserve, or a park, have you noticed what they do? If left to it, they do what kids everywhere are designed to do. They play. They explore. They invent games and worlds. They build forts, they climb trees, they splash through streams. Yes, they get dirty and muddy and sometimes they fall down and get hurt. But it’s ALWAYS worth it because of all the tremendous benefits.

And when we accompany them outdoors, we can play too. Or we can just be. We can just walk. Or sit. Or listen. Or just breathe.

Yes, sometimes being inside and participating in indoor activities is easier, safer and less messy. And yes, your kids can still have meltdowns and say they’re bored and complain and whine when they are out in nature. But, when we get outdoors, our senses are activated, stress and fatigue are reduced (this is science people!) - and we feel part of something larger than ourselves. And as we know from the research, when we feel better (both parents AND kids), we all find it easier to behave better.

I’ll say it one more time, in case you still need convincing, nature truly is a balm for the wounded soul, a healer of hurt feelings, a “fixer” for those truly bunk and horrible days when it feels like nothing is going right. So next time you are feeling low, or your kids are having a hard time, try getting outdoors. And let Mother Nature take care of the rest.