In today’s world, much of children’s entertainment comes from screens and indoor activities. With ongoing developments in technology, spending time indoors has become easier and more convenient. But spending time outside is essential to children’s development. From improvements in physical health to mental stimulation, the benefits of spending time in nature are endless. Read on to learn about how nature nurtures your child’s growth and development.

Encourages Children to Get Up and Moving

It’s common for children to spend the majority of their time sitting on the couch, staring at a screen rather than getting up and being active. The outdoors is a vast world, filled with endless space to move around. Whether that’s through sports and imaginative play or a simple walk on a trail, spending time outdoors encourages children to be active and engage with the natural world around them. It helps them develop their motor skills and enhance agility and coordination through outdoor play while soaking up plenty of vitamin D.

Improves Sleep Quality

We all have a natural body clock, even children. Being exposed to natural light helps synchronize their sleep cycle. When their circadian rhythm is regulated, it’s easier for children to fall asleep and wake up at a consistent time, often feeling more refreshed and rejuvenated. Plus, outdoor play gives children a healthy way to expend energy, resulting in deeper, more restful sleep. The vitamin D they get from spending time outdoors has also been linked to better sleep, since vitamin D plays a role in the body’s production of melatonin and is found in the brain receptors that regulate sleep.

Supports Creativity and Imagination

Spending time in nature is the ultimate form of open-ended play. There are infinite ways to interact with nature. When children have an unstructured way to play, it leaves room for their creativity and imagination to flourish. A stick on the ground becomes a sword, a pile of rocks becomes buried treasure, and a tree stump becomes a pirate ship. Time outdoors gives them the freedom to create their own worlds, come up with unique activities and invent new ways to approach play.

Stimulates Curiosity

While technology can unlock unlimited knowledge for children, the natural world stimulates all their senses, causing children to inquire about what they’re observing or experiencing. New sights, smells, sounds and tactile sensations stimulate curiosity about the world around them. When they spend time outdoors, they’ll start to notice new things and ask more questions. Maybe they notice that the sky is blue during the day and more orange in the evening. They may notice that there’s a distinct smell when it rains. These sensations can’t be stimulated by watching a screen or staying indoors. Time outdoors is a natural teacher, and it’s important to use it to your child’s developmental advantage.

Boosts Mood and Relieves Stress

Spending time outside is known to reduce stress and boost children’s moods. Not only is spending time in nature calming and peaceful, but there are many physical and cognitive advantages for a child’s overall health. Living a sedentary lifestyle or one where the majority of the time is spent indoors can cause children to feel more fatigued. Whereas, children who are active and spend time outdoors, directing their energy toward creativity, imagination and physical activity, tend to experience less fatigue and overall stress.

Now that you know the benefits that spending time in nature has on your child’s development, it’s time to get outdoors! At Lake Forrest Prep, we’re dedicated to supporting the growth and development of our students. That’s why we take a holistic approach to education, nurturing both the physical and mental health of our students to shape them into thoughtful, thriving individuals. We invite you to tour our Orlando private school! Call us at (407) 331-5144 or contact us online today.