
The Unsafe Child:
Less Outdoor Play is Causing More Harm than Good
By Angela Hanscom
The third grade classroom that was visiting our Nature Center for the
day consisted of mostly boys – rowdy, loud, and rambunctious boys. As we
started out into the woods, the children spoke loudly to each other in
anticipation of what was to come. After playing a quick game and
explaining the ground rules, it was time for free play. As soon as the
children realized they had the freedom to explore and build in the
woods, something funny happened – they got really quiet. They dispersed
and many of them started working together to build a large teepee.
Nothing gives me more pleasure than to see children contentedly
building a structure using branches and logs out in the woodland. That
is, until fear kicks in and everyone’s pulse increases a few notches at
the shrill cry of alarm.
“Put the sticks DOWN!” I looked over to see a chaperone running
frantically towards the children. “Danger! Danger!” she screamed.
Momentarily astonished by the sudden state of perceived emergency, I
finally found my voice. “It’s okay,” Iyelled over to her. “I said they
could use the sticks as long as they respect each other’s personal
space.” Speechless, the chaperone frowned, turned, and walked to a group
of nearby chaperones. I could have stopped the kids from building at
this point, given into the fear, and encouraged them to do something
that our society would consider a little less risky. However, I decided
to let the kids proceed with their project.
The children, with the help of a few excited adults, proceeded to
build a massive stick teepee. “Look at what we built!” one of the boys
said proudly, showing off their work. “Can you believe it?” another
child asked excitedly.
During this time of construction, ironically, no child got hurt – not
even a scratch. This is rare. Children usually get some bumps and
bruises while playing in the woods. Getting scrapes, bruises, and even
scars was like a rite of passage when I was growing up. No cuts, no
scrapes, nothing on this day.
It was as if Mother Nature herself was trying to prove the fearful
chaperone wrong, to show that children are capable of more than we often
allow.
As a parent of two girls, on some level I can empathize with that
chaperone’s fear. Parental instincts often naturally take over and we
shout, “Be careful” or “Slow down” as we watch a child manipulate her
natural environment. This is fairly normal and common. However, as a
pediatric occupational therapist who spends countless hours observing
children playing in a natural environment, I also know that restricting
children’s movement and limiting their ability to play outdoors can
cause more harm than good.
As we continue to decrease children’s time and space to move and play
outdoors, we are seeing a simultaneous rise in the number of children
who are presenting with sensory deficits. The number of children who now
need occupational therapy services to treat their sensory systems is on
the rise. According to the New York Times, New York City public schools
have seen a thirty percent increase in the number of students being
referred to occupational therapy in the past four years. And they aren’t
the only city seeing the surge of children in need of services. Chicago
is up twenty percent in the past three years and Los Angeles jumped to a
thirty percent increase in the past five years.
Secondary to restricted movement and less time outdoors on a regular
basis, more and more children are walking around with underdeveloped
vestibular (balance) systems. In other words, they have decreased body
awareness and sense of space. Teachers are reporting that children are
falling out of their seats in school, running into one another, pushing
with more force during games of tag, and are generally clumsier than in
years past. In fact, the more we restrict and coddle our children, the
more unsafe they become.
A child’s neurological system is naturally designed to seek out the
sensory input it needs in order to develop into a strong and capable
individual. For instance, if a child starts jumping off small rocks,
that is because her brain is ready for this type of activity. If a child
is spinning in circles just for fun, it is because he needs that sensory
input. If she climbs a tree effortlessly, it means she is capable of
doing so.
It is only when adults consistently step in and say, “No” to
everything physical the child attempts that we start to see problems in
development. “No climbing,” “No running,” “No playing tag,” “No
spinning,” “No picking up sticks,” “No getting dirty,” “No jumping off
the rocks,” “No climbing the rocks,” we yell when children attempt any
kind of risky behavior.
We care about our children so much. We are just trying to protect
them. However, sometimes too much protection can cause more harm than
good. We are keeping them from attaining the very sensory input they
need in order to grow into resilient and able-bodied people. They need
to climb, jump, run through the woods, pick up sticks, jump in mud
puddles, and fall and get hurt on occasion. These are all natural and
necessary experiences that will help develop a healthy sensory system –
foundational to learning and accomplishing many of life’s goals.
Examples of How Play Outdoors Can be Therapeutic:
1. Sledding:
If you are lucky enough to have snow, sledding is a great sensory
activity, especially if you frequently change positions on the sled. For
example, if children go down the hill on their bellies, keeping their
head and legs up in a Superman position, this activates the vestibular
(balance) system and improves body awareness over time. Flying saucers
send children around and around, helping to establish a good sense of
space.
2. Walking barefoot in the woods:
Walking barefoot on uneven terrain helps to challenge and strengthen the
muscles in the ankles and develop the arches of the feet. It also helps
to develop a reflex in the foot that helps prevent toe-walking. The
sensations of dirt, sticks, and leaves on the bottom of the feet develop
healthy touch senses and, furthermore, assist with preventing sensory
defensiveness on this part of the body. Running through the woods
teaches children to effectively and efficiently navigate their
environment, while challenging their balance at the same time.
3. Rolling down a grassy hill:
Rolling down the hill helps to provide necessary deep pressure to the
muscles and ligaments – improving the proprioceptive sense. This sense
is fundamental in helping children accurately regulate how much force to
use when playing games like tag, coloring with crayons without breaking
them, and holding a baby chick without squeezing too hard. Also, as the
child rolls, he is spinning, which helps to develop a strong vestibular
(balance) system.
Playing outdoors is naturally a wonderful sensory experience for
children. However, just once-a-week excursions are not enough in order
to develop a healthy sensory system. Just like exercising on occasion
doesn’t gain lasting benefits, children need to move and play on a
frequent and regular basis in order to reap the sensory advantages of
the outdoors. They also need to be surrounded by adults who support not
only regular outdoor play, but also encourage healthy risk-taking. Their
sensory system depends on it.
Angela Hanscom is a pediatric occupational therapist and
the founder of TimberNook, which focuses on Nature-centered
developmental programming in New England. Angela holds a master’s degree
in occupational therapy and an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology (the
study of movement) with a concentration in health fitness. She
specializes in vestibular (balance) treatment and sensory integration.
She is also the author of the upcoming nonfiction book, “Balanced &
Barefoot,” which discusses the effects of restricted movement and lack
of outdoor playtime on overall sensory development in children. This
article is reprinted with the permission of the Children & Nature
Network and is © May 2015 Angela Hanscom.
Copyright © 2002 - 2023 Life Media
Privacy Policy



|