Our hearts tell us we want to be outside, that we were created for nature…when it’s warm and beautiful and sunny!
I don’t know about you, but I do find that when it’s cold, rainy, snowing, or blowing, I tend to be grateful for my four walls, central heat, and mug of tea indoors.
How can we change this paradigm in ourselves and in our culture where the outdoors is becoming less and less popular all the time?
It doesn’t happen by accident. To be intentional about outdoor and nature time, we have to be inspired. My guests today are the co-authors of a wonderful book about getting outdoors, Digging Into Nature: Outdoor Adventures for Happier and Healthier Kids, and they share research and physiology to remind us: Our kids need time outside. Much, much more time than they’re getting!
You’ll be inspired by:
- how parenting has changed in the last 30 years & Dr. Glassy’s wake-up call
- outdoor benefits to physical and mental health
- why parenting actually becomes easier when your kids are outside!
- what “counts” as a dose of nature
- simple ways you can incorporate nature into your day – without even going out!
- how children’s development is actually supercharged with outdoor experiences
- the ways in which time outside builds resilience and prepares kids and teens for real life
I figure I need to listen to an interview like this about every 2 months to re-inspire me to make outside time a priority! Maybe every 2 weeks in the winter…
What do you think?
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Time Stamps for Nature Time for Kids
0:29 – This whole conversation will reinforce why outdoor time matters for kids and parents! You might even listen to it outside.
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1:43 – I introduce my two guests and their book, Digging Into Nature: Outdoor Adventures for Happier and Healthier Kids, plus their pediatric and public health backgrounds.
4:03 – Dr. Glassy explains how she watched kids’ lives become more scheduled and more screen-based, alongside rising anxiety, depression, and weight concerns. Eeek! She shares the moment that changed everything. Listen here for what that was. That pushed her to find ways to help families reconnect nature with health, and it led her to Dr. Pooja Tandon’s research.
5:35 – Dr. Tandon explains her public health focus on movement and how getting kids outdoors is one of the most evidence-based ways to increase physical activity. She also shares this parenting reality: being outside made parenting easier with her own two boys.
6:24 – Their topic totally pulled me in, because we all know kids need outside time, and it’s getting harder to prioritize!
The Research (and the “soft science”) Behind Green Time
7:04 – Dr. Tandon lays out the research across physical health, mental health, and learning.
When kids are outside, they move in ways they can’t when they’re inside. – Dr. Pooja Tandon
7:36 – Outdoor time also supports vision health, including delaying progression of myopia!
9:01 – Dr. Glassy adds “softer science,” including relational health and life skill development that happen naturally outdoors. She explains how outdoor play invites curiosity, builds gross and fine motor skills, and supports problem-solving through healthy risk-taking.
9:39 – Dr. Glassy talks about boredom as a skill, and how outdoor time helps kids practice managing boredom and building executive function.
Does It Count If It’s Not “Wild” Nature?
10:26 – I ask whether being outside on cement counts, or if kids need a park or natural setting for the benefits. Dr. Tandon shares that some benefits come from what kids do outdoors (movement), and others come from the setting and connection (mental health and social benefits). She emphasizes there are many pathways to health, and many types of nature contact can help.
12:03 – I summarize that all nature is good, and more tends to be better!
Why “Just Go Outside” Is Not Enough
12:18 – Dr. Glassy explains why “park prescriptions” are not magic, because families face real barriers. The big barriers are access, time, weather, and gear.
You don’t just tell people go outside and they do it. – Dr. Danette Glassy
13:21 – She shares practical ideas for gear support: local free groups, buy-nothing options, and emerging “gear libraries.”
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Making Outside Time Realistic in a Busy Life
15:15 – Dr. Glassy shares a motto that helps families persist: there’s no bad weather, just missing gear.
15:38 – Dr. Tandon tackles the time barrier and suggests moving everyday activities outside when possible. She suggests lingering after school for outdoor play and parent connection when possible.
Schedule nature time into your day. It doesn’t happen on accident. – Dr. Pooja Tandon
17:29 – We bike with Gabe to school, and I had a conversation with another mom where she said she wished she had time to do that. But does she? …
18:14 – Dr. Glassy encourages parents to advocate for greener school and childcare environments, including outdoor lessons, gardens, and fundraisers for green space.
19:22 – She also wants you think about getting outside at night! What does that look like?
When You Truly Can’t Get Outside
20:39 – Dr. Tandon offers “bridge strategies” that bring nature indoors when outdoor time is not feasible.
Developmental Benefits of Nature Time from Infants to Teens
22:05 – Let’s break down the benefits by age category!
22:25 – Dr. Glassy explains how infants benefit from outdoor routines, naming what you see, building language, and sensory exploration.
23:43 – She describes toddlers as “off and running,” and explains how uneven outdoor terrain supports motor development and confidence through small tumbles and recovery. She highlights using outdoor experiences to help toddlers process emotions and build language, including retelling events and naming feelings.
25:26 – Preschoolers thrive with a balance of guided nature exploration and free play, plus gentle skill-building through climbing, hills, and nature-inspired art.
26:40 – Dr. Tandon shifts to older kids and teens, encouraging families to let interests guide outdoor activities, from hiking to kayaking to climbing. She introduces the idea of “nature allies” and “nature mentors,” especially helpful for parents who did not grow up outdoorsy.
28:43 – Dr. Glassy shares a powerful story of a child with a serious heart condition who had to stop baseball, and how fishing became a safe, nature-based alternative that saved the family’s rhythm and joy.
Why Nature Builds Resilience (and Reduces Chaos)
29:44 – I connect the dots: outdoors offers novelty, unpredictability, and opportunities that support brain development, motor development, and resilience.
30:32 – Dr. Tandon explains how nature helps kids practice responding when things do not go as planned, from puddles and wet socks to planning skills for older kids.
32:03 – Kds will create novelty indoors anyway, often in messier ways, so outside gives curiosity a safer outlet.
32:29 – Dr. Glassy reinforces that parenting is often easier outside, because emotions and sibling squabbles tend to dissipate, and mess is less stressful.
Food, Cooking, and the Outdoors
33:41 – Dr. Tandon shares research showing gardening increases kids’ willingness to try fruits and vegetables, especially when kids grow and harvest the food. She explains that some kids do not know how produce grows, so gardens build both learning and connection.
34:56 – Dr. Glassy adds that involving kids in food prep supports picky phases, and repetition matters more than parents think.
35:44 – Dr. Tandon suggests food-based outdoor traditions like berry picking, u-pick farms, and seasonal traditions, plus picnics and meals outdoors. We love going to pick apples every year (and making tons of recipes with them!).
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One Quick Win to Start Today
37:33 Dr. Glassy suggests a simple starter step: take five minutes and notice nature with your kids, even from the car.
38:06 Dr. Tandon suggests shifting the mindset from screen time to “green time,” and building a daily practice of nature contact for the whole family.
38:34 I close by encouraging listeners to grab the book and keep this momentum going.
Just take five minutes wherever you are and notice nature and point it out to your kids! – Dr. Danette Glassy
Resources We Mention for Nature Time for Kids
- Drs. Glassy and Tandon’s book: Digging Into Nature: Outdoor Adventures for Happier and Healthier Kids (Amazon/Bookshop.org)
- Simple Strategies to Relieve Anxiety as a Family
- Why Everything You Know About Vision is Wrong
- Living Dangerously with Caution: We Bike Our Child to School without Apology
- Building Resilience and Reducing Stress in Kids with Jess Sherman
- 20 Ways to Preserve Apples (without Sugar)
POOJA SARIN TANDON, MD, MPH, FAAP, is a general pediatrician and researcher at the Seattle Children’s Hospital, an associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and the director of health at the Trust for Public Land. She has published widely on the importance of physical activity, outdoor time, and nature contact for health. She is the co-author of Digging Into Nature: Outdoor Adventures for Happier and Healthier Kids, and lives in the Seattle area with her husband and two children.
DANETTE SWANSON GLASSY, MD, FAAP, is a primary care pediatrician and child advocate. She is the cofounder and board president of the nonprofit BestStart Washington and leads its Project Nature initiative—a program to support pediatric medical professionals as they encourage children to spend time in nature. She is the coeditor of Caring for Our Children, and is the co-author of Digging Into Nature: Outdoor Adventures for Happier and Healthier Kids. Dr. Glassy lives in the Seattle area and enjoys exploring nature in the Pacific Northwest with her two grandchildren.
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