In the fall of 2020 I nannied for a family with two young boys, a 2 year old and 10 month year old. The parents firmly believed in getting their kids outside and exploring nature through the form of walks, sports, exploration time, and just simply doing fun activities outdoors. I have to say that this was a really enlightening experience for me, and opened up my eyes about how little time kids nowadays spend outdoors. I remember when I was a kid I would be outside until dusk and would come home for dinner reluctantly. I loved playing outside, and it was made that much easier of a choice by the lack of screens and social media. I grew up in the early 2000s, and was probably part of the last generation of kids that spent time outdoors growing up.

I came across this article on the Nature Conservancy, by Ijeoma Nwatu, that goes into how parents can help encourage their kids to be outside more. Nwatu explains that the first 5 years of a child’s life are very important in terms of development. Even more so, it is important during these first five years for kids to be outside. Even if your not a parent, I am not, this is a super interesting read and might come in handy down the road!

https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/how-we-work/youth-engagement/benefits-of-outdoors-for-kids/?src=s_lio.gd.x.x.&sf147899785=1