What comes to mind when you think of grit? Hard work. Perseverance. Success.
Defined by the Oxford Dictionary, Grit is defined as: courage and resolve; strength of character. In recent years, researcher and psychologist, Angela Duckworth, developed this definition of grit: "Grit is passion and perseverance for long-term and meaningful goals."
Grit is an admirable character trait, and most of us would like our kids to demonstrate this passion and perseverance in life; especially when things get hard.
Here are 3 ways that Outdoor Play supports the development of Grit:
Courage. Playing in nature, kids are more likely to engage in risky play activities. Climbing trees to great heights, climbing up the slippery muddy creek bank so they can jump off into the water, swinging from tree vines. Taking and evaluating risks is a critical skill in life, and an important component of success.
Curiosity & Passion. Kids love exploring their environments and often become quite engrossed in their outdoor play activities. Catching fireflies in a jar, making a mud pie bakery, and even saving trapped minnows from a shrinking puddle to put back into the flowing creek. Kids learn self-control, because sometimes we have to be patient while waiting to catch the next firefly and we have to be careful how we capture the minnows or they will get smooshed. Kids demonstrate passion for outdoor play because it's meaningful to them.
Perseverance & Resolve. Kids will choose heavy work activities like carrying large rocks to build a dam, moving large tree branches to create a fort, and carry buckets of water or rocks to transport their treasured finds. Kids will WORK HARD and sweat for something in which they are motivated and interested! But wait... The fort fell down. The dam isn't holding up. The bucket handle broke. It's always great to see how creative kids are in their play activities when something doesn't go quite the way they planned. They figure out a way to adapt and keep going. They learn to be resilient.
Outdoor play helps kids generalize these skills into their everyday lives. If kids are allowed adequate time outside, they will naturally engage in these types of play activities that will shape their characters and have a meaningful impact on their future successes in life. They learn to take risks. They learn to adapt and be flexible. They learn that hard work pays off. They learn empathy. Nature provides. As the adults, we provide the the opportunity and the example. Take the kids outside!
-ReWild The Child NWA