Children are spending more time indoors, and it’s costing them wonder, resilience, and emotional balance. This article explores the psychological benefits of outdoor play—lower stress, better mood, stronger focus, richer imagination, and improved social skills. It also introduces Ida Covi’s Mimsy series as a bridge between storytime and nature, with interactive prompts and ready-to-use lesson plans that help parents and educators turn reading into outdoor exploration.

By Deborah Holmen, M.Ed., NBCT, published in A Parent is Born When was the last time you saw a group of kids running about outside in...

As parents, we often struggle to balance protecting our children and giving them the freedom to learn and grow independently. In our quest to raise successful and happy kids, we’ve turned to various parenting styles and methods, some of which have proven more effective than others. However, when teaching our children the most valuable life lessons, we should take a cue from the animal kingdom and look to the ultimate teacher: Mother Nature herself.