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The Issue

Once upon a time, the playground began at our front gates. Today, many children have little opportunity or freedom to roam, explore, play and learn outside.

Sounds trivial?

Current research and thinking tells tales of modern childhood and youth far more Grimm than Disney:

• While 71% of parents played outside their homes when they were children, only 21% of their children are allowed that independence. (Play England)¹
• Childhood obesity rates are rocketing along with associated health problems that progress into adulthood - risk of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and cancer.
• One in ten children and young people has a diagnosable mental health disorder.⁴
• The government says that a lack of play is as damaging as junk food for children.

 

Children are spending less and less time outside. Increasingly, their free time is spent on solitary activities indoors. For many children and young people, connection with the outside world is increasingly through virtual experience.

Our children’s struggle to relate to the natural world and connect with each other could have serious consequences.  A generation that does not understand or value the natural world will not strive to protect it. A generation that does not value society will not work together to save it.

Why play and learn outside?

Mud pies, slug soup and rose petal perfume, jumping off the shed roof, climbing trees, making dens, roller skating, skate boarding, football, marbles… what once came naturally to generations of children is now alien to many.

Outdoor environments provide the space in which to be noisy, physical and exuberant and the freedom to be inquisitive, adventurous, innovative, creative and messy. There are endless possibilities for discovery, exploration and discussion, whole body movement and multi-sensory immersion, opportunities to experience physical and personal challenges, to develop an innate sense of curiosity and create open ended activities that can fly off with the imagination.

Outdoor play helps young bodies to develop and grow healthily, helps young minds to think creatively and solve problems - with confidence and self esteem. It grows the practical and social skills for communication, empathy and tolerance, builds a sense of feeling connected to the local environment, friends, family and community and puts the sparkle into life.

Play, health and happiness…

The impacts of an indoor sedentary childhood are now well recognised.  There is a direct link between the amount of time children spend in front of a screen (TV, DVD’s, computer games, school work, social networking) and their risk of becoming overweight or obese as they grow up.

The trajectory to obesity starts in early years, and is well established by the time children are 5 years old. Children’s bodies like to be busy. A study conducted by University College London³ attached motion sensors to 195 children (in Year 6 and 8) for 4 days, including the weekend. The children kept detailed diaries of their activities. The research showed that all forms of outdoor play are a vital part of the activity menu that keeps children healthy; in particular, ball games burn more calories per minute than any other activity except for PE lessons - this includes sports clubs, walking, cycling, and going on trips.

In addition to improving physical health and fitness, outdoor play helps children to develop their balance, strength, spatial awareness and co-ordination. Outdoor and natural environments are unpredictable. There are stones, logs, twigs sticking out at eye level, slippery and sticky bits, and areas of uneven ground. Not only do these natural variations provide an invitation to run, jump and climb – they also require fast reaction times and constant minor adjustments to balance.

Healthy brains and minds…

In the UK, one in ten boys and one in eighteen girls between the ages 5 – 10 have a diagnosed mental health disorder. For 11 to 17 year olds the stats are even higher:  one in eight boys and one in ten girls. There is a steady increase in the use of medication for childhood mental illness and more than 40,000 children in the UK now use anti depressants.  The power of natural outdoor environments for decreasing stress in children, young people and adults, while also increasing social opportunities and a sense of well being is well documented. ⁵

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a growing problem leading to impulsive, overactive, disruptive behaviour in children who also have difficulty in concentrating or paying attention. Studies have shown undertaking activities in natural outdoor spaces improve children’s symptoms of ADHD by 30% compared to urban outdoor environments and threefold compared to the indoor environments.⁴

Being outside is a wild call to play. Play has a vital role in the growth and development of healthy human brains; and conversely a lack of play can have a catastrophic effect. Between the ages of 0 and 8, children pass through a ‘sensitive period’ during which neurological development is particularly intense. Development theorists talk of this sensitive period as being the time when children form their understanding of the world, their emotional relationship, sense of place, and coping strategies for being able to live within it. Factors such as nutrition and how children are cared for are crucial during this time; however the most important influence is considered to be how and where children play.⁶

Studies show that play (indoor and outdoor) affects how brains develop physically - both in terms of size and structure. Children who suffer from play deprivation not only have smaller than average brains, but specific areas such as the cerebellum are malformed. Play affects how children learn to think reflectively, how they develop a sense of empathy and compassion, and build an emotional resilience that enables them to handle the stress and turmoil of daily life and normal social interactions. Conversely, the impacts of play deprivation are serious.

“An inability to engage in play can only result in behavioural instability, neurological dysfunction, unhappiness and a lack of mental well-being in affected children… A lack of normal playful experiences can be linked to violent and antisocial behaviour, aggression, repressed emotions and social skills, an increased risk of obesity, depression, withdrawal and – in the most extreme cases of continuous play deprivation – a gradual loss of all electrical activity in the brain” (Play Wales, 2003)⁶.

Changing the state of play

We want children and young people to be happy, healthy and fulfilled. In 2006, Eden Project created the ‘Mud between your Toes’ programme to help children and young people to re-connect to the world they live in - to experience, understand and celebrate their sense of place and purpose in the natural world and in their communities.

Observations of children who have had no opportunity to play outside, show that they may have little idea of how to go about it - especially how to play together and unsupervised. Their parents and teachers may too have limited experience and a consequent lack of confidence in sharing the outside world.

This is where Mud between your Toes can help to plug a serious gap, working alongside schools, families, communities and partner organisations to re-wild childhood, build confidence and combat Nature Deficit Disorder⁷.

References:

1. Sean Coughlan (2007): ‘Generation of ‘Play Deprivation’. BBC News, Education
2. Iona Joy, Matthew van Poortvliet and Clare Yeowart (2008): Heads Up, Children and young people’s mental health, New Philanthropy Capital, November 2008.
3. Professor Roger Mackett (2004): Making children’s lives more active. Centre for Transport Studies, University College London.
4. Dr. Willaim Bird (2007): Natural Thinking. A report for the RSPB investigating the links between the Natural Environment, Biodiversity and Mental Health.
5. Dr. Sarah-Anne Munoz (2009): Children in the Outdoors – A literature Review. The Sustainable Development Research Centre.
6. Play Wales (2003): Play Deprivation – facts and interpretations.
7. Richard Louv (2006): Last Child in the Woods – Saving our children from Nature-Deficit Disorder