Boost your child’s mental health with adventure

Location: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland

New research by AdventureMind details the benefits of adventure for children and the opportunities for learning and development that it can bring, supporting children and young people to live healthy, fulfilling lives.  

The key elements of adventure include: 

  • connection with nature  
  • physical activity 
  • an unfamiliar experience 
  • challenge and risk 
  • physiologically energised  
  • working together and 
  • supporting relationships. 
Family with kids looking out over fields

Co-author of ‘The benefits of adventure for children’ and Adventurer, Belinda Kirk, explains; 

“Adventure is for everyone. Adventure doesn’t have to be monumental; you don’t have to climb Everest. To kick-start a more adventurous lifestyle, you might simply take small adventurous steps to test yourself.

“Adventure experiences for children are diverse. They might include forest schools, high ropes courses, adventurous play, camping, water sports, and climbing, amongst many other activities. Adventures range from once-in-a-lifetime experiences, through to everyday adventures, accessible to all.”  

Mark Rowland, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation added, "Adventure helps to generate a range of positive emotions, including excitement, joy and wonder. 

"It also helps to develop a healthy relationship to uncertainty. That is so important in boosting confidence and in children learning how to manage fear and anxiety.

 "In mental health, there are no silver bullets. But there is huge untapped potential in encouraging children to discover the world around them... and themselves in the process."

Challenge accepted 

Adventure is all about facing challenge and risk. It provides children with exposure to new experiences, making them feel physiologically energised and can provide an opportunity to learn about coping effectively. This in turn can help children to feel more comfortable when faced with future challenges and reduce the likelihood that they will feel anxious and overwhelmed, supporting them to live with good mental health. 

With that in mind, we have some everyday adventures for you to explore. Challenge yourself and your little ones to try something new this summer.   

7 ways to get adventuring

1. Go on a human-powered journey

We know that movement is good for our mental health, in fact, studies have shown that those who get moving are 12-23% more likely to have lower levels of poor mental health than those who are more sedentary.

Set you and your family a challenge to walk, run, cycle or kayak from A to B during a day or a weekend. The excitement of exploring new areas is as primal as it gets. Then there’s the fun of problem-solving along the way. If you don’t make it and have to catch a bus or call for a taxi, that’s OK; it’s all part of the adventure. It’s the stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying that’s important, not the end point. And when you do make it to the destination, the feeling of exhilaration is second to none. Start small and keep it simple; the most important thing is that you give it a go.  

Adult and toddler running up a hill
Woman swimming in ocean

2. Go wild swimming

All you need to pack is a swimming costume, a towel and an open mind. There are many wild-swimming communities and websites now that offer advice on locations, safety tips and organised events. Check Wild Swimming Map UK for spots near you.

Start in the summer, watch where others are swimming regularly, take a friend and walk in – don’t jump into water you’ve not swum in before. Make wild swimming family-friendly with an alfresco swim by visiting a local lido.

One of the biggest adventures, and also most valuable life-saving skill, is to learn to swim. Get inspired by our Olympic swimming team, many of whom started out by having a dip in their local leisure centres. There are lots of crash courses running daily and weekly throughout the summer.  

3. Bouldering

Bouldering is in fashion at the moment, for good reason. Not only is it incredible form of exercise but a bouldering wall offers your family a relatively safe space where they can prove to themselves what they are capable of. They can test themselves against climbing routes that seem, from the bottom, to be too hard for them. But with an introduction to the basic techniques, a little emotional support and some patience, they can show themselves that they are capable of more than they thought. And all of this is available in most towns and cities.

You don’t even have to scale huge wall-faces, bouldering just a foot or two off the ground gives the same effect and children can participate safely under professional supervision at most walls.

If you don’t have a centre nearby, the same effect can be achieved outside, free of charge with some amateur parkouring. No need for extreme sports, any small obstacle or feature of your urban environment can become a moment of excitement. What about an obstacle course through the local park for some friendly competition? 

Photo of Jessica Parish Edin with her medal

4. Take part in an organised adventure-challenge event

The Mental Health Foundation organises a range of adrenalin-pumping challenges and our CEO and Adventurer, Mark Rowland, leads by example, taking part in sky dives and is a keen ultra-marathon runner.

Struggling for ideas? Explorer Belinda Kirk, who co-authored this research, also runs Explorers Connect a not-for-profit organisation and knows a thing or two about adventures - big or small! 

5. Embrace bad weather (like Peppa Pig!)

Weather is something you cannot control and British weather is very changeable! Rather than avoiding the rain and wind, choose to run in it! Go on your own ‘Bear Hunt’ ‘swish, swash’ across grass, ‘splish splash’ in puddles and the sea and ‘squelch’ about in the mud. TIP: For big and little kids alike. 

Family watching sunset

6. Seek the sunset and sunrise 

The natural rhythm of the sun is something the majority of us take for granted, but sunsets and sunrises are breath-taking and can induce feelings of awe. Walking into the approaching darkness just as everyone else is settling in for the night or cycling into the sunrise gives a sense of extra excitement and challenge. Even following a route in the dark that is familiar to you in the daytime is a novel experience; you’ll use different senses, and it will feel like a different world. It’s a great way to experience real adventure and excitement with little planning or travel.  

7. Night-time adventures

  • Try a walk, run, hike or cycle route; somewhere that you know and not too far, as under the cover of darkness is a very different experience.
  • Whether you live in the countryside, beach or city, explore nature on your doorstep and take a nocturnal nature watch: search for bats and foxes.
  • Stargaze – whether you are in the city or countryside, there are lots of public stargazing sites to be found. 
  • Get crafting by twilight or torch light and learn a new skill – there are so many new skills you can learn in the outdoors. From bushcraft and campcraft to technical skills, such as navigation or white-water kayaking. Book in with an instructor or teach yourself.  

All you need for a Family Camp Out

Camping is a guaranteed adventure, no matter how many times you’ve done it, and spending nights outside is one of the simplest ways to live more adventurously. An easy start is to camp in your (or your friend’s) garden. Once you progress further afield, try a wilderness campsite instead of a site that has all the modern conveniences and distractions.  

Immerse yourself in nature and the experience. Connecting with nature is a key element of adventure and is recognised as benefiting our mental health. Our 2021 report 'How connecting with nature benefits our mental health' found that 70% of UK adults agreed being close to nature improves their mood, and 49% said being close to nature helps them to cope with stress.  

If you don’t have access to a garden, get in touch with your local guides and scouts who can provide space to access and experience a night outdoors.

  • Campfire cooking

Campfire cooking is brilliant fun, and if you’ve never tried it before, it’s the perfect time to give it a go. Get inspiration: 5 Foods You Can Cook on a Campfire.

  • Garden camping

Garden camping is an excellent way to introduce camping to children. Get  ideas and tips for spending a night in the garden.

  • Wild camping (for beginners)

Spending a night under the stars away from civilisation is a feeling money can’t buy. It’s the ultimate adventure. If you're a beginner, check out: How to Wild Camp: A Beginner's Guide.

  • Campfires

Campfires can be a great centrepiece for any camping trip, but it is vitally important that you do this safely.

"You really don’t need time, money or expertise to have an adventure" - Tim Moss, Everyday Adventures Campaign.

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