Time in nature has been found to decrease stress and improve mental well-being¹. This has been seen across multiple contexts, in various natural settings, over short and long time periods, and during different activities such as walking, sitting, playing, exercising, reading, or even just looking at nature². Even a little bit of contact with nature (10 minutes!) is good for our health. This is important, because youth today are experiencing stress and anxiety at higher rates than young people did in previous decades³. This is particularly true in low-income communities, where anxiety and chronic health conditions are seen more frequently, even for kids under 10⁴. This is, of course, a complex issue, and spending time in nature will not fix the problem. Yet, it can help.

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Including time in nature during the school day is a simple way for educators to help decrease stress and improve well-being among students (and adults!).