Dear Dr. Debbie,
Please address the importance of children spending time in nature. We have several trees in our new yard that my husband sees as obstacles to lawn mowing. Help me argue the case for leaving them be. Our children are 2, 5, and 7-years-old.
Tree Hugger
Dear T.H.,
Gladly. Although I cannot speak from the point of view of root damage to a driveway nor the potential perils of limbs crashing down in a storm, I can heartily endorse the benefits of sharing one’s childhood with friendly trees. I’ll sidestep the issue of a frustrated grass mower for now.
Oxygen
As part of our amazing global eco-system, trees improve air quality and lower the risk of asthma. The National Forest Foundation reminds us that a tree takes in carbon dioxide as part of its process of absorbing energy from the sun (photosynthesis). This cleans the air, mitigating the harmful effects of auto emissions, power plants, and other sources of air pollution. One tall tree absorbs an average 48 pounds of CO2 per year. That same tree will generate a daily supply of oxygen for four people without even being asked.
Incidentally, plants also give off phytoncides, airborne chemicals that boost the immune system, reduce stress hormones, and lower blood pressure.
Shade
Playing outside has some risks, specifically ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Trees are a natural buffer to the damage the sun can cause. Excessive exposure to sunlight, often starting in childhood, intensifies wrinkling and for 1 in 5 Americans there’s a cumulative risk of skin cancer. Vision problems such as cataracts are also associated with too much sun exposure. Furthermore, sunlight compromises the immune system for preventing skin infections. The shade of trees provides welcome protection from all of this.
Shade also provides cooling on a hot day. Our increased dependence on fossil fuels has added to the greenhouse effect, trapping harmful gasses and therefor excessive heat near the earth’s surface. (The summer of 2026 may be the hottest yet!) Children and other wild creatures appreciate the pleasant temperature dip (as much as 25o F!) in the shade of a tree.
Mental Health
Trees have a positive psychological effect on children and people of all ages. This has been linked with increased physical activity in open outdoor spaces, the buffering of air pollution in the vicinity of trees, and positive social interaction with other happy people in a green space. Using satellite imagery of vegetation density and mental health records over time, researchers in Denmark compared those whose childhoods were spent in more or less greenery. After controlling for economics and other factors, they concluded that, “growing up near green space was associated with a lower risk of developing psychiatric illness in adulthood by anywhere from 15 percent to 55 percent, depending on the specific illness.” In short, “the more of one’s childhood spent close to greenery, the lower the risk of mental health problems in adulthood.”
In a summary of twenty-one studies, the National Library of Medicine concluded that green spaces enhance the mental well-being of children and adolescents. Increased urbanization, with children spending time going from building to building in cars, is eliminating daily opportunities to be among trees. Out of established concern for emotional and behavior problems associated with less green space, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals include, “by 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities”.
Connection to Nature
The benefits to children from being in nature are becoming more and more evident as they spend less and less time in it. Although not an actual medical diagnosis, “Nature Deficit Disorder” was coined by Richard Louv in 2005 to describe how reduced outdoor time contributes to obesity, attention challenges, anxiety, diminished creativity, and a disconnection to the five senses.
Your children’s tree friends provide opportunities for intellectual stimulation. Children can observe the habits of animals that use them for perches, for food, and for homes. Trees inform children about the changes of the seasons. Trees can be identified, compared, and categorized by differences in their canopy shape, their bark, their leaves, their fruits and seeds. Trees reveal how weather affects them with drought or lightning strikes. Twirling maple seeds inspire curiosity about air transportation and gravity.
A child’s imagination can run wild with trees as the setting for castles and forts. Piles of fallen leaves can be shaped as paths and homes. Small twigs, pine needles, pinecones, acorns, and other castoffs from trees can become the structures and characters of a city in miniature. A tree serves as “base” for a game of Hide and Seek. Trees provide a natural background for creative play.
No Mow (or Less Mow) Alternatives
In sympathy to the mower in the family, consider investing in a bit of landscaping to save the trees and minimize how much grass needs to be cut.
The experienced staff at a garden store or some online research will give you many good ideas for how to do this. The University of Maryland Extension, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources suggests some alternatives to a full lawn of grass:
Add a rock garden, shale stepping stones and pebbles, and or ornamental grasses such as bottlebrush and switchgrass.
Replace grass with a groundcover that won’t need mowing. Plant species that are fine for shady areas include: hosta, ajuga, foamflower, goldenstar, and ferns.
A side benefit of Daddy spending less time mowing the lawn is that the children have to stay inside for their safety for a shorter duration while the lawnmower is running.
This also frees up more of Daddy’s time for playing among the trees with the children!
Dr. Debbie
Write your question to Dr. Debbie! Please include age(s) of your child(ren) and other details about the situation or concern.
Deborah Wood, Ph.D. is a child development specialist and founding director of Chesapeake Children’s Museum, located at 25 Silopanna Road in Annapolis. Online reservations are available or call: 410-990-1993. Walk-ins are welcome. There is a Nature Walk on Thursdays at 10:30 am. Art and Story Time with Mrs. Spears and Puppy the Puppet is on Mondays at 10:30 am.
The culmination of the county-wide NEA Big Read is Saturday, May 2, 12-4 pm. El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) features live music, craft-making, authentic food, petting zoo, book giveaway and pony rides. All free. Overflow parking is at 935 Spa Road.
