Parents need more support to make the outdoors a part of everyday family life, our research for the National Trust has found.
Inquiry respondents said parents need more accessible child and family-friendly green and natural spaces and that opportunities for children to access and enjoy nature need to be promoted in a more joined-up fashion, and in ways that appeal more to families and children.
Much more could be made of the smaller everyday opportunities for children to play outdoors close to home to connect with nature on their doorstep and parents should look to draw more on networks of family and friends, especially grandparents, to help share the load of their children getting outdoors more.
Time learning and playing outdoors also needs to become a bigger element of the typical school day.
Fiona Reynolds, Director-General of the National Trust, said: “We had a huge response to the Natural Childhood Inquiry clearly demonstrating that the mood of the nation is showing that we need to act now to reconnect children with nature.
“Parents want their kids to have a better connection with nature before it’s too late, but don’t feel completely confident in the places that children can experience the outdoors.
Parents' fears
A YouGov survey of 419 UK parents of under 13s revealed that a range of parental fears and concerns could be preventing children from getting the most of the outdoors.
Stranger danger (37%), lack of safe nearby outdoor places to play (25%) and too much traffic (21%) were the top ranked barriers amongst parents of children aged 12 or under.
Just short of half (45 per cent) of parents of pre-teens identified ‘more local safe places to play’ as the thing which would most encourage them to let their children get outdoors and explore more where they lived. The other two top solutions supported by parents were ‘more supervised play spaces’ (32%) and ‘more activities organised by schools or youth groups’ (31%).
Balancing risks
Tim Gill, author of Rethinking Childhood and leading expert on childhood and risk, said: “It’s perfectly natural for parents to want to protect their children. But it’s also a simple fact that children can only become confident and capable adults if they are allowed to take some responsibility for themselves as they grow up.
“When children play outdoors and in nature, they have adventures and challenges that prepare them for the everyday ups and downs of life. At the same time, the risks that make many people anxious are often over-estimated.
“A more balanced, thoughtful approach is desperately needed. We have to start recognising the benefits of spending time out of doors, rather than just looking out for the risks.”
See the full results of the study here
