Getting Addy Outside: Why This Mom is Waging the Battle for Outdoor Play Everyday

I promised no soap boxes but this mom has a pretty strong opinion and I’m going to advocate for it here on Her First Role Model. To advocate for something, I need to be sure I am actually walking the talk. Breathing, let alone walking, in the arctic air that is part of Minnesota winters is hard. Perhaps what is harder is getting Addy jazzed about going outside (and in all honesty, I have to fake my own enthusiasm). Let me be honest, some days it like waging a battle. It is so much easier to just stay put. Yet when I make the effort, I never regret it. After an hour outside, I am happier, more mentally acute and have motivation to conquer one of those nagging items on my “to do” list. Simply, I feel better. I can’t speak for Addy, but I can speak to the anecdotal evidence that is her attitude and demeanor. Borrowing from experts who have actually researched and gathered data, let me tell you why this mom is making outdoor play a part of our everyday lives. 

Harvard Health has focused on these 6 benefits to kids playing outside:

1. Sunshine. Sun exposure to make vitamin D assists our immune system, helps with sleep and mood. Our bodies work best when we get some sunshine every day.
2. Exercise. A suggested guideline is one hour of active play every day. Getting outside is one of the best places to make that happen.
3. Executive function. These are the skills that help us plan, prioritize, troubleshoot, negotiate and multitask. Creativity is also part of this – using our imagination to problem-solve and entertain ourselves. These kinds of skill smuts be learned and practiced. Being outside gives kids opportunities to practice important life skills by playing alone or with other children and for best results, during unstructured time. Kids will make up games, manage social needs, solve problems with creative solutions and ultimately, amuse themselves.
4. Taking risks. This is perhaps one that many moms have a hard time with, especially when their children are young. To build confidence, to problem-solve, to increase resilience (in this case, the ability to try again or to see failure as an opportunity to learn), taking risks is important. Bravery to tackle hard situations also comes from risk-taking. Of course, you can break a leg climbing a tree but to try is a risk worth taking. Imagine the view from the top and the pride at having made it there all by oneself. And to climb a tree, a child has to be outside.
5. Socialization. Children need to learn how to work together. They need to learn how to make friends, how to share and cooperate. As they do that, they are learning how to treat other people. Kids get lots of opportunity to interact with their peers in structured settings like school or sports teams. Getting them outside, taking them to the park, affords them an opportunity to socialize in unstructured settings too.
6. Appreciation of nature. The natural places in our world are shrinking. And as a consequence, the future of our world is at risk. If a child grows up never walking in the woods, digging in soil, seeing wild animals in their natural habitat, playing a stream or standing in awe of a sunset, they may need understand what there is to be lost. The future of our planet depends on our children. Learning to appreciate it is a first step.

Perhaps you’re the kind of person who isn’t swayed by the voice of authority. In that case, here are 6 points of my anecdotal evidence:

1. Focus. Addy seems better able to focus on one activity or one train of thought when she gets fresh air. One study I read cited that kids in Illinois found that even just a twenty-minute walk in the park  led to a substantial attention boost. We go to dance every Friday evening. The days when we’ve spent at least an hour outside, she is a better listener and is more willing to give her instructor her full attention. And for those dance moves or songs she doesn’t really like, she chooses to do them anyway versus crossing her arms in defiance or gazing off into la la land.
2. Calmer responses to big emotions. Addy and I have spent a good deal of time learning some techniques on how to calm herself when frustrated, upset or sad: counting to 5 and literally taking a step back, deep “yoga” breaths, asking for a hug or to be held and one that she learned from her preschool teacher, hold your stomach, say how you feel and then tell that feeling that you are done with it. These are great tools and she knows how to use them. She is not, however, always willing to use them. It is like she is too worked up to engage them. She seems to have an easier time of it when she has had a string of days outside, playing and getting that fresh air! Another study I read about reported that children in Maryland and Colorado who played in green schoolyards (multi-functional school grounds are designed for and by the school community to offer places for students, teachers, parents and community members to play, learn, explore and grow, like native or vegetable gardens, stormwater captures, nature play areas or traditional playground equipment) indicated less stress compared to their peers.
3. Eating healthy and trying new foods. The last 3 summers, I have done some vegetable gardening. Though meager, it has afforded us lots of food to cook with. Addy has helped me with gardening, from planting and care to harvest and cooking. Addy has always been an adventurous eater and likes her vegetables. As she gets older and her taste buds change, however, she would rather not eat all her vegetables and takes a bit more encouragement to try something new. Gardening not only gets us outside, actively digging in the earth, I have seen how more willing Addy is to eat the healthy stuff. She takes notice of the different looking fruits at the grocery store and asks if she can try them. We also have a small farmer’s market in our neighborhood that gives Addy fantastic visuals of healthy foods and something else, the farmers that grow them!
4. Putting the screen down. After an adventure outdoors, Addy seems to forget about the screens in our house. We don’t really have that many (two computers and two smart phones), but they get more use than I like to admit. On the days Addy gets outside, it is more likely she will dig through her toy bins and find those items that assist in imagining a hair salon or a day care. She also spends more time with her crayons and colored pencils. On the days when we don’t make it outside, she is quicker to ask to watch something. Let me be clear, I am not convinced that time in front of the screen is evil. As a writer, I spend loads of time on my computer. It is the time away from other enriching activities and less time spent in the relationships keep this family connected. I recently read the book There is No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom’s Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient and Confident Kids by Linda Åkeson McGurk. McGurk offers a similar insight that it is not so much the screen itself or the content especially as a parent regulates what that content contains. It is the time spent alone, away from friends and family, absent from the community, that makes the deepest impact on the development of a child.
5. Lending a hand. There seem to be 3 kinds of Addy: 1) refuses to help when asked, 2) helps when asked, and 3) helps without asking. After spending time outside, the third kind of Addy makes a regular appearance. Typically, I need to start dinner prep right after coming in from outside. On those days, Addy eagerly follows me into the kitchen. Joyfully, she asks what she can do to help me. Time spent in the kitchen, whether baking cookies or stirring together soup, is one of my favorite things to do with Addy. So, dinner prep becomes prime bonding time for us and a space where I can teach her a life skill. Sometimes dinner prep isn’t the best space for her 5 year old hands, like when I am quickly chopping vegetables or taking hot items in and out of the oven. In this instance, I can ask Addy to pick up the toys in her room or help match the recently laundered clothes and usually hear a positive reply. The positive correlation between fresh air and joyfully lending a hand is a very real thing in this house!
6. Positive attitude. This one is probably related to #2 but deserves a separate mention. Addy is a very strong-willed child and is quite comfortable saying no or refusing to comply. In a similar vein, she likes to position herself to the contrary. This is normal behavior for a 3 year old and is developmental marker. For Addy, it seems to be a trait of her personality. And it is a hard one for this mom to sensitive to. In addition to giving her some choices throughout the day, taking her outside has had the biggest impact on my little contrarian. Time outside brings about a happier Addy. Instead of “I don’t like that” or “That isn’t true”, I hear “I’ll try it” or “Mommy, I think so too”.

Curious if you’ll see the same benefits to your child by getting outside more? I have some great activity ideas for you. Check out my posts titled “Practice Makes Perfect Series” And if you are curious to hear more about the movement to get kids outside, there are number of books you can check out at your local library. I’d recommend starting with There is No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom’s Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids by Linda Åkeson McGurk (Or check out her blog, Rain or Shine Mamma). Not only is it easy to read but it is like a memoir with an organic approach to “how to” make outdoor life a part of your child’s life. I felt like I was talking with one of my mom friends about something really important to me.