There is a problem in today’s children and it’s on us, the adults: they lack outdoor play. We have left them inside attached to the television playing video games and the long-term result is no use of outdoor senses. They don’t know about the touch of the outdoor ground, the grass, the air, and the ability to exercise. This is why obesity has risen and so has the rate of injury and psychological conditioning. They need to go outside and pick up on their nature skills and they can do it by simply playing. You know, playing? In a sandbox, on a swing, or down a slide? For outdoor play, children must pick up on their abilities, physical and mental, to carry with them later in life.

By going outside more, the first thing children will learn is all about the green spaces around them and that they are safe to play in. Forget the dirt and insects. Their stress goes down when they are physically active, providing double benefits in staying fit and not full of anxiety. It is part of child development. The next skill is connected to their development: talking with others. Social learning in communication is crucial. Fights, unfairness, asking if they want to play; this is what happens outdoors. The children can settle things themselves rather than the adults. Imagination arises from these scenarios and they discover how to be decisive and confront bad people to be a better person in life.

These on-field moments lead to critical thinking when it comes to planning out what they want to do when in an activity. It is strategy and having the teamwork in the event. This is where baseball, soccer, football, and tennis among other sports comes into play. Solo or team, they need to make up their mental process on how to run, kick or hit the ball. It is a global thing, not just a local American thing. This includes the more extreme form of outdoor adventures: climbing trees, monkey bars, fishing, diving into the pool, and swimming across the lake or pool. It carries over to their creative sense and what they can build with those outdoor resources. This is all for role-play when we are thinking about water or rocks or even heat and cold. This is why camping is essential as well, so they can truly find themselves surrounded by everything the outdoors have to offer: dirt, big trees, and the wildlife.

Outdoor skills are connected to physical and emotional IQ for children to pick up on as they understand what it means to be outside and who are these other people. Kids cannot be wrapped in the housing bubble stuck to a TV screen. TV shows about the doors are two-dimensional also. There is also the current setting of what goes on in the outside world like our weather, such as hurricanes, blizzards, and slow but dramatic change in our climate. Children must learn the skills of nature because it is beautiful but can go away in an instant. That’s what kids learn in the Scouts. The effects of nature play is always good and touches upon every area in development. This is what the great outdoors has for young children.