Children by their very nature are born happy and healthy but as they grow up and come in contact with their surroundings and environment, a lot of layers start developing around their personality. These layers can be emotional layers of labels such as shy, lazy, naughty, stubborn, obedient etc. which undeniably put them in a box and restrict their growth. However, today, we are going to talk about the other dimension of layer, i.e., the physical aspect and its impact on children’s development as they grow up.
The world today…
Today, the world
around us is becoming apathetic and disconnected from its natural origins. It
has failed to realize that humans have a basic dependence on nature for their
own growth and development. Nature provides for our basic necessities in daily
life, for example, food, water, air, source of energy, resources for shelter
and many other things. Many children, especially in urban areas are more
involved in playing the latest video game or play station rather than playing
outdoors. This is an alarming situation and we must take charge if we want our
kids to become adults who care about this planet rather than adults who just
care about making money, going about their own business and being enslaved by
consumerism to entertain themselves.
It is also true that
children today have very few opportunities to engage with nature and outdoor
play than the children of the past. Increasing number of crimes has led parents
to prevent their children from unstructured unsupervised outdoor plays. Concept
of ‘stranger danger’ has restricted many children to loiter freely in their
neighbourhoods. Also, various forms of pollutions leading to diseases are
leading adults to keep children indoors. While kids do get some exposure to
outdoor play when they are in school during recess or organized sports
activities but unstructured play and engaging with nature is scarce. Even in
school time not all children get exposure to the outdoors in appropriate
amounts.
In such a dismaying
situation what can parents do to ensure their children are engaged with the
natural world? Let us explore.
Parents’ role in making children nature friendly
Today, virtual is
replacing the real. TV channels like national geographic and discovery, youtube videos, nature documentaries, magazines etc. are having children believe
that nature is something alien… something far-fetched, places they can hope to
visit one day. As parents it is our role to make children understand that
nature exists in the here and now… in their backyards, in their gardens, in the
outside. Outdoor plays and exploring the natural world stimulate all five
senses in children and also nurtures their holistic development by stimulating
the physical, cognitive, language, emotional and social domains of development.
It can also make children more relaxed and focussed. For all parents, I
encourage you to find teachable moments in your activities of daily life in
order to inculcate a love for nature in children. Following are few suggestions:
1. It is a great idea
to get your children a magnifying glass so that they can get an enhanced view
of the flowers, plants, insects, mud, grass etc. and let them explore freely.
Encourage them to ask questions even if you don’t have all the answers. You may
also get them a pair of binoculars to explore the sky.
2.
Organize frequent
outdoor play dates or picnics with parents of other kids so that children can
freely play while parents are around to ensure their safety. Such activities
are a great way to build strong bonds and learn social skills as well.
3. Encourage them to
take their blocks, dolls, play dough, art materials etc. outdoors. The stuff
that children enjoy indoors can take a totally different meaning when taken
outdoors, making children more creative in their thinking.
4. Involve children
in outdoor chores such as gardening, washing the car, taking your dog for a
walk, sowing seeds in small pots and taking care of them if there is no garden,
setting up bird houses for feeding. Such activities are essential for
developing practical life skills in children and also a sense of empathy.
5. We all know that
kids love playing with water. It is a sensory activity for them. Let go of your
inhibitions about catching infections in a pool of mud water (exceptions
accepted) and let children be. Let them splash and explore themselves with
water play whether it is a rainy day or not. This can also be a great way to
lay foundations for later scientific learning and also about having
conversations on water conservation.
The above suggestions are not an
exhaustive list but it can serve as an indication to think of more ideas to
engage with the natural world.
Last but not the least, be a role model
for your children by having a love for nature and outdoors yourself. Children
don’t follow what you tell them but they do what you do. So, take the
responsibility of inculcating a love for outdoors in your children as this will
also go a long way in nurturing a love for the planet earth in them and a
passion about protecting the environment. Let them be in wonder and awe of the
natural world and get them to start thinking about how their individual efforts
affect the world they live in, as well as how little changes can and will make
a difference to their own development.
Playing outdoors offers the hope that
children will develop the environment values to become the future respectful safeguards
of mother earth and protect its natural wonders.
Let us be the pebble in the pond that
creates a ripple of change through our children.
Go green. Happy parenting!