For most of human history, we lived surrounded by forests, rivers, mountains, and open skies. Now the average adult barely gets enough sunlight, let alone enough meaningful time outdoors. And this troubling trend starts early. More than ever, our kids are more easily fatigued, constantly distracted, and more vulnerable to anxiety and stress-related illness. Many experts believe our kids’ health is suffering because we’ve lost touch with nature.
How Nature Benefits Kids’ Health
Florence Nightingale once said, “It is the unqualified result of all my experience with the sick, that second only to their need of fresh air is their need of light.”
Turns out, modern science agrees. Researchers in one study measured some key wellness indicators before and after forest sessions. After time outdoors, participants had lower blood pressure and cortisol levels, and increased activity in the immune cells that fight cancer and viruses. Time outside benefits children’s health in many similar ways, including:
- Lower stress and anxiety levels: Because spending time outside lowers cortisol (their stress hormone), outdoor play is a great way to help kids manage anxiety, depression, and stress naturally.
- More physical activity: Increasing movement can benefit kids’ circulatory and respiratory systems, as well as help them improve their muscular strength, joint mobility, and endurance.
- Improved mood: Even short periods of nature time can improve mood and reduce rumination, that stewing, “bottled up” feeling that makes kids’ emotional balance more difficult. Vitamin D, which is absorbed through sunlight, is one of nature’s best mood boosters.
- Better cognitive function: Nature is a multisensory wonder, fostering creativity and improving kids’ cognitive function, including enhanced focus, reduced mental fatigue, and greater mental sharpness.
The Secret’s in the Trees
Why does nature improve kids’ total health and well-being? A compound called phytoncides holds the key. These chemicals help trees fight off insects and disease. When we breathe them in, our nervous system registers measurable health improvements, including improved immunity.
One study found that even newborns react positively to tree scents, suggesting our connection to nature runs deeper (and goes back farther) than our conscious experience. So how do we tap into our powerful connection with nature and help our kids make the most of it?
Families Heal Together (Naturally)
Start your and your kids’ natural healing journey by finding a nearby outdoor place you all love and spending a little time there regularly. When you and your family spend time in nature this fall (at the park, on the trails, in the forest), don’t rush. Slow down and take your time. Pay attention to the smallest details: a fly perched on a blade of grass, the way the sunlight moves across the bark of a tree, and trace the patterns in a leaf. Let the wind brush across your face. Take deep breaths. In these small moments, nature speaks and our bodies listen.
Doctors in Scotland have developed formal programs that use gardens and forest paths to help people recover from mental exhaustion and depression. Rather than rushing patients to talk through their problems, they simply rest in outdoor spaces. People lie in hammocks, walk among plants, listen to birds, and gradually find their way back to themselves.
By moving through natural spaces and letting the mind relax, they’re able to heal in ways that aren’t possible inside a clinic or by scrolling on a screen.
Connecting to nature stimulates healing, and our bodies and minds are receptive to that connection from infancy. If you’re curious how outdoor time and other nature-based remedies can help your kids feel their best, contact us to make an appointment and explore the possibilities.
