Youth Mental Health Day, observed every September, is a powerful reminder of the importance of supporting young people’s emotional well-being.
Youth mental health is an increasing concern in Scotland, with studies highlighting the significant impact of recent years on young people’s well-being. According to the Mental Health Foundation, four in ten young people aged 18-24 reported mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, research by the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland revealed that 39% of individuals aged 11 to 24 were worried about their mental health during this period. These findings emphasise the importance of providing early support and promoting positive mental health practices. Outdoor activities and connection with nature have been shown to reduce stress and foster well-being, offering valuable ways to support young people’s mental health.
Nature offers a simple yet effective way to help children and young people reduce stress, improve mood, and build a sense of connection—to themselves, to others, and to the world around them. This Youth Mental Health Day, let’s explore outdoor activities that foster mindfulness, joy, and resilience while deepening those vital connections.
1. Nature Journalling for Reflection
Encourage children to take a quiet moment in nature and reflect on their surroundings by journalling. Provide them with prompts like, “What do you see, hear, smell, and feel?” or “Write about something in nature that makes you feel calm.” A journal can be just for the children. t is a great way to explore literacy with no pressure this way.
Some prompts to help:
Take a moment to sit quietly outside. What sounds do you hear? How do they make you feel?
Find something in nature that catches your eye. Describe it in detail—its colour, texture, and shape.
Think about a time you felt peaceful outdoors. Where were you, and what made that moment special?
Look at the sky right now. What do you notice? How does it make you feel?
Go on a short walk and find three things that make you smile. Write about why they stood out to you.
Imagine you’re an animal living in your local area. What would your day look like? Where would you go, and what would you do?
Describe how being outside makes your body feel—warm, cool, relaxed, or energised? Why do you think that is?
Observe a plant closely. What changes do you notice about it (new leaves, flowers, or colours)?
Write about a time you faced a challenge outdoors (like bad weather or getting lost). How did you overcome it?
If you could plant anything in your garden, what would it be and why? How would it change the space around you?
Connection Tip: Suggest revisiting journal entries over time to notice personal growth and changing seasons, fostering a deeper connection to themselves and nature.
2. Mindful Nature Walk
Take children on a mindful walk, encouraging them to slow down, breathe deeply, and observe their surroundings without judgment. Ask them to focus on one sense at a time—for example, what they hear or the different textures they can feel.
As you walk, notice five different sounds. What do they remind you of? How do they make you feel?
Pay attention to the colours around you. How many different shades of green, brown, or other colours can you find?
Feel the ground beneath your feet. Is it soft, hard, smooth, or rough? How does it change as you move?
Pause and take a deep breath. What do you smell? Is it fresh, earthy, or something else?
Look up at the sky. What patterns do the clouds make, or how does the sunlight filter through the trees?
Find something small, like a leaf or a pebble. Hold it in your hand and describe how it feels.
Notice how the air feels on your skin. Is it warm or cool? Is there a breeze?
Watch for movement—birds flying, leaves rustling, or insects crawling. How does nature stay in constant motion?
As you walk, think about how your body moves. How do your legs, feet, and arms feel with each step?
Find a quiet spot to stand still for a minute. What’s the first thing you notice when you stop moving?
Mindful walks help to reduce anxiety and stress through children become more present and aware.
Connection Tip: After the walk, invite children to share one thing they noticed that they hadn’t seen or heard before, encouraging reflection and gratitude.
3. Create a Gratitude Tree
Set up a gratitude tree where children can hang notes or drawings of things they are thankful for. These could be related to nature, people, or anything that brings them joy. Use a real tree, a branch in a pot, or even a paper tree on a wall. I have seen a few schools do this very well when it is celebrated by not just the school but the wider community.
This is a simple activity that encourages positive thinking and gratitude, which are linked to improved mental health. It helps foster a sense of community as children share their notes.
4. Collaborative Art in Nature
In small groups, ask children to create temporary art using natural materials like leaves, stones, and twigs. The focus should be on working together, sharing ideas, and enjoying the process rather than the final result.
When doing this activity I try to ensure my guidance is clear in terms of everyone has a voice and plays a part, but very loose in what I want to find. This helps true creativity happen as the children are not just reproducing an example.
Connection Tip: Take photos of the art before it’s dismantled and display them as a reminder of the shared experience.
5. Building Resilience Through Outdoor Challenges
Set up a simple outdoor challenge, such as building a small shelter from sticks or navigating a short nature trail using a map. The aim is to promote problem-solving and perseverance in a fun and supportive environment.
This encourages resilience by helping children face and overcome challenges and strengthens peer connections through teamwork.
Additional Activities
- Breathing with the trees: Have children practice deep breathing while focusing on the gentle sway of tree branches.
- Emotion stones: Ask children to collect stones and assign each one an emotion, then discuss how they can manage those emotions.
- Cloud watching: Encourage children to lie down and watch the clouds, sharing what shapes they see.
- Positive pebble painting: Have children paint pebbles with positive words or images and place them around the garden or playground.
- Sound mapping: Sit quietly in nature and map out all the sounds they can hear, promoting mindfulness and sensory awareness.
Why Nature Supports Mental Health
Numerous studies have shown that spending time in nature can significantly improve mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and feelings of depression. Nature provides a calming environment where children can slow down, breathe deeply, and reconnect with themselves and their surroundings. Activities that involve creativity, teamwork, and reflection help foster emotional resilience and a sense of belonging. By encouraging young people to step outside and engage with the natural world, we give them a powerful tool to support their mental well-being.
This Youth Mental Health Day, let’s use nature as a space for connection, reflection, and healing. Whether through journalling, mindful walks, or collaborative art, these activities provide meaningful ways for children to connect—with themselves, with others, and with the world around them. Together, we can help young people build resilience, find joy, and develop lifelong habits that support their mental health.
