Resolution for 2013: Open the Door!

Kids Who Play Outside are Happier, Healthier and Smarter

Get those kids outside this year!

While you kick around a few resolutions to improve life in 2013, here’s one that a statewide organization hopes you’ll make – and keep – for the next year: Encourage kids to get outside.

The New Hampshire Children in Nature Coalition is onto something with this New Year’s resolution.

They point to mountains of research showing that kids who regularly play and enjoy the outdoors are happier, healthier and smarter than children who don’t get outside.

The coalition – which is comprised of all sorts of New Hampshire organizations and agencies – has released a new report, Opening Doors to Happier, Healthier Lives, which outlines recommendations for connecting kids with nature in New Hampshire.

The coalition’s seven goals – starting with getting kids outside to enjoy the great outdoors – are endorsed and welcomed by Susan E. Lynch, MD, New Hampshire’s First Lady.

Open the Door

“As a pediatric lipid specialist and as New Hampshire's First Lady, I am very interested in working to encourage children to lead a healthy, active lifestyle as a preventative measure against childhood obesity,” Lynch said. “This emphasis on the importance of the health and physical activity of our children is equally represented and championed by the great work of the NH Children in Nature Coalition.  This coalition demonstrates the importance of outdoor activities and learning experiences while utilizing New Hampshire's rich and diverse natural resources.”

Marilyn Wyzga knows Dr. Lynch is right. Wyzga has been on the front lines of efforts to connect kids with nature for years, mostly through her work with the NH Fish and Game Department and as a leader in the NH Children in Nature Coalition.

“Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher or any caregiver for kids, encourage your children to play outside,” Wyzga said. “Let them explore. Let them play in the snow, jump over a log, build a fort. It doesn’t have to be a formal activity; just enjoy a little time out each day. Open the door and let them play.”

Screens 54 Hours a Week?!

With today’s children watching screens an average of 54 hours a week, the consequences are obesity and sedentary lifestyles, deepening misconceptions about the natural world, and less emphasis on unstructured time outdoors, according to the Coalition’s report. “The price of continuing these trends is serious, not only for children and their families, but for our communities, our schools, our culture, our economy, and the identity of the Granite State.”

In New Hampshire, 71 percent of children ages 6 to 17 and 53 percent of high school students do not get enough physical activity, according to the NH Department of Health and Human Services. And it’s no coincidence that 32 percent of children ages 6 to 12 are overweight or obese. Combined, excess weight and lack of physical activity are risk factors for asthma, diabetes, hypertension and other chronic illnesses that burden the state’s health care system and lead to lost productivity.

Nationally, the amount of outside space where children are allowed to roam free around their homes is one-ninth what it was in 1970.

Yet, research shows that the benefits of embracing an active, outdoor lifestyle are many, and that children who spend time outdoors are healthier and more creative, have better concentration, and even get better grades. Author Richard Louv pointed this out in his poignant book “Last Child in the Woods,” which even coined a term for our youths’ indoor disposition: Nature Deficit Disorder.

Simple Goals, Simple Resolution

The good news is that we live in a great part of the world, where there’s ample room to roam and play, and at little or no cost.  In fact, as the Coalition points out, New Hampshire is well positioned to lead the nation in promoting a healthy, active lifestyle that takes advantage of all the natural beauty, outdoor opportunities, and facilities our state offers – attributes that already help make tourism one of the state’s most important economic engines.

The coalition – representing agencies and organizations from diverse health, education and conservation disciplines – supports seven goals:

1. Increase participation in outdoor learning experiences for children and families. 
2. Urge more children and families to get outside on a regular basis. 
3. Ensure that every child has the opportunity to experience nature in his or her local community.
4. Provide children with more time for free play outdoors. 
5. Increase appreciation and care of the outdoors through organized activities and groups. 
6. Improve the health, fitness, and well-being of New Hampshire children. 
7. Deepen the understanding of the natural world among children and youth.

 They’re decent goals, and to make them happen, they really take more than a commitment from a statewide coalition, but also a commitment from you. If it’s one thing you resolve to do in 2013, just open the door. The kids will love it!

For more information about the N.H. Children in Nature Coalition and how you can make a resolution to reconnect children, youth and families with nature, visit www.nhchildreninnature.org/