(Provided photo)

With spring here, parents have been getting off the couch asking me what they should be doing to get their children to do the same thing.

The indoor use of technology combined with our own lack of familiarity with nature has led us down a concerning path. Children are spending less time enjoying the outdoors and more time paying attention to the computer screen.

There is evidence to suggest that not enjoying nature, particularly in our beautiful part of the country, can result in worsening of physical fitness and increased risk of obesity. This comes from sitting indoors for hours on end in front of a video game or computer.

Additionally, not getting outdoors to enjoy nature and the surroundings we live in has also been associated with increased feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as trouble paying attention. In fact, some who study what happens when children do not get outdoors have referred to this problem as nature deficit disorder.

Ways to treat nature

deficit disorder

Encourage a “green hour.” The National Wildlife Federation recommends a “green hour” of unstructured play outdoors. They have lots of ideas on how to make this hour a highlight — just link online to https://thegreenhour.org to learn more.

Take an older child on a creative daily adventure! Each day, try to identify birds or unusual plants or flowers in the neighborhood. Putting in a bird feeder, or hiding something special under rocks to create a daily treasure hunt can get your children to log off and head out.

Be a role model. If you get excited about going outside to explore the environment, so will your child.

Set limits. If you restrict online time outside of schoolwork to no more than one to two hours a day, it will leave more time for unstructured imagination-fueled play outside. Doing this will improve the physical and mental health of your young ones.

Hopefully, tips like these will feel natural to you and your child when it comes to enjoying how the outside can benefit us all.

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Lewis First, MD, is Chief of Pediatrics at The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine. You can also catch “First with Kids” weekly on WOKO 98.9FM and NBC5.