Youth Mental Health Day brings with it an opportunity to really think about how children could improve their mental health. As childcare and adventure practitioners, with a love of adventure and learning, we can wholeheartedly say there are so many ways outdoor play improves well-being.
The findings from Ofsted’s public consultation, ‘Big Listen’, published this month, also highlight that school “reports need to prioritise children and learners’ happiness and mental well-being… not just academic outcomes.” *
And according to the Journal of Environmental Psychology,
Spending time in nature as a child has been linked to better subjective well-being and a lower risk of poor mental health during both childhood and adulthood.*
Studies show that playing outdoors and being in a natural environment has a positive impact on our bodies, by lowering tension and stress levels. Also, a recent report by the British Medical Council states that access to local green spaces increases the probability that adults and children will achieve the recommended physical activity guidelines by over four times. * The physical activity aspect of play enables emotional regulation and brain growth.
Imagine if your child could have a mini adventure every day, whether that’s finding a new path to walk, discovering a wildlife hotspot, or playing with the autumn leaves on their way home from school. As well as feeling better in the day, getting sunlight and natural light improves their ability to sleep as it helps to regulate wake cycles.
Nature-based play and outdoor adventure create the perfect setting to socialise and make new friends. Play builds social skills by helping children learn how to interact and develop empathy. Children’s emotions can also be explored through outdoor role play with the use of items that can be found, for example, twigs and leaves to build homes for insects. Social interaction improves moods and makes us feel more happy and secure. Interestingly, the endorphins released after positive social contact reduce stress and improve well-being, almost equal to a workout!
For children, play is a way to discover more about themselves by developing their imaginations and expressing their feelings. Constructive and imaginative play are especially beneficial for cognitive development. Spending time playing outdoors also helps children learn more about the world and care about the natural environment.
Play helps children learn how to communicate through make-believe and sharing stories. By being engaged in play, especially with others, perhaps role-playing scenes from children’s stories, such as The Gruffalo, children gain a rewarding sense of achievement and well-being. Studies even show that students pay more attention to their work following unstructured play.
Frequent and daily play reduces anxiety and improves well-being. Outdoor play in particular, enables children to connect and immerse themselves in nature, and in doing so, helps them relax and gain perspective. Something that seemed difficult and challenging could become more manageable after a play in the fresh air. Embarking on a new activity or adventure can also be very rewarding. It’s the act of having a go something new and challenging, like the low ropes at the local park, that nurtures resilience and improves well-being.
Going on an outdoor adventure creates unlimited opportunities to be more creative, possibly creating environmental art, check out some ideas, here. Outdoor play is an outlet to tap into imaginations and calm busy minds. Writing down adventure experiences or even creating poetry captures moments of joy and feelings of happiness and well-being.
Studies show that well-being is further enhanced when green space includes water. An 18-country study, published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, found that childhood exposure to blue spaces was associated with better adult well-being. This pattern of associations was consistent across all countries. “Building familiarity with and confidence in and around blue spaces in childhood may stimulate a joy of, and greater propensity to spend recreational time in, nature in adulthood, with positive consequences for adult subjective well-being.” *
Sometimes when children are irritable, a good play is all they need to bring feelings of joy back, particularly outdoors in nature. 87% of Finnish people, the happiest country in the world, believe that nature is important to them because it gives them peace of mind, energy and relaxation. * Even spending five mins outdoors running around in nature, breathing in the fresh air, can be both energising and restorative. Engaging children in natural settings from a young age improves their ability to manage stress and improve well-being.
Appreciation and respect for the environment go hand in hand with exploring and discovering nature through outdoor play. Practicing gratitude and being more mindful even from a young age are useful techniques proven to improve mental health. By spending time noticing the environment and what surrounds us improves well-being, whether that’s watching a bee land on a flower or how the leaves are changing with the seasons.
Prioritise play and outdoor adventure for your child this Youth Mental Health Day and beyond.
Discover Camp Beaumont’s upcoming October half term activity camp dates, here
* Research and analysis Findings of Ofsted's Big Listen public consultation, 3rd September 2024, www.gov.uk
* Bezold et al., 2018; Chawla, 2015; Engemann et al., 2019, 2020a, 2020b; Li et al., 2021; Pensini et al., 2016; Preuß et al., 2019; Roberts et al., 2020; Snell et al., 2016; Tillmann et al., 2018.
* The World Happiness Report, www.cnbc.com, January 2023.
* British Medical Council Public Health, 16:420, doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3050-9.
* The Journal of Environmental Psychology, Elsevier, Volume 84, December 2022.
"Our 5 year old can be shy and unwilling to try new things but we were delighted with how he skipped in to camp every day."
