Outside Play: A Child’s Antidote to Anxiety

outside play

Which of us hasn’t made a beeline for the park, the woods, the hills or the beach the moment we could? Sometimes we say it’s “to take the kids out”! But inside us, somewhere, we know instinctively that “outside play” is healing. And that being in nature makes us feel better.

And – before we decide adults don’t play(!), let’s remember that studies have long proved that outdoor/outside “play” or time out in nature...

  • improves our immune system (fresh air tonic anyone?),
  • reduces stress and illness (somehow, a tree puts everything in perspective!),
  • speeds up physical healing (why else did they move hospital beds out into the sun in the '50s?),
  • improves sleep (definitely!),
  • lessens anxiety, stress, depression and anger,
  • and helps us all get on with each other better.

But first, a 101 on why humans get anxious!!

This will be a tad philosophical (see here) but briefly… We have personalities that look at what happened before, and are curious about what will happen next, so we’re condemned to be anxious, because we’re also creatures who're limited in 

  • understanding,
  • knowledge and
  • power.

Still, that’s what makes us such interesting people! 

But applying that to our children who have less understanding, less knowledge and less power… well, anxiety is going to happen.

Perhaps it’s unsurprising, therefore, that many meditation apps encourage us to stay in the present for a moment and get some relief from anxiety! And perhaps it also explains why our minds roam, despite that advice!

So – what is it about outside play that lessens anxiety?

Maybe we should look at what causes anxiety in the first place.

I think anxiety comes about for a number of reasons – including what we just mentioned, our sense of being continuous in life:

  • remembering what happened last time, if it did,
  • worrying about what something will be like, if it hasn’t happened before, and
  • catastrophising about how it might affect our survival (one of our most important instincts!).

Going outside to play therefore (in any sense of the word play – like: relax, have fun, experiment, learn, etc) means being in the moment!

See? It all joins up. “In the moment” means no worry.

We can of course immediately jump back into turning that “no-worry moment” into worrying again – on account of our thoughts:

“I missed the pass last time; will I mess the game up this time?”

“A spider jumped out of a pine cone last time; oh heck, what if there’s one in here, too?”

“I love the shape of this leaf – but I don’t even know what it is. How stupid of me. I hope someone doesn’t ask me.”

We get back to worrying all too quickly instead of savouring the moment! But that’s life!

So – despite this little problem we all have as humans – let’s look at how outside play can really help lessen your child’s anxiety. Five main ways, but there are plenty more you’ll know from your own experience and with your children.

How does outside play help lessen your child's anxiety?

1 Outside play means your child can run free

It’s a good antidote to anxiety to let loose and get the endorphins going. Doing this routinely helps your child’s brain thrive because stress hormones are actually spoiling its healthy growth.

However, a healthy mind isn’t enough if they’re itching to move. Their legs and arms need exercise, and that’s what many schools are neglecting. Long hours at a desk or even just confined in the classroom puts stress on a child’s normal needs.

Outdoor play, in the form of racing around or playing footie, for example, is perfect to lessen anxiety. And the bonus is that when they come back inside, their brain will be online again and, if they need to, they'll be able to look at what was worrying them.

I always noticed that when a child in the therapy room was disinclined or unable to talk, any activity helped. Ball throwing, for example, worked a treat in helping bring their brain back online so they were able to either think and talk, or just play out their worry. So give simple ball throwing a try at home.

2 Outside play means your child expands their imagination

We expect our children to be able to imagine being “not anxious” about a situation, or to think of a way to deal with it. But actually, for this, they need a healthy imagination! 

We can do it because we’ve experienced so many scenarios that one may spring to mind and help us out.

And your child may find that reading gives them a boost for their imagination. Every book opens a new world to add to the one they live in.

But outdoor play, even alone, lets their imagination loose in a different way:

  • Maybe a den under the bush
  • Perhaps a picnic in a fairy circle.
  • Often simply talking to the birds and insects they meet in the park. 

You’re probably keeping an eye from a distance for safety reasons, even if they’re with friends, but when they don’t feel "monitored", they invent all sorts of outdoorsy things in addition to what might be possible in the house.

Outside play in nature seems to invite your child (and us!) to become more primitive, less tied to modernisation, and more imaginative and inventive.

3 Outside play means your child learns about risk and ability

It’s super hard to let them fall off a low wall or try climbing a tree. But outdoor play opens these opportunities up, and whether they find they can or they can’t, they’ve learnt something valuable.

They can, for example, 

  • remember for next time,
  • challenge themselves later,
  • measure progress, and 
  • realise they’re pretty resilient people.

Even a trip to hospital for a greenstick fracture becomes a story to tell friends, a family narrative for later, and a feeling of really existing!

Let any accident or lesser mishap build their character as well as teaching them about risk and ability.

4 Outside play means your child grows in confidence and wisdom

Especially when playing with friends, outdoor play first of all brings a measure of anxiety about fitting in or being accepted. After that point, it offers endless opportunities for learning about life in a microcosm of reality.

When your child can be confident of when to suggest a different version of the game in the park, or know when to not antagonise or contradict another player, they’ve learnt a valuable transferable skill.

Team games in the family can include French cricket  or beach ball. With their mates, it’s more likely to be football or chasing. All work the same magic, so encourage outdoor play as often as possible. 

If you can find time on holiday to start a different game that the location suggests, that’s a bonus. Team races, team searching to find different things in the woods or on the beach – all is good.

5 Outside play means your child sleeps soundly

And if we want our children to forget device-checking at night and sleep soundly, outdoor play is the way to go!

With tired legs, loads of oxygen in their brains and a real sense of having done something fun in nature, there's lots to think and dream about outside of their worries and niggles.

And even if you yourself flop from exhaustion and achieve little, your child’s brain will be able to recover and thrive while they’re asleep – which means they’ll be able to deal with anxieties the next day all the better.

How else might lack of outdoor play affect a child's anxiety levels?

When our kids don’t ‘feel up to it’, they get anxious about having to.

So – as an interesting and linked extra here, let’s look at how children are less ‘up to it’ than they were two decades ago.

Because they lack opportunities to flex their muscles, run around outside, and play freely and imaginatively in the natural world, they’re showing these worrying signs, many of them reported by parents, teachers and physiotherapists:

  • Struggling with issues of touch and aural sensitivity
  • Inattention and inability to focus and learn
  • Tripping over themselves and falling more easily 
  • Lack of core strength, balance and coordination
  • Problems with spatial awareness
  • Not able to support their own own weight eg when hanging off a branch
  • Getting tired very quickly when walking anywhere ie decreased stamina
  • Getting out of breath easily
  • Lack of fine and gross motor skills
  • Neck problems leading to headaches and forward tilt of head
  • Inability to sit in a good posture - just flopping
  • Fidgeting
  • More leg and arm fractures
  • Increased weight and type 2 diabetes diagnoses
  • More asthma and allergies.
  • Rise of aggressiveness
  • More cases of myopia

That’s quite a list - and one we can, as parents, influence, simply by making sure children have lots of time playing outdoors. And that's important because feeling 'not up to it' can lead to anxiety in a child just like in you or me. What's wrong with me? Why can't I? Am I rubbish? Why am I so useless?

If you’re interested to read more on this idea of rearing strong, confident and capable children, try Angela Hanscom’s Balanced and Barefoot (New Harbinger Publications, 2016). It gives the background research and information about many of the topics I just listed – and in a very readable fashion.

balanced and barefoot

Indoor or outdoor play?

All play is good. It’s how children learn to live – and live with each other. (They need mates as they grow away from you!)

But after a while, indoors can seem a bit restrictive – which is part of the attraction of internet games!

Sadly now, however, there's a real feeling that children prefer to be indoors (safe from pandemics? Or because their devices are there?). Professionals are calling it "Nature-Deficit Disorder". That's a bad development – we naturally have "biophilia" in our genes!

So – how about this? If they’re too into online games, get them to make a pretend version of that sort of game out in the woods or park. Move the concept to the biosphere and set their imaginations loose in a healing environment.

At the very least, insist on them getting out every day, especially when school is out. That means rain or shine!! They won’t hurt from getting wet. Make it fun and join in. Give it a go?

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