Step Outside – Why it’s more important than ever to take a daily dose of nature

This article looks at a range of research evidence which suggests that contact with nature is beneficial for physical and mental health, cognition and learning. It will consider why nature has this effect, how this is applicable to the current situation given the outbreak of COVID-19 and how adults and children can still access the benefits of nature while observing rules on social distancing, self-isolation or lockdown. The benefits of nature exposure – what is the evidence? Nature has long been considered beneficial to humans in many ways and a wide evidence base has documented the positive effects of nature on humans. In children, nature exposure has been linked to a wide range of benefits, including improved wellbeing and self-regulation (McCree, Cutting and Sherwin, 2018 ), better performance in school tests (Sivarajah, Smith and Thomas, 2018; Wu et al., 2014), reduced ADHD symptoms (Faber Taylor and Kuo, 2009; Kuo and Faber Taylor 2004) improved confidence and social s