Another force championing the benefits of getting children outside – from the independence it builds to the life skills, teamwork and, quite simply, the fresh air – is PGL, the residential outdoor education provider for school groups and families. Dr John Allan is Head of Impact and Breakthrough Learning at PGL Beyond, and holds a PhD in Positive Psychology and Building Psychological Resilience Through Outdoor Adventure. Here, he explains how outdoor play supports children’s wellbeing – and what parents can realistically do to rebalance the screen-time equation.
We’re just emerging from the colder months, a stretch when screen time tends to spike. From a developmental point of view, what actually happens when outdoor play drops off for months at a stretch?
While moderate screen time can be beneficial for young people – helping them build friendships and access information beyond their immediate surroundings – from a brain and behaviour perspective, excessive use can be detrimental for healthy development. Time outside without screens helps youngsters forge in-person social interactions and foster soft skills, including communication and critical thinking, which underpin their psychological well-being. It also helps regulate their sleep and enhance their motor skill capabilities. When young people take extended periods without outdoor play, these benefits become less impactful for supporting their overall health and ability to deal with stress.
Many parents feel locked in a constant battle over devices. Is strict time-limiting effective, or are there better psychological approaches to nudging children outdoors?
Even short-term doses of outdoor play in nature can make a marked impact on children’s mental health; just five minutes of outdoor exercise each day can boost their physical and mental well-being. Parents should try to become positive role-models of healthy outdoor engagement. For example, if parents view rainy, cold conditions negatively, their kids are more likely to feel the same and may be more resistant to going outside. It's best to reframe time spent outdoors as an exciting opportunity for exploration, positioning it as an opportunity to learn and test new skills.
Wet weather is often used as a reason to stay inside. Are there measurable well-being benefits to outdoor play even when conditions are cold, dark or rainy?
Even in rainy, cold, and dark conditions, young people can derive significant well-being benefits from outdoor play. As well as helping ignite their sense of passion and purpose in life, being active in natural settings gives young people a dose of reality and respect for their environment. It helps them to see the bigger picture.
What does outdoor play specifically teach children that structured indoor activities or digital entertainment don’t?
The freedom to move around allows children to become aware of their bodies and enhances their proprioception – their ability to know what it’s like to be upside-down or back-to-front. Setting simple missions, such as collecting or clearing leaves, building small shelters with sticks, or creating short obstacle courses, helps make outdoor play more engaging and encourages creativity and independent thinking. What's more, the collaborative nature of playing outside helps develop self-awareness and teaches children to become more empathetic, work as part of a team, and ultimately, make meaningful connections with other children.
There’s growing discussion about ADHD and screen use. What does current research suggest about outdoor activity as a support for attention, mood and regulation?
Research suggests that outdoor physical movement can complement traditional ADHD support mechanisms, especially with the increasing concern around excessive screen use. In fact, children with ADHD have shown improvements in attention tasks after playing in green spaces compared to indoor or urban outdoor spaces.
While this isn’t a magic solution, evidence points to multiple ways that even short periods spent outside may help with mood, attention, emotional regulation, and reduced anxiety.
Some children simply resist outdoor play, particularly as they get older. Is this something parents can realistically shift? If so, do you have any techniques you find effective?
When older children resist going outside, it may be a combination of many things. This includes their character traits, habits, stage of development, and surrounding environment. Outdoor play needs to suit the developmental needs of the young person, so it’s optimised and engaging and they feel invested in the experience.
To encourage older children outside, ensure the time is purposeful and meaningful. Lots of praise for any efforts shown to get outside will help them learn that embracing outdoor play is more important and valuable than a set outcome. This positive reinforcement becomes increasingly important as adolescents look to their peers and parents for feedback as their identity and sense of autonomy develops.
Are we seeing generational changes in children’s relationship with risk, independence and exploration – and how much of that is linked to technology?
Risk aversion of today’s children is a hot topic, especially with evidence suggesting outdoor learning and children’s access to nature has declined, even pre-pandemic. This lack of connection with nature has impacted kids’ ability to build resilience, deal with setbacks, and develop a range of essential skills that help them succeed across various aspects of their development.
For families without easy access to countryside, what counts as 'enough' outdoor exposure? Does it need to be big adventures?
Outdoor play does not need to involve long excursions or complex planning. Try to establish a routine of small, regular periods of outdoor time, rather than introducing sudden or enforced changes.
Parents themselves are often attached to their screens. How much does modelling behaviour matter when trying to change children’s habits?
Children like to model people who are especially meaningful to them. It's important for parents to model effort and persistence while showcasing the importance of rest and recovery, using time outdoors as a mechanism to promote their physical and mental health.
Looking long-term, what adult skills or traits most clearly correlate with an outdoorsy childhood – confidence, sociability, creativity, something else?
Learning through various experiences and outdoor activities enables young people to see the world from a personal and global perspective, which will serve them into adulthood. For example, employers recognise the importance of the skills built through outdoor exposure, including our ability to be self-aware, empathise with others, question how the world works and how it could be, become strong willed, and overcome and learn from failure.
