Nature for Children’s Mental Growth
From Our Archive:
Several years ago when I was passing by an area in Dhaka, Bangladesh, I was quite shocked! I used to know this place as a playfield for the neighboring kids. But I noticed big construction piles, mounds of sand, cement and concrete in that field, the playground was gone. It was being developed for new multi-story apartment buildings! Those kids will not have a field to play anymore. What will they do now instead of playing in the field?
Thanks to technology they might watch TV or play video games. Even in US, I have seen many kids spend most of their free time playing video games or browsing Internet. The more urban and tech-savvy we become, more and more our children lose their connection with the natural world. We don’t need to take our children to a park or natural setting; they have their own virtual world in the computer! Some parents are relieved because by staying home their kids are safer; they are safe from outside bullies, drugs, or many other bad influences. No disagreement with parent’s concerns for their children; but do we know what impacts it might have on those little brains for not being in touch with the natural environment?
For children the impact can cause a complication called “Nature Deficit Disorderâ€, says Richard Louv, the author of the book, Last Child in the Woods.  Many children these days suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Relationship with nature can cure some of the symptoms of ADHD. It can improve children’s concentration and mood. It develops children’s mental creativity and physical activity. Greenery helps people to relax, thus reduces aggressive behavior. Louv mentions that nature could help create “adaptive intelligenceâ€, children’s ability to adapt into a new environment. He mentions “Children with generous exposure to nature, …. may be more likely to develop the psychological survival skills that will help them detect real danger…†(Source: Curing “Nature Deficit Disorderâ€; Patrick Tucker, The Futurist, May-June 2006 issue).  Â
That playfield in Dhaka where I saw those kids to play was really important for their mental growth. In US, parks are not scarce, but parent’s time might be. If we have neighborhood parks nearby, may be we make some time to take our kids to the nature.  Â
October 29th, 2006 at 8:03 pm
Oneza, Thanks for bringing up this very important issue.
Doctors suggest no more than one hour/day of TV/Video/Computer times for the kids. Even for the grown ups watching too much of TV is a bad habit. It makes the brain lazy.
In Dhaka I saw one 4 year old boy watching the slum kids from his well-to-do parents hi-rise apartment and feeling envy for those slum kids. It made me feel very bad that we will never think of this rich kid to be neglected or anything but the fact is we are depriving him from playing under the open sky which we the grown-up generation took as granted in our childhood days.
The other day I was reading the book, “Bohe Joloboti Dhara” by Abdullah Abu Sayeed. In this book he talks about his childhood days, he mentions that the exposure to the wide open nature (as one of the several factors) helped him to become the person he is today.
-Sharmin
October 31st, 2006 at 2:09 pm
The time children spend outdoors every day is just as important to their learning as the time they spend indoors. Unless the weather is severe, children should go outdoors every day, often more than once.
Large muscle activities are essential for children’s health and well-being. Too many children today are overweight. One reason is they don’t get the large muscle activity essential for healthy development.
Children need time each day to run, leap, hop, jump, slide, climb, and throw and catch a ball. These activities build strong muscles and a sense of pride. They are important for another reason as well. Brain research shows that physical activity actually wakes up the brain for learning.
The outdoors is a great place for them to learn and get familiar with their environment. When children find different insects, plants and other things they are learning about color patterns, shapes in nature.
Taking them to playground is a great place to build social skills. While climbing structures they have a sense of pride. While pretending to play with outdoor objects they are learning to do abstract thinking. The list can go on.
Outdoors is essential part of a child growth.
Introducing children to the natural world can help them be physically active, be curious,ask question about nature and foster empathy.
December 28th, 2006 at 5:21 pm
Thank you for bringing up this issue. As a working mother of a 3 year old, I completely agree that the outdoor experience is a necessity in the growth of a child’s mind and body. But after going home from work and having so many other chores to take care of within the house, we do not get the time to venture outside. And as much as I hate my daughter to be glued to the TV, sometimes I am glad that she is watching a show on TV, rather than nagging at my feet for attention, while I am trying to get my daily work done. But, during the summer months, I make a rule that no matter what I need to get done, I will be taking my daughter outside at the parks nearby to play around and be a child.