Get Down and Dirty... Outdoors!

In March 2011, Planet Ark commissioned an independent study to investigate childhood interaction with nature and how this interaction is changing.

The research shows that there has been a dramatic shift in childhood activity from outdoor play to indoor activity in the space of one generation.
♠ 73% of respondents played outdoors more often than indoors when they were young compared to only 13% of their children
♠ 72% of respondents played outside every day as kids compared to only 35% of their children
♠ 1 in 10 children today play outside once a week or less.

Physical benefits of playing outdoors:
♣ Children who play outside every day have better motor coordination and increased ability to concentrate.
♣ The outdoor environment allows children to move freely, placing fewer constraints on children’s gross motor movement and less restriction on their range of visual and gross motor exploration.

Cognitive benefits of playing outdoors:
♣ Greenery in a child’s everyday environment specifically reduces attention deficit symptoms. While outdoor activities in general help, settings with trees and grass are the most beneficial.
♣ While outdoors, a child is more likely to encounter opportunities for decision making that stimulate problem solving and creative thinking because outdoor spaces are often more varied and less structured than indoor spaces.
♣ Children are more likely to develop responsible attitudes toward risk if they have experience dealing with risky situations.
♣ Much of play is social. As such, play promotes learning about vital social skills such as turn-taking, sharing, negotiation and leadership.

Emotional benefits of playing outdoors:
♣ Free play has the ability to improve many aspects of emotional wellbeing, including minimising anxiety, repression, aggression and sleep problems.
♣ Mood may be positively affected not only by the physical activity itself but also by exposure to sunlight if the activity occurs outdoors.

Not allowing children to play freely and explore their outdoor environment results in a single benefit - safety. But this benefit can be outweighed by multiple risks – including compromised development, decreased physical exercise, increased obesity and limited spontaneous play opportunities.

If we’re sure that kids love to play, and we know that active outdoor play produces healthier, happier and more resilient kids, then the issue we face is simply the finding opportunities for regular, safe and easy outdoor activities for children. We need to make outdoors, not indoors, the habit.

Making outdoors a habit can be easy if you know how. Here is a list of simple ideas to try, adapt and add to, and many of them you can do right in your own backyard. These groups and activities are suitable for kids of all ages, so join your children and get outdoors!

♠ Climb a Tree
♠ Play street cricket
♠ Ride a bike
♠ Go for a bushwalk
♠ Walk the dog
♠ Go swimming
♠ Do some gardening
♠ Camp in the backyard
♠ Watch the sunset
^{(Information taken from Climbing Trees : Getting Aussie Kids Back Outdoors, published by Planet Ark)}

Need some more inspiration? Small Fry : Outdoors is full of ideas for every season, and activities to stimulate all the senses – grab a copy at the Busselton and Dunsborough libraries!