“Go outside and play” was a common refrain around the neighborhood in years past, but not so much anymore. In fact, a recent study found that the average U.S. child spends 44 hours per week (that’s 6 hours a day!) staring at some kind of electronic screen—mainly TV, video games and computers. Respected author Richard Louv says this disturbing—but preventable—trend is creating a generation of kids suffering from “Nature Deficit Disorder.” To address this deficiency, National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has launched a long-term initiative to get children off the couch, out the door and into discovering all the wonders of the natural world, not to mention its many health benefits.

In his book, The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness (Ballantine Books, 2003), Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., asserts that playing helps children learn important skills, such as resourcefulness, optimism, “people skills, a can-do attitude” and creativity. These skills, say Hallowell, correlate with happiness as an adult.

Outdoor play, says Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder (Algonquin Books, 2006), adds even more benefits to the list. In his book, Louv explains that outdoor play is especially important in developing children’s imaginations. To maximize imaginative growth, he says, parents must protect and encourage outdoor play each and every day. “Parents or other adults need to be there for their kids to limit the time they play video games or watch TV,” Louv writes. It is the parents’ responsibility, he argues, to help their children “detach from electronics long enough for their imaginations to kick in.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics noted in a recent report that outdoor play results in an increased level of creativity. Ultimately, that creativity can help children discover their interests, solve problems, relate to others and adjust to school settings. But a more active imagination is only one benefit.

Time outdoors also boosts exercise levels, helping children reach or maintain healthy weights, build stronger muscles and bones and reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

An Hour a Day…
New research shows a daily dose of just one hour of outdoor play helps kids achieve healthy fitness levels. Unfortunately, one-third of today’s youth are not physically active. With at least 16 percent of children and adolescents overweight, childhood diagnoses of adult illnesses such as Type II diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure are on the rise. Children are also experiencing more digestive problems, asthma, and emotional and behavioral disorders. This alarming trend indicates it’s going to take more than an apple a day to improve the health and fitness of today’s youth.

Luckily, children don’t need to enroll in league sports or calisthenics to get exercise. As they explore the outdoors, play games, climb trees, build forts or tend to their own small gardens, they are walking, running, bending and stretching, and all that regular exercise offers kids (just like adults) a host of health benefits, including increased energy and the ability to manage stress better. Over a lifetime, exercise may reduce heart disease and lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels too. Recent research has also shown that exercise can even lessen the risk of some types of cancer.

Of course, wellness involves more than just physical health. Researchers have made a case for outdoor activity over indoor exercise as they link other health benefits to children’s interaction with nature. Studies and reports emphasize that exploring nature improves a child’s overall social and emotional development by encouraging imaginative play. And when people enjoy time outdoors with family and friends, stronger bonds result.

Other studies directly link the advantages of unstructured outdoor play to lower stress levels, stronger immune systems and fewer symptoms of ADD and ADHD. Cornell University researcher Nancy M. Wells showed that nature reduces stress in children and improves their cognitive abilities too.

Those findings aren’t surprising to Kirstie Douglass, an Auburn mother of three and a cross-country runner who regularly gets her kids out of the house and onto local hiking trails around the American River Canyon.

Kirstie began running cross-country in her own youth, discovering what she describes as “that connection between an active body and a relaxed state of mind.” She still uses running and yoga to help manage the stresses of motherhood and her job as a sales executive, and she’s definitely noticed the difference that outdoor activity makes in her kids. “I’ve just observed how much calmer and happier they are—my youngest especially—when we get outdoors. And when we don’t, there’s a definite rise in the crankiness level around the house.”

When her son was diagnosed with ADD several years ago, she started incorporating outdoor play breaks in between his homework assignments to help him stay focused. “After riding his bike around the block or building a mud dam in the backyard, he’s able to get that nervous energy out and sit through math problems much more easily.”

Making Outdoor Play a Priority
Of course parents want greater emotional and physical health for their families, but statistics and research studies don’t mean much to kids who are intent on watching TV after a long day at school. Recent estimates indicate that children spend an estimated two to six hours a day in front of electronic screens. Six hours is almost a full-time job and certainly longer than most children spend in a classroom every day. Parents, concerned about the lack of physical activity in their children’s lives, are choosing to set limits on television, computers and video games. TV or other electronic devices can be available to kids after they finish their homework and spend time outside.

With frenzied family schedules, setting limits on electronics may not be enough. Reducing children’s schedules, rearranging work hours and postponing errands and household chores are other ways families are making more time for outdoor play and exploration. Once family priorities are determined and schedules adjusted, it’s easier to make outdoor time a routine part of your child’s day. Start by taking small steps — right out the door. Go for a walk, play a game of catch, pull weeds from your flower beds. Do whatever feels right. But do something. Before you know it, outdoor play and exercise will be a healthy habit for you and your kids.

Exploring Your Own Backyard
Your backyard or a nearby park is the perfect setting. The trees, rocks, grass, and flowers provide an unending supply of interactive, natural fun. Simple activities — identifying wildflowers, watching ants and studying leaves — are all it takes to inspire a sense of wonder in most children.

At home, parents can encourage outdoor play by keeping shovels, nets, binoculars and other inexpensive toys and containers where children can grab them to fuel their own ideas and experiments. Play dates in the neighborhood allow them to explore the yards of other families.

As children get older and gain more confidence outdoors, parents can introduce camping in the backyard, nature scavenger hunts, journaling, bird viewing, nature photography and other activities. Parents can also plan trips to area parks to take advantage of the trails, ponds and greenways they offer.

Expanding Your Outdoor Horizons
Some families will be satisfied staying close to home; others will move on to more advanced adventures. These may include bicycling, canoeing, hiking, camping, fishing and outdoor vacations. Before heading out on an outdoor vacation, some research is recommended.

Camping, for example, is now the number one outdoor family vacation. Federal and state parks are among the top family vacation destinations. The Internet makes trip planning easy. It also makes it easy to find and compare locations and get the right equipment at an affordable price. One good source for learning about national parks and making reservations is www.recreation.gov. You can find information on state parks by simply entering “state parks” into any search engine. Major outdoor retailers also provide detailed information and adventure vacations on their websites.

Local camping clubs, scouting organizations and even family and friends are good sources of information. Online discussions and networking websites where members share special interests are also good places to find recommendations for good campsites or other outdoor destinations.

Whether playing in the backyard or climbing the nearest mountain, enjoying time in natural surroundings offers significant benefits to all family members — especially children. And the best part is, all you need to do to get started is step outside your door. From there, just do what comes naturally.

Get Inspired!
National programs such as National Wildlife Federation’s Green Hour and the Small Step campaign, by Health & Human Services, can help you and your children get moving and have fun.
• GreenHour.org
Get creative ideas for outdoor exploration, to help kids get an hour a day of outdoor play.
• SmallStep.gov
This site is chock-full of facts about good health, eating right and exercising, and provides online tools like an activity tracker.

The author, Jennifer Woodford, works with DeHavilland Associates, an educational consulting firm.