The Benefits of Children Exploring Nature

Whether you grew up in town, on a farm, or in a big city, you probably spent a chunk of time playing outside, getting dirty, and coming home happy. This connection may not be as coincidental as you think. Research suggests that a connection to nature is biologically innate, and as humans, we desire to bond with nature.

Maybe you watched ants making ant hills in your backyard, climbed trees in the park, or simply laid in the grass watching the clouds drift by, but all these activities stimulate a curious, young mind and offer a chance for discovery.  When children spend most of their time indoors, they can miss out on this important connection. Outdoor play nurtures children’s intellectual, emotional, social, and physical development and provides experience with an ever-changing and free-flowing environment that stimulates the senses.

At the Boys & Girls Club, we believe nature is an open-ended learning laboratory. Children are natural scientists and love to experience the sights, scents, sounds, and textures of nature. Many times you will find our teachers taking their lessons outside to better enhance children’s learning experience, as it is believed that exposure to nature has been shown to reduce stress and increase attention spans. In nature, children think, question, and make hypotheses, thus developing inquisitive and thoughtful minds. These experiences offer genuine learning like nothing else can and allow children to take risks, try, and fail, gaining knowledge and confidence along the way.

Playing outside comes naturally to a lot of kids, but if you are looking for activities that will stir up a curious mind, here are some brain building nature activities you can try:

• Build and dig in the dirt
• Watch worm wiggle through the soil
• Gaze at clouds
• Jump in puddles
• Listen to birds sing
• Collect seeds
• Water your plants
• Construct things with twigs and mud