October 29th

By Mutt Mulligan

8 reasons why spending time outside is good for kids

Right now the safest place to spend time may be your personal green space – your yard. It can help your children de-stress, widen their play area, and build up knowledge in science and math. The benefits of getting kids (and adults) outside are widely researched.

Here are 8 reasons why scientists say spending time outside is good for our kids.

Learning outside can help children develop important skills for future success in the workplace, including social and problem-solving skills.

Children who participated in an urban farming youth internship program experienced a number of long-term benefits, including higher college enrollment, connectedness to the environment and the community, healthy eating habits, and higher levels of self-confidence.

Horticulture-related activities have been shown to reduce stress levels of elementary school children with emotional and behavioral concerns, according to researchers in Korea.

Children eat more fruits and vegetables if they are homegrown, according to Saint Louis University research.

Children in Bangladesh earned significantly higher science scores after being taught outdoors versus their indoor classrooms.

Kindergartners – especially girls – who spent more time in green schoolyards and in the outdoors in general showed higher gains in self-regulation than those who didn’t have as much exposure.

Greening of daycare outdoor spaces by adding sod, peat blocks, and planters for vegetables and flowers, provides rich opportunities for creative play and learning.

An analysis of 16 quantitative studies focusing on play in natural environments found that unstructured nature play fostered increased physical activity and was consistently linked to positive impacts in imagination, creativity and dramatic play.

To learn more about the science behind the health benefits of green space, check out the TurfMutt Foundation’s Living Landscapes Fact Book.