Outdoor, Nature and its Impact on All Round Development of children in the early years of education

Most of us have spent a considerable amount of time with nature during our childhood — climbing trees, exploring nature, running barefoot on the grass or playing simple outdoor games with siblings and friends. At that moment, little did we realise that these fun activities were actually helping us to develop our mind, body and soul and preparing us for the future.

In today’s digital age, children have limited exposure to the natural environment, thanks to smart devices, which leave little or no time for the children to step out and play. Many studies and research work has proved that exposure to nature has long-term benefits and fosters children's emotional, intellectual, social and physical well-being. It has also been observed that by spending ample time in nature or being surrounded by it provides a free-flowing and dynamic environment that stimulates all our senses.

Let us see how outdoor and nature impacts the all-round development in the early years of education:

Physical Benefits

Nature provides endless opportunities to stay physically fit. On one hand, exposure to sunlight helps children to absorb vitamin-D and maintain good eyesight and a strong immune system, playing outdoors allows them to be physically active and have stronger bodies. Outdoor games such as climbing trees, jumping, skipping and running not just help children to keep a healthy height and weight but also contributes positively to their overall fitness and cognitive abilities. Children who play outside and stay close to the environment are believed to perform better academically.

Social Benefits

As children, the best part of our day was the time we stepped out of our houses to play with friends in the neighbourhood. At that time, we never realised that mingling, talking and playing with them was actually our biggest stress-buster.

Today, real friends have been replaced by digital devices which are adversely impacting the mental and physical health of children. When children play outdoors, they tend to interact with various playmates. Playing outdoor with others teaches them to share, make up their own rules, solve their problems without inhibition and develop empathy for others.

Intellectual Benefits

The world outside is a giant open laboratory and little minds are curious scientists who love to experiment with the sights, scents, sounds, and the touch of the environment. Nature provides endless opportunities for these inquisitive minds to discover, think, question, be creative, solve problems and experiment with ideas.

Whether it’s thinking why ants only gather around sweet objects or estimating the distance between two planks before jumping, children are constantly using their minds when they’re in nature. These experiences offer real, practical learning like no book can, helping them gain resilience and confidence.

Emotional Benefits

Many studies have suggested that exposure to nature can reduce the symptoms of tension, anxiety and restlessness in children and adults. In nature, children can run, jump, make noise, hop, skip, climb and shout and do many other activities that are often restricted indoors. These help them to stay emotionally active as they are more relaxed and can be their own natural self.

Environmental Benefits

Children are the saviours of nature and mother earth. To raise grown-ups who are sensitive towards the environment and are passionate about saving our planet, they should be exposed to nature right from their childhood. The best way to enable children to develop the love and understanding of nature is allow them to explore the wonders of the natural environment.

Exposure to the natural environment, indeed, has a lot of positive effects on our minds and bodies. Not just in early years, even today, when our daily routines and everyday stress take a toll on our physical and mental health, we tend to head outside, take a stroll in the park or simply pack our bags and leave for a mountain or beach vacation. So, when nature has such a positive influence on adult minds then imagine their impact on the young and growing minds!

As it rightly said – Nature is not a place to visit, it is home!

About the Author:

Uttara Singh is the Director at The Shriram Millennium Schools, an educationist and an administrator with a vision of taking learning beyond academics.

Working with children across age groups in a career spanning more than two and half decades in various schools in Delhi NCR, she has donned many hats from that of a teacher to an administrator and achieved a host of milestones during this journey.

Note: The views expressed in this article are solely author’s own and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha