Until a few years ago, nobody thought much about the mental health of preschoolers.
Young kids were… kids.
Nothing more.
Kids, of course, are silly and immature.
They do dumb things.
Weird things.
Today, though, attitudes have completely changed.
Mental health is a hot topic in the media.
Everyone from celebrities to college students are said to be battling mental health problems.
So it’s no surprise that many parents worry about their preschoolers’ mental health.
“Why is my 4-yo acting like this?”
“Is this normal behavior? Is she depressed?”
“What if something’s wrong with my little guy?”
Mental Health Issue or Normal Preschooler Behavior?
It’s understandable why parents might be spooked.
Doctors have sounded the fire alarm about mental health in young people, including preschoolers.
The problem is that there are dozens of conditions listed in diagnostic manuals that overlap with typical preschooler behavior.
(No word in those manuals about sugar, late bedtimes, and missed naps!)
The range of normal behavior in preschool-age kids is as wide as the Nile.
What looks like ADD, depression, or anxiety often has a simpler explanation.
Consider the basics.
Sleep. Is your preschooler getting enough of it?
Food. Does he or she eat mostly good or bad stuff?
Movement. Are they active for large stretches of the day?
Screen time. How much time does your preschooler spend in front of a screen?
Travel. Does your child spend a lot of time in the car going here, there, and everywhere?
Busyness. Preschoolers need rest in proportion to their schedules. At their age a week with soccer practice, swim lessons, and T-ball is probably too much.
And an overlooked biggie is outdoor time.
Preschoolers are detached from nature
For decades now, people have noticed how little time kids spend outdoors.
The trend hasn’t changed.
Just take a walk or drive in your neighborhood. What don’t you see?
Kids playing.
This is true regardless of where you live in the U.S.: city, suburbs, even country.
Winter or summer.
Rain or shine.
The sad fact is, kids spend so much time inside today, that they’ve become wholly unfamiliar with the natural world.
“Going outside” means the 10 seconds it takes to leave the house and get in the car.
It’s why there’s so much sensory processing disorders in preschoolers.
Like the kid who panics when the wind blows on his face.
Or the girl who cries when her bare hand touches snow.
Nothing indoors, even approximations like sand-and-water tables, comes close to the real thing.
It’s hard for preschoolers to be moody outside
That doesn’t mean that being outside will magically banish moodiness.
Preschoolers can still fuss, sulk, and grumble there.
But it’s much harder.
There’s just too many distractions. Warm sunshine, rushes of wind, and funny squirrels have a way of helping preschoolers forget themselves.
You don’t have to wait for spring or summer weather to enjoy the benefits of the outdoors.
The fact is overcast, gray days still enliven young kids.
Smelling the air, feeling it on their skin actually makes them less depressed than watching the day go by from inside.
They learn to compare days with each other. It gives them a new appreciation for weather.
Going outside for play — organized and free — is good for their mental health.
Many daycares busy themselves promoting whole-child development.
The four areas of development are physical, social, emotional, and cognitive.
They’ll say a preschooler learns X through Y. Then they design elaborate systems for the child to participate in Y.
But playing outdoors in an interesting space is usually more effective for whole-child development.
(Definitely more fun, too.)
The truth is that preschoolers will develop no matter what.
It’s how they develop that matters.
The modern world is full of distractions that harm the mental health of preschoolers.
One example is movies and TV shows. They often inject adult themes into regular stories, upsetting young, impressionable minds.
On the contrary, time spent outdoors builds their physical strength. It reduces aggression and increases cooperation among other benefits.
Maybe the best part of going outdoors is the cost.
It’s free if you’ve got a yard or common space.
Think about that. Not cheap.
Free.
How many field trips can say that?
Cost aside, day trips are not part of the program at my daycare.
Because we spend so much time outdoors, anyplace we went in Billings, MT would almost feel superfluous.
Outdoor time at my daycare is a constant.
Daily, year-round, barring extreme weather, we’re going outside for two+ hours.
And you know what?
I never worry about any of our preschooler’s mental health.
To a kid, they are composed and quite normal.
If you’re worried about your preschooler’s mood, try going outside.
Make it a habit and I’ll bet you’ll see dramatic improvements.
Featured pic by Annie Spratt on Unsplash