play outside in the dirt
It’s no accident I titled my book “dirt & sunshine” and labeled the first essay “play outside in the dirt”.
More than anything, I wanted to stress that the best bits of parenting advice are simple, basic ones. How many times did your mother say, “just go play outside!” when you were growing up? With four kids underfoot, my mom probably said it to get a little peace and quiet in the afternoons. But we heeded her advice and spent A LOT of time out of doors, playing imaginary games.
And that’s the thing about playing outside – it spurs your imagination in ways video games, iPads and other electronic devices cannot. Nature is wild and doesn’t present itself in neat little boxes. You have to imagine a pile of sticks and leaves is a fort or that you can actually dig to China. I think it helps kids think creatively to solve problems.
Has your child ever wanted to build a tree fort or other outdoor hideaway? How do you suppose their thought processes are affected trying to find materials or engineer something that actually supports their weight? Compared to a video game where all the pieces are there to be assembled, the insights they’ll gain about hidden possibilities in objects and situations are terrific life skills.
Please note that I am not inherently against computer games and such. It’s just that I see electronic realms as entirely two-dimensional (even though there are 3-D applications that simulate the real world, of course). To me, it’s so vastly different when you have 360 degrees of open space and nature all around you.
My feeling is that nature takes kids away from the “action-reward” syndrome prevalent in every type of electronic application (you do something and you are rewarded, i.e., something blows up, you move to the next level, etc.) and gives them something infinitely more rewarding: a patient, fertile testing ground for ideas. Good, bad, or indifferent; the feedback from nature is invaluable.Trying to dig to China shows kids how deep the Earth really is or that it is filled with rocks and worms and other living creatures. It might spur them to dig a cave or bury a treasure. The possibiliities are endless, don’t you think?
So, the next time your kid asks to go on the computer or use your iPad, try saying, “Go play outside for a bit.”