Where are the children? The streets should be alive with the sounds of laughing children, the sounds of balls being bounced, kicked, or hit with bats, the sounds of bikes whizzing by. But instead, the streets are eerily quiet.
These days, fewer kids are playing outdoors. This trend is disturbing, because there are so many benefits to physical exercise and outdoor play. In an eye-opening book entitled Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, author Richard Louv examines the decline of our children's exposure to the natural environment. He warns:
"If, as a growing body of evidence recommends, 'contact with nature is as important to children as good nutrition and adequate sleep, then current trends in children's access to nature need to be addressed.'"
So here are 3 reasons our children need more time in the natural outdoor environment:
The outdoor environment encourages exercise
Lack of physical exercise has contributed greatly to the obesity epidemic that our children are experiencing, with now one in three children being overweight or obese. This obesity epidemic is resulting in higher rates of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, heart disease and even mental health disorders. And exercise has another great benefit: studies have also shown that exercise improves cognitive ability, especially in the areas of math performance and executive functioning.
The natural outdoor environment stimulates concentration and focus
As a pediatrician, I have been deeply concerned about the rising rates of ADHD in our children. Almost 1 out of every 10 children carries this diagnosis, and many of them are being treated with medications which can have harmful side effects. But several research studies documented in Louv's book suggest that "more time in nature - combined with less television and more stimulating play and educational settings--may go a long way toward reducing attention deficits in children..."
There are dangers to too much indoor time
As parents, we often worry about dangers of outdoor play, such as our children becoming victims of random violence, abduction or accidental injury. But it's also important to recognize the dangers of keeping our kids indoors. For example, indoor air pollution is now being touted as the nation's number one environmental health threat because of pollution from toxic molds, allergens, lead dust, etc. The indoor environment also encourages a sedentary, technology saturated lifestyle. With the average child spending about 7 hours using media daily (yikes!), our children are being deprived of exposure to and appreciation for the natural world.
So let's commit to getting our kids outdoors more often, especially with the extra time that the summer provides. And we don't have to simply send them out alone, but we can generate great family moments through a family walk, a competitive game of backyard football or even an overnight camping trip.
Reference
Louv, Richard (2008) Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. Algonquin Books.
Author, Dr. Teresa Fuller, M.D., Ph.D., is a physiologist and a board-certified pediatrician who has been practicing for ten years. Her focus is on reducing childhood overweight and obesity by creating healthy families that are committed to wellness.
http://www.ahealthytomorrow.org/
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