My fondest memories as a child are of playing outside with my sibling and cousins – at the beach, at the park, in the woods. I not only remember the enjoyment of playing games, but I can still smell and taste the outdoor air, hear the crunch of dry leaves and smell their smoky residue, taste the salty ocean and feel the unpleasant crunch of sand in my beach picnic sandwich. Little did I know then, that while I was playing carefree outside, my brain was busy developing executive functions: the ability to plan, organize, inhibit response, regulate emotion, be flexible, initiate tasks, sustain attention, problem solve, and work toward a goal.
Kids today have increasingly less time and opportunity to spend experiencing the outdoors. School recess and breaks have been cut significantly, and iPhones and video games have replaced the outdoors as a means of filling free time. It is my opinion that the replacement of nature with technology has stunted the growth of executive function capability for students as a whole. Part of being human is being in nature; we are part of the animal kingdom, after all, and our nervous system, which includes the brain, is attuned to the natural world. The new trend of “forest bathing” is actually not new at all; our bodies and minds have known from the beginning of time that learning and respite can be found in nature. How often are crying babies soothed, for example, when they are taken for a walk outside in the fresh air? When my kids were young, their grumpy moods would improve after exerting energy playing outside, rolling in the grass or running until exhaustion overcame them. Studies have shown that the executive function skills in pre-school age children improves after walking in nature, versus walking in an urban environment (Schutte, A. R., Torquati, J. C., & Beattie, H. L. (2017). Impact of Urban Nature on Executive Functioning in Early and Middle Childhood. Environment and Behavior, 49(1), 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916515603095). Likewise, there is increasing evidence to support the emotional, physical, and cognitive benefits to children as a result of playing outside (American Institutes for Research 2005; Faber Taylor & Kuo 2011).
In addition to all the research to support nature as a good “tool” to develop executive function skills, we also know it just feels good to be outside sometimes. For students who struggle with executive function, it may help to take breaks from studying by going outside (without technology) every 20 minutes or so for a 5-minute break and experiencing nature. Studying outside, walking outside while reviewing notes, working by an open window are all options for students who have trouble initiating the task of homework, and sustaining attention. I recommend to my students to just go outside sometimes and find what feels natural, comforting, or energizing to them.
