“Nature is a tool to get children to experience not just the wider world, but themselves.” – Stephen Moss
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Introduction
When we walk leisurely with our kids in a natural surrounding, such as a forest, park, or countryside, it is an opportunity to connect the kids with the nature. Exploring trees, flowers, and fresh air on a nature walk makes them happy, healthy, and full of stories to share. Spending time in nature builds self-possession in our kids.
Challenge
Nowadays our children spend most of their time in front of screens, whether they are studying or enjoying free time at home. There are serious consequences of screen time including obesity, physical strain to eyes and body. It also causes sleep deprivation, loss of cognitive ability, poor academic performance, and dampened creativity.
Engaging with nature encourages a health balance, enhancing overall well-being and contributing positively to academic performance of kids. Exposure to natural light and greenery around reduces eye strain and regulates sleep patterns. In addition, spending time in nature gives them confidence to manage their own activities, have faith within. Nature walks are a great way to subdue their anger and anxiety. Kids who play outdoors are happier, focused, and less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors.
15 minutes make a difference
Our children can definitely do better physically and emotionally when they are in green spaces. I have personally experienced the benefits of nature walk with my own kids. I used to get complaints from my kid’s class teacher that he is always drowsy in the classroom. Typically as soon as my son wakes up in the morning, we rush to his morning activity so that he reaches the school on time. His class teacher suggested that we should get him up a little early in the morning and go for a nature walk. After this incident I make sure to take out 15 minutes of time in the morning and go for a walk with my kid before their school. We interact with each other, embrace the beauty of nature by hearing the chirping sound of birds, and notice the growth of new plants. We feel the movement, take a deeper breath, walk slowly and sometimes walk barefoot on green grass. Now my kids feels energetic the whole day.
How to engage kids during a nature walk
Engaging kids during a nature walk can be exciting:
- Scavenger hunt: Create a simple list of items like leaves, rocks, or flowers for them to find.
- Nature journaling: Encourage them to observe and draw plants, insects, or anything interesting they come across.
- Animal sounds game: Have fun mimicking bird calls or identifying animal sounds together.
- Storytelling: Take turns creating a collaborative story inspired by the surroundings.
- Collecting treasures: Allow them to gather small, safe items like pinecones or interesting rocks.
- Cloud watching: Lie on the grass and identify shapes in the clouds.
Remember, the goal is to spark their curiosity and make the experience enjoyable.
Benefits of nature walk
I make sure my kids spend some time alone or with friends in nature. Walking in the woods helps them to handle things on their own. I have observed drastic change in my kids, nature walk helping them in many ways, not limited to the following:
- It builds imaginative power and creativity
- It boosts their confidence level
- It reduces anxiety and stress
- It builds the brain power
- It teaches responsibility
- It builds cognitive power
We all should encourage our kids to engage with nature, whether that’s playing an outdoor sport, reading their favorite book on the grass, or taking a walk around the woods.
Let’s help our kids reconnect with nature—before it’s too late!! For more related articles, see our Creativity page.
Related books
Explore more world and nature walk stories with our curated collection of books:
