Why The Outdoor Experience Is So Good For The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People
April 17th, 2024
For their own wellbeing, children need to get dirty!
The benefits of the outdoor experience for young people
Outdoor experiences provide an opportunity for young people to discover, explore and appreciate the natural world. Children also have the opportunity to be active, test physical capabilities, build self-esteem and confidence .. and get messy! Their senses are stimulated by what they see, feel, hear and touch, and when outdoors there are so many opportunities.
According to the Open University’s OPENspace Research Centre there is considerable evidence to say that time spent outdoors, in nature, improves well-being, reduces symptoms of depression and increases a child’s ability to function at school. According to DEFRA, the benefits of outdoor play and learning contribute to happy, healthy childhoods.
The impact of the great outdoors on young people’s mental health
We therefore need to help to boost young people’s wellbeing by enabling them to spend more time outdoors, more so today than ever before. Being outdoors is linked to physical and mental health benefits, research shows that feeling connected to nature leads to reduced stress levels, improved concentration and behaviour and better sleep rhythms. You only have to listen to the noise as the children charge into the playground at break time to know how much they need to be outside!
The outdoor experience also helps to naturally build and develop young person’s resilience, the capacity to face, overcome and ultimately be strengthened by life’s challenges.
A resilient child is one who can resist adversity, cope with uncertainty and recover more successfully from traumatic events or episodes.
(Tony Newman)
Children love learning when learning is so much fun
A outdoor environment provides a naturally continuously evolving, changing and challenging space to explore. Children can play freely, stay healthy and learn about the natural world around them. But most of all the great outdoors is great fun!
Cumulus Outdoors is very proud of the work we do and humbled by the wonderful feedback we receive. It’s so rewarding to witness the young people enjoying and thriving in the great outdoors.
(Cumulus MD Sam Thompson)
The outdoor experience at Cumulus Outdoors
Cumulus Outdoors is a school residential and activity specialist company based in Swanage, on the stunning Jurassic Coast in Dorset, delivering high quality school trips and activity days, Duke of Edinburgh Gold Residentials and Walking Expeditions. Our team work to create and deliver bespoke activity programmes in beautiful locations along the Jurassic Coast, either from our hard top Residential Centre in Swanage or from one of our exclusive tented villages on the shores of Poole Harbour.
Our modus operandi is to provide the highest levels of service and expertise to deliver a range of outdoor experiences professionally and safely, with an operating ethos of ‘Challenge by Choice’.
How Cumulus Outdoors benefits young people’s overall health:
- Supporting the development of healthy and active lifestyles
- Promoting a sense of well-being
- Enhancing personal and social communication skills
- Increasing physical health
- Building community and culture
- Encouraging the ability to work cooperatively
- Developing creativity, problem-solving skills, independence, confidence and a positive attitude.
To understand the benefits even better, you can read a blog article of an Adventure School Trip with Cumulus from a child’s perspective below.
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