Why outdoor time matters for a child’s mental health

20.02.2024 - 12:21 / growingfamily.co.uk / Catherine

Ever wondered why spending time outdoors is so important for children’s mental health? This article by children’s wellbeing author and psychotherapist Becky Goddard-Hill will help you understand the powerful impact playing outside can have on a child’s mood and wellbeing.

Becky is the author of the brand new book ‘How I Feel’, a feelings-focussed activity book for children aged 3-7. Its primary aim is to encourage younger children to become more emotionally literate and better able to both understand and manage their feelings.

The book contains 40 play-based activities to help young children talk more coherently about their emotions, encouraging them to be kinder, happier, calmer, and braver. It aims to encourage self-belief and growth mindset and help children to understand and manage their feelings better.

It’s beautifully illustrated and packed full of lovely things to do. It has been written so children in KS1 will be able to read a lot of it themselves, and it contains lots of great parenting tips too.

Here Becky shares why encouraging kids to get outside matters so much for a child’s mental health.

1. Stress Reduction: Spending time outdoors has been shown to reduce stress levels and promote relaxation, leading to improved mental well-being.

2. Increased Vitamin D: Sunlight exposure helps the body produce vitamin D, which plays a crucial role in mood regulation and may reduce the risk of depression.

3. Enhanced Cognitive Function: Outdoor play stimulates creativity, problem-solving skills, and cognitive development, contributing to overall mental resilience.

4. Improved Mood: Physical activity and exposure to nature release feel-good chemicals in the brain, such as endorphins and serotonin, which can uplift mood and combat