Here we are amid spring 2026, enjoying the weather, a bit of open time, and, with any luck, the “great outdoors!!” This has made me think about the question, “What does it mean to be, or to raise, a ‘wild’ child?” Well, a wild child is one who has a healthy bit of independence, who seeks adventure, and has an open spirit of curiosity. Given what we now know about the many emotional, physical and cognitive benefits of being out in nature, raising a wild child must include helping our children embrace the great outdoors, learn to love exploring, and keep those imaginations thriving.
So, how do we do that? Let’s take a few lessons from my childhood and maybe yours too. I grew up playing outside a lot. Though I grew up in an urban environment with limited open space, I was still encouraged to be outdoors with my friends in the sunshine, playing stick ball, building forts (read old table cloths with holes as windows over old card tables or forts made of refrigerator boxes) and flying on our magic carpets (read old blanket or old carpet remnants resting on the shared driveway) long before anyone knew this Aladdin guy! My family also went on camping trips and to local beaches when we could. But I didn’t think of myself as an “outdoor kid” at the time. It was just my childhood; it was what we did. Does any of this sound familiar? Maybe you have your own memories of just being outdoors, using the little things to create adventures and spark your imagination. What can those memories offer to you or your children now? How can they help you focus on embracing nature?
Once marriage and children came into the picture, I was very focused on how to continue to embrace being outside. As a couple, we weren’t going to stop being in nature, or stop having adventures, just because we had a child. To be fair, we made a conscious choice as a couple. We knew the benefits, from reading and our own life experiences, of going on great explorations and we wanted our child to have those benefits as well.
Over the years I saw that my child, and some of his friends, learned to be comfortable with nature because they’ve had so much practice. I fondly recall the group walking together at the “bay” and scaling the rocks along the shore or tackling a downed tree until they could balance on it seemingly endlessly. They really treated nature as their playground and looked for chances to be outdoors and just do things together. They seemed to be able to see something in nature and turn it into whatever they wanted.
Believe me, we encouraged it and provided opportunities for it to thrive over the years. And, if your kids are not there yet, fear not as you can encourage it too! If you see a grouping of rocks in the park, maybe it’s about saying, “Doesn’t that rock look like a…” and fill in the blank. Or “don’t those monkey bars remind you of the space ship we saw at…”
Once you start this, you’ll realize just how good children are at discovering things. When you are out in nature, the number of possibilities for imagination are endless and the benefits to the health of our mind, body, and emotions bountiful.
