Summer holidays are the longest and most favorite for children. Traditionally, they are held outside the city — at the grandmother’s, in the country, or in the game camp. Research scientists have confirmed that contact with nature is very important for the development, well-being and psychological well-being of the child.
Many parents are thinking about how to organize a country vacation for their child. It is useful for the younger generation to run through the dew, wander through the forest and swim in the river, we believe. Is there any basis for this?
It turns out yes. If in childhood we spent little time surrounded by greenery, then in adulthood we are more at risk of depression and neuroses, according to a study by the Global Health Institute in Barcelona.
In addition to health benefits, suburban life has other advantages. In the city, while trying to keep children safe, we also deprive them of their freedom.
“Urban space is full of taboos, because it is full of temptations that a child cannot follow because he has no money, and therefore he is at the mercy of anyone who gives him a toy if he stops in front of a window full of supposed dangers,” writes famous child psychoanalyst Françoise Dolto*.
A dacha, a village, a summer camp suggest a limited area where there are fewer strangers, temptations and threats — so children are not so strictly controlled — and where they can be more spontaneous, show natural curiosity.
“Outside the city there are no walls and borders. You can experience new sensations there,” explains child psychologist Nikita Karpov. — Walk barefoot on the grass or sand, touch the trees, listen to the rustle of the wind in the branches, explore the tracks of wild animals, swim in the river, make fires and feel a little primitive. Nature gives children a sense of freedom.”
They experience new sensations and acquire new skills, thereby stimulating the development of the brain, which at a young age especially actively builds up neural connections.
But why are not all children happy when we send them to nature? One of the reasons is that in doing so, they dramatically change their habitat and social environment — this can become a cause of stress.
“A child who finds himself in the “wild” conditions for the first time may be uncomfortable. After all, he doesn’t know what to do in an unusual environment,” emphasizes Nikita Karpov. Therefore, the task of an adult in this case is to help the child master the hitherto unfamiliar world: to tell in advance what awaits him there, and upon arrival to explain to whom to contact with questions.
Those who went on expeditions and hikes with their parents as children usually remember the experience with gratitude.
“In this world there is cold, and heat, and wind, and snow, and rain; there is ground under your feet, and it is hard, or covered with mud, or dry — not to mention the fact that there are also birds, sounds and noises of nature, streams, animals. All this allows children to better understand the essence of things. For example, to understand why it is necessary to wear such and such clothes that protect from the weather,” writes Francoise Dolto.
But not everyone has a dacha and not everyone is ready to go camping. Therefore, we are sometimes afraid that we are not giving the child something important. How to fix it?
“We can send the kids to summer camp. Or plan a weekend trip to the forest, to the beach, Nikita Karpov recalls. “And even within the city there is a chance to spend time not only among stone buildings: we have parks, zoos, and recreation areas at our service.”
There, together with the children, we can touch the leaves, collect fossils on the banks of the river and feed the birds, getting closer to nature and to each other.
* Francoise Dolto «On the side of the child» (Rama publishing, 2016).