We talk a lot about what unstructured outdoor play looks like for young children, the benefits for their growing minds and bodies. Those benefits do not stop after a certain age, though. They change, much like our children, as we age into youth - and onward to adults. But yet, free-range play for teenagers can feel somewhat elusive. So, let's explore more about this and ways we can try to achieve those same early childhood experiences, modified in age-appropriate ways for our teens.
People have stereotyped teenagers – there are no play areas for teenagers. - Burton Green, teenager
In a report prepared for Natural England, all the way back in 2006, teenagers were the focus of a discussion on outdoor play. What are the benefits? What are the available options? What are the barriers? Turns out, the benefits, much like for other ages, spanned mental, physical, social and educational development. But I was particularly compelled reading the list gathered by teenagers themselves about the value they see in their free-range outdoor experiences:
What do young people say they value from wild adventure space?
- something to keep you out of trouble
- a breathing space, away from family or peer pressures
- a place that offers risk and challenge
- a place that inspires you to do things
- a place where you can do what you want, where you can relax and feel free
- a comfortable place, without adults, where won’t be told to go away
- a place to have a good time with your friends
Teenagers were looking for a place to be inspired, to be tested, to feel free, to avoid the pressures of society, and at times to find themselves, while at other times, be communal. Well, if that doesn't articulate much of what I look to experience in my own time spent in nature or engaged in outdoor adventures. Which shouldn't surprise me all that much. As teenagers straddle the line between childhood and adulthood, there are parts that will be equally aligned with the desires we adults have, as well as the the desires younger children have, and in that mixture comes out a balance that is absolutely youth driven free-range play.
But the report also talked about the barriers. If wild adventure experiences are so beneficial and so desired, why isn't it happening all the time? And this is where things get interesting. The barriers are largely societal. Youth, afraid they'll be ostracized by their peers. Adults, harping on the risks associated with free-roaming teens. Media, emphasizing the allure of indoor activities and experiences and adversely, again, the risks of being outdoors. And then arguably, one of the hardest ones for me to digest: perceived cost of coordinating such activities, and a lack of available organized options. There were a host of others barriers discussed, but they all carried a similar message. The challenges in engaging teenagers in outdoor play experiences were entrenched, much by our own making. Which, at the same time, actually left me optimistic. For when it comes to solutions, this meant we could put out the fire we started, no?
In it's closing, the report called for proactive steps to be taken to better integrate these outdoor experiences into the lives of their local youth. Inspiring and promising, and wide-spread across many different groups of people. While it was challenging to find a follow up to this report in terms of action steps, it is not hard to find the presence of outdoor learning and free-range outdoor play more widely spread across the UK. Their resources, opportunities and focus in many ways feels light-years ahead of what is happening across the pond in the US or elsewhere in the world. But that doesn't mean it's out of reach, it means we have models to follow.
Here are some ways that we can incorporate more free-range outdoor experiences for our youth, wherever we live. Some of which might be in your area, others, which if not, can be coordinated by parents for their children or by youth themselves.
01. Access Established Programs
Do you have outdoor programs available in your area - unstructured play experiences, like adventure playgrounds, adventure camping, adventure excursions, tinkering experiences? Start your search for these wild programs online or check our growing map for locations near you.
02. Model Outdoor Adventure as a Family
To break down some of the barriers to outdoor play, it helps to walk the walk. Has your family gone on a hike, tried camping, explored any homesteading projects? If not, imagine the ways you can challenge yourself to do this. It just may make outdoor experiences that much more accessible - emotionally and socially - for your teen.
03. Coordinate Opportunities as a Parent
Not finding any opportunities for teens to simply engage in the outdoors together? Explore what you can easily coordinate. Here are Forest School For All, we walk you through creating free explorations groups step-by-step, for any age. You can also talk to other local parents or school administrators about coordinating outdoor, adventure-based excursions for a group of youth. Starting with something organized like a hike or an adventure-based activity may eventually transition into more free-range experiences once your youth see that the outdoors as an accessible setting, and often most importantly at that age, their friends are enjoying themselves in it.
04. Encourage Youth to Take the Lead
Youth are eager to control their experiences. Open the door for them to get them thinking about outdoor play, and then encourage the way they choose to approach it. Give them the space to explore as well as the resources to make risky play healthy rather than dangerous.
Teenagers may not be the first age group we think of when we're aiming to expand outdoor play opportunities, but they benefit from the experience just as much as anyone else. Let's challenge ourselves to give them and support them in those free-range experiences. The benefits just may surprise us - and them. It also may make it so our own youth don't feel that they've been stereotyped or left behind. The outdoors has much to offer, let's give it to our teenagers as well.