The Importance of Nature Play

"Unstructured, frequent childhood play in informal outdoor settings powerfully boosts the cognitive, creative, physical, social and emotional development of children."

The Importance of Nature Play

There are countless positive outcomes that follow the inclusion of nature play into the daily routine of children. For starters, by having your child spend even 30 minutes outdoors everyday, you are strengthening their immune system! There have been several studies suggesting the lack of playtime outside leading to asthma or other various allergies that can simply be avoided by a little time spent in some sunshine!

Implementing aspects of nature into the daily routine of any child's life, also naturally boosts their sense of adventure, curiosity and overall appreciation for nature in general.

On a transcendental point of view, when you introduce an overall respect for nature early on in a child’s life, they’re automatically more drawn into wanting to protect and conserve the environment in the future! As stated in a ConservationTools.org article, “Unstructured, frequent childhood play in informal outdoor settings powerfully boosts the cognitive, creative, physical, social and emotional development of children.” The article then follows up by stating, “The crucial first step towards embracing conservation is to fall in love with nature—which kids often do when they play in it, day after day.” Whether it be spending time at the park, in the dirt gardening or even playing at the beach, Playcore.com states that, “Research has revealed that naturalized playgrounds result in increased play value, higher levels of physical activity, and improved environmental sustainability.” So let's get those kiddos playing under the sun!

Helpful Links:

A Parent’s Guide to Nature Play

Nature Play: Nurturing Children and Strengthening Conservation through Connections to the Land

Nature Play Playground Research