Going Back To Our Roots: The Benefits of Nature for Child Development

The link between spending time in nature and an individual’s health and well-being has been hypothesised and explored for some time now. With the increase in urban living, and factors such as over-reporting of violence, societal expectations of parents, and increased focus on academic development from a young age, countries all over the world are seeing a decline in children engaging in outdoor, nature based play. A recent study in Hong Kong developed a questionnaire to assess the impact of connectedness to nature on social and emotional well being in preschool aged children. They found that “parents who saw their child had a closer connection with nature had less distress, less hyperactivity, & fewer behavioural and emotional difficulties, and improved pro-social behaviour. Interestingly, children who took greater responsibility towards the nature had fewer peer difficulties”.

The benefits of engaging with nature are substantial. However the barriers to engagement are not to be dismissed lightly. Parents and educators have real and often valid concerns surrounding safety of their children. Concerns with injury, hygiene, illness or persons who may wish to cause harm may deter caregivers from exposing a child to outdoor, natural environments. On top of this, laws, standards, accessibility and time constraints also impact on how often and where a child is able to connect with nature.

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So do we give up? Admit defeat to the temptation to keep our children “safe” no matter the cost to their social and emotional development? Do we continue down a path of “bubble wrapping” our children in sterile, carefully manicured environments lest they get scratched or bruised running across uneven ground or collecting sticks? I hope you, like me, are appalled at such a suggestion! Of course we want children to be safe, but safety does not mean concealing them from experiences that develop them into fulfilled, kind, empathetic, complete individuals. Safety doesn’t mean your child will never hurt themselves. Safety is providing them with the things they need to get through any adversity or pain: a hug, reassurance, love, a bandaid, a kiss.

Dirt, sticks, rocks, plants, animals, sand, mud. These things are all part of our world, and teaching your child to engage with or explore them with respect is how you can not only keep your child safe, but support their development. The other barriers to accessing nature may be more challenging then putting aside your concerns or fears. Accessibility may require you calling or writing your council, or bringing it up at a school or childcare meeting. Finding the time to accompany your child to the park, beach, river, lake or botanical garden may require rescheduling or sacrifice of other activities, but the impact it will have on both you and your child will be tremendous.

Supporting your child to gain a sense of responsibility, empathy, awareness or enjoyment of nature may feel like a challenge. Here’s some other ways that you can support your child to feel connected to nature, no matter where you live:

• Create a garden at home: whether it’s a patch or just a plant in a pot, your child can touch, smell and see the changes as it grows, and be responsible for watering it and ensuring it gets adequate sunlight. Choosing herbs or plants such as tomatoes are also a great way for your child to see where food comes from.
• Visit a garden centre: seeing the variety of plants available, smelling the flowers and herbs, and looking at all the different colours is a great way to engage your child with nature if a botanical garden is out of reach.
• Go for a walk together: there are so many different plants and animals that can be seen just walking around. Maybe it’s a bug on the sidewalk, or a dog being walked. Maybe flowers out the front of someone’s house, or fruit and vegetables at the community garden. Talk about what your child can see, smell, touch (and even taste!)
• Pick up rubbish and talk about correct garbage disposal: linking the behaviour of disposing rubbish correctly with the impact it can have on the environment is a great way to raise a conscientious and compassionate child. This includes recycling, reusing and reducing waste.
• Engage with those in your community who have gardens and/or pets: not everyone has the time, space or money for plants or pets, so this is a great way to give your child exposure to either, as well as creating bonds within your neighborhood. Approaching your neighbors or people in your community is a great way to model social skills to your child, and may just make their day too!
• Read books or watch videos on nature: talk about what animals and plants exist, how they contribute to the planet, and where food comes from. No one wants to grow up thinking supermarkets grow food!
• Teach your child how to engage with animals and plants respectfully: this might be teaching them how to ask to pat someone’s dog, or not to pull leaves off of plants. Remember to teach them what to do, just not what not to do!
• Have a plan for when (not if!) your child gets dirty. This will allow you to feel calm and in control, and demonstrate to your child that getting dirty is not only fun, but OK. Think about what clothes you can wash easily, or have set clothes for nature based activities. If you are an educator, communicate with your parents to pack spare clothes and give them a heads up that their child will be encouraged to play in a variety of environments.