Why Children Need Nature

These days outdoor play has to compete with a number of comfortable and entertaining indoor pastimes--video games, television shows, and computer time, among others--and many children are likely to spend their free time couched in front of a screen rather than playing outside. But outdoor playtime, time spent in a natural outdoor setting, has valuable, unique, and lasting effects on the way children learn and grow. This educational booklet, a family companion to Redleaf Press's resources Celebrate Nature!, Lens on Outdoor Learning, Nature Sparks, and Cultivating Outdoor Classrooms, provides information to help families of young children recognize the value of children's connections to the natural world. It includes ideas that encourage outdoor family time to maximize the lasting impacts nature has on growing children. These booklets are a great way for early childhood professionals to partner with families to better support children.