Wide open spaces – the thing dreams and songs were made of as people made their way across the new frontier of America to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Now recent studies are showing that there is a true psychological affect on both adults and children when they get to enjoy the great outdoors. Conversely, studies also show that we are a culture that has moved indoors.
Almost 4.5 million children are diagnosed with ADHD, and many of those are on pharmaceuticals, with the United States being the largest consumer of ADHD medications in the world. Could the treatment be as simple as taking trips to the park?
A study published in August followed 421 children and finds that “children with ADHD who play regularly in green play settings have milder symptoms than children who play in built outdoor and indoor settings… Interestingly, for hyperactive children, the apparent advantage of green spaces is true only for relatively open green settings.” So give them room to run, play and explore!
Nashville is known as a very "green" city - both the city and surrounding areas are blessed with many options for outdoor activities. One important key is unstructured play, where the children are free to explore and control the play. Too often our daily life is controlled by daily schedules, however for a child's brain to grow healthily they need to be allowed to run freely sometimes.
Past studies have shown spending time in the outdoors (for adults, even as little as 5 minutes a day!) affects your mood, stress and self-esteem. A study published in 2009 also concluded that time outdoors also affects our morals, making us more caring and considerate of others.
In our culture, especially for parents of children with special needs, finding time to take the kids to play outside is often easier said than done. However, knowing that it may give your child (and you) a healthy and drug-free advantage might be reason to reconsider incorporating regular outdoor play into your life.
See also:
Comments