It took about 10 minutes of walking in the woods full of fallen trees, fresh snow and a half-frozen stream before I heard it: My two sons giggling.
We had stumbled into the whole idea of walking in the woods. It was a typical holiday weekend. We had no plans other than to maybe stay in our jammies all day, eat leftovers and celebrate the fact that no one had to work or go to school. It would be a day of family home activities free from stress in children and adults.
The Woods Stave Off Tantrums in Children
The kids looked like they were getting along. They had all the action figures out and were storming the toy castle. Their characters were fighting, sure, but they were playing together. Pretty normal as far as child social development and sibling interaction went.
So why leave this nice scene and a warm house? Because, I argued as I wrestled my boys into coats, I could tell they were simmering under the surface, tense and anxious. I knew this because the 7-year-old was bossing the 5-year-old, and the 5-year-old was protesting. I had seen this before, and I knew the tension would only get worse.
We needed exercise, but more than that, we needed the woods.
Nature Supplies Endless Fun, Family Activities
Five minutes later, the boys were tearing down the path of a local park. Suddenly, the bossing and protesting was a distant memory. With traffic noise fading in the distance and trees towering overhead, my little city kids became explorers. They started looking around. They jumped on the exercise equipment next to the trail. They stomped through an icy puddle, and then paused to examine it. How far would the crack go? They tried breaking more ice with their boots.
Then they asked each other what would happen if they threw stones onto the frozen stream. Would the ice break? Try it, I told them. They did, but the ice held. The stones skidded, making wonderful eeeeking sounds. And that’s when it happened: My boys giggled.
They had discovered the wonders of the woods.
Child Development Research Says Nature Benefits At-Risk Teens, Kids
We are by no means the first to feel the relaxing effects of nature. Poets for centuries have talked about returning to the woods, taking the road less traveled, so to speak. And scientists also say that nature can help kids. One 2002 study found that at-risk, inner-city girls who see nature through the windows of their homes have a better chance for success than those girls whose views are not as green.
The children described in this study were at risk of doing poorly in school, getting in trouble and more. The study’s authors said that contact with nature helped encourage in these girls better focus and even self-discipline.
Short Walk Contributes to Child Social Development
Our half-hour walk in the woods made a big difference in our day. We were a happy family as we finished the trail. We were calm and we were cold. It was time to go back home. Of course, I knew that this peace might not last all day. But I also knew if we found peace once, we knew where to go to find it again: to the woods.
Amy Hansen is the mother of two sons and a feelance writer in Greenbelt, Maryland.