If you were to do a random google search to see how much time American children spend outside in unstructured play, the average number is 4 to 7 minutes a day? Read that sentence again.
American children on average spend 4 to 7 minutes outside in unstructured play each day.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends spending at least 60 minutes a day in moderate to vigorous exercise for children over the age of 6. Many child development specialist encourage children to spend around 3 hours a day in outdoor activity. Charlotte Mason at the turn of the century recommended 4 to 6 hours of unstructured time outdoors each day.
The Struggle to Find Time to Spend Outdoors
I can recall spending a few hours almost every afternoon outside after we finished our homework in grade school. Then on Saturdays and in the summer we'd be locked out of the house with instructions to not come home till lunch. Then we'd be right back out in the evening until we were called home for supper. Even older generations spent much of their days working outdoors no matter the weather.
Today though in fear of what might happen to our kids, we rarely let them out of our sight. Though we could debate whether or not the world is really that much less safe or whether we just are more aware of what all could happen, the sad truth is that kids don't get to explore and play like they once did. Whether it's a nosy neighbor who doesn't like kids and makes a false CPS claim or a fear of stranger snatching a child at the neighborhood park or even the concern that they might try some of the same stupid things we did and break a bone, no matter the reason why, children spend less time in outdoor play than ever before.
Then there is all the other demands on our time. Kids are in school for hours a day and then come home to hours more of homework. Even we as homeschoolers find it's not unusual to spent the time between 9 and 4 mostly engaged in academics and with only a few breaks outdoors. After school hours there are all the extracurriculars which are good for our kids. Add in a little family time at night and then it's bedtime. Where do you find 30 minutes let alone hours of outside time?
The Impact of Time Spent Outside
The importance of outside time cannot be down played. It affects both physical and mental health in a variety of ways. Spending time outside is good for children and adults as well. Studies have shown that even as little as 15 to 20 minutes spent outdoors has the power to impact your health and improve mood, so anytime we can add in this area is time well spent.
Physical Benefits of Time Spent Outside
There are numerous ways that outdoor time is a benefit to your physical health. Perhaps one obvious one is that it makes you more likely to exercise. Just spending time in nature is an encouragement to be active whether it's walking, hiking, exercising, or playing with your children. Both adults and children who spend time outdoors are more likely to be a healthy weight, have lowered blood pressure, less incidents of heart disease, and a stronger immune system. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia reports that unstructured playtime outdoors promotes better sleep which in turn leads to more positive moods and better focus and concentration the following day. Studies over the years have also indicated that more time spent outdoors in play decreases the chance of nearsightedness developing, makes for stronger bones, and higher motor skill development. However did you realize it also improves cognitive function. Time spent outdoors makes your child better able to focus on instruction, absorb information, and then be able to recall it. It may not make their IQ climb, but it does make them better able to use the information that they have.
Mental Benefits of Time Spent Outside
Well you might thing you'd have to be brain dead to not guess that time spent playing outdoors improves a child's motor skills, did you realize it also improves cognitive function? Time spent outdoors makes your child better able to focus on instruction, absorb information, and then be able to recall it. It may not make their IQ climb, but it does make them better able to use the information that they have. Other studies show that spending time "immersed in nature" also make you a better problem solver because it leads you to being more creative. Consider how kids grow their own creativity with imaginary worlds, made up games and team building activities through outdoor play together. Furthermore, time in nature is an effective way to lower stress. It takes you out of a fast paced environment where increased cortisol levels causes many of the physical aliments we mentioned above. By slowing down the brain you experience drops in anxiety, less depression, and may find it even helps mitigate some of the symptoms of ADHD and PTSD according to the Mayo Clinic.
What to Do?
Despite all these benefits less than half of adults spend 5 hours outside a week and children tend to spent 3 times as much time on devices and the tv as they do in nature. Even the Washington Post has written on this problem. Article, after article, after article pops up expressing a need for more time outdoors, many with ideas to help promote outside time. I've seen suggestions to eat your meals outdoors, refuse to do homework until high school, or walk everywhere you go. Most of us are going to find alot of these to be unhelpful.
Our solution has been our Adventure Fridays. They get the kids out of the house, most often into nature. They hike and talk, sword fight, make up imaginary worlds, learn about nature, and the list goes on and on. Don't worry if you don't hit 4 to 6 hours even Ginny Yurich over at 1000 Hours Outside, doesn't make that number. Anytime you can fit in is beneficial. I find her information to be a huge encouragement not to just spend time outdoors, but to let my children grow into themselves in an unhurried way. After all, that's really what the goal is with time outdoors: happy, healthy, and curious children who are sure of themselves.
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