BLOG #5 Effects of Nature on Mind & Brain Development

 Playing outdoors has numerous benefits for a child's growth and learning. For instance, children can learn through experimentation even if they are wounded because humans frequently tend to learn from our mistakes. This is evident in the lecture on kids taking risks. “Risky play in early childhood can help develop a child’s self-confidence, resilience, executive functioning abilities and even risk management skills.” (Brussoni, 2019) This highlights a child's ability to have a right to suffer harm. Through risk-taking play, kids can learn how to manage the fear and worry that can accompany trying something new. These skills, which are frequently even more crucial during school, allow kids the ability to adjust to new circumstances and explore new places. 

    I firmly believe that young children take risks because it's in their nature to do so while playing. Risks, in my opinion, help youngsters learn. People frequently do not learn by simply being warned not to do something; instead, they frequently need to go through the experience in order to learn and be able to get over their curiosity in trying new things. Plays based in nature provide youngsters more possibilities and boost the likelihood that they'll engage in imaginative play. Risky play enables kids to discover and comprehend the world. Children can learn the notion of cause and effect through this type of play, as well as how to be open to trying new things. Due to how physically demanding outside play typically is, risky play also helps kids develop environmental awareness and enhances their motor skills. Although injuries are probable, playing outside has generally low odds, demonstrating that the benefits of outdoor play exceed the drawbacks in all circumstances.

    Parents or other adults who are responsible for children can encourage outdoor play in a variety of ways. The greatest method for parents, for instance, to encourage nature-based play is by supporting the child and setting aside a specific period of time each day, week, or month for the two of them to engage in an outdoor activity. Due to the parent's strong influence over the child's life, the child is thereby inspired to play outside. The child's tastes can also be taken into consideration while planning these activities, which will boost the likelihood that they will embrace outdoor play. Children can develop confidence with parental guidance, which will eventually make them capable of enduring on their own during travels. This experience also can help the parent escape their reality, which will promote their acceptance and perception on the importance of nature and how it relaxes the mind and can also be a coping method within mental health. “Research showed different rates of recovery from stress depending upon the type of environmental exposure” (Berto, 2014). When looking at an approach from an educator standpoint, hosting class-wide events that serve as incentives to raise everyone's tolerance for outside play is one method the caregiver can support the promotion of nature-based play. One way to do this would be to have kids play flag freeze tag, which would improve their gross motor skills as well as their peer connection and willingness to try new things. When there isn't a special activity where kids have to take the initiative themselves or are singled out, it is frequently easiest to encourage them to join. Children can feel comfortable attempting new games outside and developing their imaginations by taking part in a class-wide activity or game.

   There are numerous similarities I can draw when thinking back on my own firsthand observations of kids enjoying the outdoors. For instance, when I think back on my own upbringing, I have a lot of important memories that revolve on outside play. I used to play outside every day from the time the sun rose until the streetlights came on. Every year on Earth Day when I was a kid, Nickelodeon had a national play day. No TV shows were streamed on this particular day. In order to increase and dedicate one day to promoting nature-based play, all they did was play a countdown and a background tune. One of the earliest instances of natural play that I witnessed in my immediate surroundings was this one. As a result of the accessibility of social media and technology, children are more frequently exposed to the terrible truths of the world, which allowed me to appreciate my childhood much more. Nature-based play also shielded me from these realities.  In my opinion, the amount of outdoor play and the rough play structures I grew up in gave me the ability to be tough, which eventually influenced how resilient I am now in life. I used to frequently hurt myself while playing outside, fall, and then run and worry out. When I showed my mother, she would be very casual about it and say, "You'll be OK. Brush it off. Go back outside and play." When I was a kid, I felt so sympathetic hearing this because I assumed she didn't care about me, but now that I'm older, I can see why she reacted the way she did to my responses because it helped me accept the discomfort of playing outside while also encouraging me to go out and learn from my mistakes and avoid making them again. My two-year-old niece has a tendency to freak out when she falls, but if we cheer her on and reassure her without drawing too much attention to it, she is much more likely to defuse the situation and carry  on playing on the playground outside. This is an example of how her resilience is now developing. “ Their survey research found that regular outdoor regulation significantly, but marginally, increased urban adults’ psychological resilience” (Ritchie,2014). This study supports the statement in regards to the importance of nature based play and it is also very important to increase social media platforms participation in promoting nature based play for the sake of the children due to the increased occurrences of children experiencing Natural-deficit

disorder which comes as a result of high use of technology.

References: 

1. Berto, R. (2014). The Role of Nature in Coping with Psycho-Physiological Stress: A Literature Review on Restorativeness. Behavioral Sciences, 4(4), 394–409. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs4040394

2. Brussoni, M., Ishikawa, T., Brunelle, S., & Herrington, S. (2017). Landscapes for play: Effects of an intervention to promote nature-based risky play in early childhood centres. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 54, 139–150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2017.11.001

3. Davis, J. (2009). Revealing the research ‘hole’ of early childhood education for sustainability: a preliminary survey of the literature. Environmental Education Research, 15(2), 227–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620802710607

 

4. Ingunn Fjørtoft. (2004). Landscape as Playscape: The Effects of Natural Environments on Children’s Play and Motor Development. Children, Youth and Environments, 14(2), 21–44. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.14.2.0021