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It’s a mix of device addiction and a dislike of dirt – not your kid’s, but yours
30 July 2019
| Last updated on 6 August 2019
There is such a thing as letting your child stay too clean...
Most parents might remember spending childhood summers outside – mud cakes at the park, jumping into piles of leaves, riding bikes through dirty puddles… Come rain or shine, there should always be a time for outdoor play.
But our kids now will most likely prefer to spend their childhood summers on YouTube, and despite how much parents love to harp on “kids these days”, you’ll be surprised that researchers are speaking about “parents these days”, too.
Studies show that parents today are spending too much time on their phones and laptops instead of spending that time with their children. Combine that with a general dislike parents have for washing extra dirty clothes and have sandy sneakers tromp across the floors at home, and yells of “Don’t touch that! You’ll get dirty” – then you’ll have a kid retreating to a tablet.
When they avoid getting dirty, your children may be missing out on more than just precious childhood memories with parents. Their immunity suffers, as well.
Which is why parents should celebrate and embrace dirt to live a moment that’s as free as possible with your children without worrying about getting filthy.
Here are 5 proven lifelong benefits to your child playing with dirt that they may be missing out on, as well as how you as a parent can disconnect from distractions and be more involved by inspiring them to be active and play outside.
1. Reduces the likelihood of allergies
Research found that frequent and widespread use of disinfecting products that helps remove and avoid dirt such as antibacterial wipes, antibacterial sprays, and antibacterial soap blocks the development of healthy gut bacteria, which is key to reducing allergies and digestive problems.
This is one of those things where too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing. As we raise children in too-clean and too-sterile environment, there’s not much bacteria and viruses to challenge the body and let it store the information later. Being too-clean significantly impacts their immune system, leading to disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, and allergies.
Parents can...
...offer to volunteer theirs and their children’s time to walk dogs from shelters. Studies show that children from homes where there are pet dogs have fewer allergies compared to children from households without furry pets. Doing so would benefit you, your kids, and some dogs with active outdoor play. You won’t have to adopt a pet just yet, but it’s a great chance to get involved in an activity that’ll enhance your child’s immunity, love for the outdoors, and helping the local animal welfare community.
2. Encourages children to prefer nature over devices
Children who play more in nature alongside parents are found to prefer outdoor activities than a video game or social media thumb-scrolling marathon. The chance to use their motor skills, imagination, and creativity helps produce chemicals called endorphins – a natural, positive feeling that can last up to 24 hours, researchers find.
It’s always easier to enforce fewer screen time for kids than to police ourselves. Parents also need to make sure they’re not glued to their phones and computers, and must prioritise one-to-one time without tech in the pocket or hand. The psychological and cognitive effects of playing outdoors with the little ones is a powerful antidote to digital distraction.
Parents can...
...let unimportant messages go to voicemail or chat to return to later. Limit your own screen time as it’s important to disconnect from devices so you can become a role model for your kids.
3. A hands-on approach to learning
You’ll be surprised by how many STEM students flinch when they’re told to do fieldwork that might involve getting their hands muddy.
Enhance your child’s curiosity and love for hands-on learning from a young age by letting them touch anything that might be dirty. Playing in nature has been scientifically proven to boost creativity as well as cognitive thinking.
Parents can...
...join their children as they explore various organisms, such as from a local pond or park. Bring a handy guide so you can answer their questions, and tools as well such as see-through jars and small shovels so you can collect stuff and open discussions about it.
It would no doubt make parents proud to know that they’re potentially raising future biologists, geologists, and other “dirty”, “fieldwork” jobs.
4. Boosts immunity
Let your children eat dirt. Yes, you read that right. Playing with and consuming soil-based organisms (SBOs) like soil itself, the bacteria in it, and worms have plenty of beneficial bacteria that have been proven to combat autoimmune disorders, allergies, and asthma from a young age. The body learns and categorizes viruses and more, helping it identify them in the future so that the immunity system can fight it.
There’s even an old saying that “You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die” – many cultures have known the benefits of letting a child eat dirt at some points in their early life.
Pro-biotic food and supplements are fantastic; however, they’re missing SBOs that contributes to spurring the development of a healthy immune system. Plus, your kids won’t be eating them for long. Once they realize that dirt and worms taste gross, they’ll eventually stop.
Parents can...
...take their kids out to play on a rainy day. The rain enriches the soil and kids will love to splash about and play in the dirt. Be sure to bring extra clothes, towels, and water-related games.
5. Reduces the chance of depression in later years
Kids spending too much screen time are likely to sleep less, and may develop depression and anxiety. Adults aren’t any better with all our tech and social media usage, which often can’t be helped due to work.
Children are simply happier to play in dirt. Their stress levels fall within just a few minutes of seeing green spaces like parks, forests, and gardens, and dirt has the ability to influence your emotions. Gut bacteria found in dirt helps in sending signals to our brain which influences our mood, activating groups of brain neuros to generate serotonin. That’s literally “nature is the best medicine”.
Parents must...
...look out for signs of sluggish behaviours, mood swings, and tempers in children as well as themselves. If you’re strangely feeling sad on a sunny day when everything seems to be in order, and you can’t pinpoint where the storm clouds are coming from - it’s time to go outside for a roll in the grass.
