Children Benefit from Time Outdoors

According the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology, children between the ages of eight and twelve spend on average four to six hours per day in front of screens (Washington Post, August 4, 2024), and teenagers spend up to nine hours a day in front of screens. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American spends 90 percent of his or her time indoors. However, children who spend time outdoors experience many positive benefits.

Multiple studies have suggested that spending time outdoors puts children into better moods and helps to make them more resilient, all while lowering their stress levels, reducing their anxiety, and decreasing levels of aggression. Another study published in the journal Educational Psychology Review found that children who engaged in nature had better working memories and paid better attention. And a 2022 study reported that “time outdoors can improve prosocial behaviors, including sharing, cooperating and comforting others.” Research also suggests that spending time in God’s creation can be particularly helpful to children with adverse upbringing—those who come from poverty, violence, or abuse.

In our busy world, it is often easier for parents to put a screen in front of their children to keep them occupied than it is to encourage them to play outside. However, as research increasingly demonstrates, screen time is not without its costs, and too much can harm children’s mental and emotional development, while time out-of-doors seems to bring real benefits. Raising children is a privilege and a responsibility that requires intentional and purposeful day-to-day choices. To learn more about positive approaches to child-rearing, read or listen to Successful Parenting: God’s Way.