Why I Let My Daughter Play In Dirt

On any given day in the summer, you can normally find baby bear in the backyard. Shovel in hand, feet bare, dirt down her clothes (and probably on her face because let’s face it; toddler eat dirt) and matted into her hair. And I love it. I love looking over and seeing my cute little girl covered in dirt.

A lot of people manage to sell their kids clothes an make some extra money. We are not those people. I can’t deny that I have the child who is constantly covered in stains, mud and dirt. But I’m okay with it.

The truth is, allowing your kids to play in dirt comes with a host of benefits. Not in the least is that they love it! Toddlers find dirt unbelievably intriguing and I couldn’t imagine taking that away. Between “gardening”, helping daddy with the lawn and just plain digging, baby bear never seems to be out of the dirt!

But like I said, there’s benefits to mucking around in all that soil and here they are:

Playing in the dirt helps boost your immune system

This is the biggest perk for me.

We seem to have started living in a freakishly sterilized world and yet people are more sick than ever. The truth is, by playing in dirt you’re allowing your body to build up defenses to its and adjust to the environment.

By giving their systems time to adjust to the environment, kids are less likely t have allergies as they’ve already built up the necessary defenses.

While it may not look appetizing, it really isn’t the end of the world if your kid eats some dirt. Standing, playing, touching are all awesome.

It keeps kids outside

I personally hate this new age of technology where kids as young as two can work an iphone better than me. Though that’s a rant for another day. Regardless of the learning perks of an ipad, getting outside and enjoying the sun, the earth and nature is beyond beneficial for kids.

Not only has nature been shown to lessen stress and anxiety but kids can learn so much but just exploring outside. By digging, playing and using their hands.

As a kid, I was forced outside in the summer from 9am-9pm (my step mothers biggest rule). And truthfully, I loved it. We played, dug, built, fished and rode biked. Kids learn from doing so get them out!

It boosts Vitamin D

If your little one is outside in the dirt chances are they’re getting their fair share of sunshine too! Vitamin d is awesome for both bones as well as the immune system so letting your kids hang out outside is perfect for them

Kids will sleep better

The old saying that fresh air wipes you out is true! Being outside and playing in the earth gets you tuckered. Between the sun, the activity and the long days your kids will sleep much better after a day outside.

Dirt Is Good For The Brain & The Skin

It’s been shown that dirt provides positive benefits for the brain and the skin. Personally, I think this is because being outside naturally makes us happier thus, benefiting our brain. As for inflammation, some types of dirt or clay definitely have anti-inflammatory properties.

Don’t forget to pin these dirt tips!

Regardless of the reasons, dirt is good your kids on so any levels. While bath time at the end of the day may be a bit longer (dirt under the nails takes forever to come out!) it’s definitely worth it. Help your kids boost their immune system, feel better and learn better by getting them outside and dirty.

Looking for more parenting tips and tricks? Check out How I Weaned My Baby To A Straw and The Best Way To Help Babies Learn