06/30/2026
More About Why Children Need Nature
Let us not grow children in houses, and classrooms, and cars alone - it's not natural
Over the years, I have found Newport Health Care to be a beneficial and reliable agency for health information. I was reading an article from Newport Health Care recently that sums up a lot of the known benefits of nature supported by modern research. The paragraph headings were (paraphrased):
Nature reduces levels of stress, depression, and anxiety.
Time in nature inspires Awe and gratitude.
Being outdoors counteracts the effects of too much screen time.
Nature offers natural relief from signs and symptoms of mental fatigue.
Time in nature builds resilience and confidence.
The article highlighted and summarized why the above are true. In this article I saw, for the first time, that a research study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that children who explored nature and participated in “risky outdoor play”, like climbing and jumping in the natural environment, experienced improved social skills, resilience, and creativity. This is another study that points out that we, as humans on this planet, are not made to live, and work, and commute, in boxes. In a way, we are nature embodied - it’s where we came from.
I was watching a Youtube video recently by a world adventurer, Eva Zu Beck, and she talked about how she loves Europe and she loves the United States. She talked about how she experiences a big difference between the nature trails in Europe verses those in the United States. She found that the trails in Europe are generally well groomed, maintained, and it is like people have mowed over the land and then have tried to re-envision or bring nature back to the people. She expressed immense gratitude for the wide, open spaces, and truly wild areas in the U.S.
I wonder, are we, in the US, appreciative enough of our land, and wild, open spaces? Children need experiences in wild open nature.
Tj Price, PsyD
