It was a problem before, and with the Covid-19 pandemic, it has only gotten worse. Kids are inside almost all the time looking at screens. As parents, we have a natural instinct that kids should “go outside and play.” What’s always amazing is that no matter how much they may object to being forced outside, after a few minutes they always have a blast. The key is to have a plan and be intentional about making outside play a part of your regular routine.
Here is a great article written by the Child Mind Institute on Why Kids Need to Spend Time in Nature.
They may prefer to stick to their screens, but here’s why getting outdoors matters
In the early 1980s, a Harvard University biologist named Edward O. Wilson proposed a theory called biophilia: that humans are instinctively drawn towards their natural surroundings. Many 21st century parents, however, would question this theory, as they watch their kids express a clear preference for sitting on a couch in front of a screen over playing outside.
The national panic about kids spending too much time indoors has become so extreme that the crisis has a name: Nature deficit disorder.
While calling it a disorder might be merely rhetorical, it’s clear kids spend significantly more time inside than outside. This shift is largely due to technology: The average American child is said to spend 4 to 7 minutes a day in unstructured play outdoors, and over 7 hours a day in front of a screen.
Richard Louv, author of the book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, tells the story of interviewing a child who told him that he liked playing indoors more than outdoors “’cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are.”
Increasing parental fears about diseases and dangers of playing outside—despite evidence to the contrary—are another big factor.
And as suburbs and exurbs continue to expand, nature is parceled off more, and kids seem less inclined to spend time in a fenced-in yard, let alone jump the fence into a neighbor’s or walk in the woods. Instead, indoor activities can seem easier (no sunscreen necessary!), safer, and even more sociable for kids who are growing up with multiplayer video games and social media accounts.
