How plants can help kids grow emotionally

Outdoors can be an impactful place for children’s learning. It can and should be a rich part of your program’s daily curriculum delivery. Being outside improves health and supports children’s overall development. They learn about their world by observing, exploring, and interacting with its natural elements. While outdoors, children often engage in complex imaginative play and much needed physical activity.

Families creating, building, planting, and nurturing gardens together is another great way to connect children and families to nature. Here are some of the ways that children having nature as part of their curriculum can emotionally impact them.

Mind & Body Connectedness 

Young children can practice locomotor skills, body management skills and object control skills while they move from one place to the other carrying tools, soil and water. They will be moving their bodies using large muscles and using muscles to balance and manage objects too. Fine motor skills such as whole-hand grasping and the pincer grasp (necessary skills for writing) are employed in gardening when children use a trowel or rake and pick up tiny seeds to plant. Further, being outdoors in the fresh air and moving around a lot is a good way to get exercise.

Patience

Gardening and being around plants strengthens attention span, which can aid concentration and learning. For example, a study published in the “American Journal of Public Health” examines the impact of green or natural settings on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Researchers found activities carried out in green settings significantly reduce symptoms of ADHD compared to other settings. Many children can benefit from spending time in nature. According to the CDC, an estimated 6.1 million children in the U.S. have received an ADHD diagnosis.

Gardening also helps children to achieve academically. A study published by the American Society for Horticultural Science demonstrates the impact of gardening activities as part of a science curriculum. Students who gardened scored significantly higher on a science achievement test than students who studied science in a traditional classroom setting.

Improves Mood

Human beings generally feel happier and more optimistic in surroundings with plenty of plants and nature. Consider a survey conducted at four San Francisco Bay Area hospitals. In the survey, 79 percent of patients said they felt more relaxed and calm, 19 percent felt more positive, and 25 percent felt refreshed and stronger after spending time in a garden.

Flowers also evoke positive emotions. For example, in a 2005 study, women who received flowers reported more positive moods three days later. Elderly patients who received flowers also reported brighter moods and improved episodic memory.

While you may only need to place a plant on the windowsill at home to help create a more soothing environment, you can increase happy feelings even more through gardening. Gardening reminds us of our connection to nature, and helps us focus on the bigger picture, which can alleviate symptoms of depression. Also, the physical aspect of gardening releases feel-good chemicals in the brain such as serotonin and dopamine. Finally, working with soil makes us happier. A 2007 study found a bacterium in soil called Mycobacterium vaccae triggers the release of serotonin, which lifts mood and reduces anxiety.

Relieves Stress and Anxiety

Looking at plants and flowers, whether indoors or outdoors, is a peaceful activity free of worries or conflict. It encourages living in the present moment and engages the senses. When you take time to smell the sweet perfume of a magnolia tree, for example, your cortisol levels drop.

Consider a study published in the “Journal of Physiological Anthropology.” In this study, one group of participants worked on computer tasks, while another group transplanted indoor plants. After completing their assignments, the groups switched. The researchers found the subjects felt more comfortable and relaxed after the transplanting task, rather than the computer task. The study concluded individuals could reduce psychological and psychological stress by interacting with plants.

Another study, published in the “Journal of Health Psychology,” compared the effects of outdoor gardening to indoor reading. The study reveals both gardening and reading decrease cortisol levels. However, stress levels decrease significantly more with gardening. Likewise, the study participants enjoyed a fully restored positive mood after gardening.

By introducing planting and gardening into their children’s lives, parents are able to teach a non-traditional set of critical life skills that will serve the students for years to come. For more tips, and to find out about our upcoming youth development events, feel free to reach out to the Royale Cohesive Network team.