What CV-worthy skills do we develop by spending more time outside?
February 15, 2023 | Topics: Stories
By Charlotte Halton
Photography by Eddee Daniel
Spending time outside may fall low on your priority list if you’re busy job-hunting, studying or otherwise living a busy life. But stepping into the great outdoors more often may actually help you land that dream job, as well as improve your outlook and wellbeing significantly.
From an early age, being outside is something that should be actively encouraged, as it provides endless benefits for childrens’ mental, physical and social development. But even as adults, spending more time outside is proven to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and significantly increases our overall wellbeing.
Whether you are looking to boost your children’s future employability or tweak your own horizons, here’s how being outdoors can help develop CV-worthy skills.
Resilience and adaptability
Nature’s playground is full of challenges, with each bringing a new opportunity for us to learn how to adapt and overcome obstacles. When children play outside, they naturally test out new ideas and try to push the limits of their environment and their own capabilities. From building dens with fallen branches to rolling down hills, each experience tests their knowledge and skillset. Young children are innately resilient; when learning to walk, it does not matter how many times they fall down, they still try again. This resistance to failure can be further nurtured by giving children ample time to explore outside in various landscapes.
As an adult, we can sometimes become scared of failure and less adaptable, choosing instead to hide inside our routines and safety nets. By exploring woodlands, coastal paths, and participating in outdoor activities, you can tap into your inner child and feel inspired to adopt a more positive, resilient mindset.
Social skills
Exposing yourself and your child to different social situations that come from spending more time outside can help to build confidence and communication skills. Whether you’re meeting new people or just spending time exploring with friends, socialising outside of your home can provide many benefits and opportunities in both your personal and professional life.
In a world of work that’s becoming increasingly disconnected, social skills remain a pivotal tool for employees looking to craft a successful career. Being adept at dealing with different social situations can have a positive impact on your ability to communicate effectively in the workplace. This can help you to foster healthy relationships with colleagues and ultimately give your productivity a boost.
Creative thinking
Even from a very young age, the time we spend in the great outdoors helps to develop our creative thinking capabilities. You don’t have to be engaged in a creative outlet like painting or writing to benefit from improved creative thinking; being immersed in nature can truly help to stimulate our creativity in school, at work, or even if you’re simply exploring new places.
From helping to reduce stress, to improving focus, to giving us more energy, the many advantages of spending time outdoors can all feed into your ability to solve problems and think creatively. What’s more, researchers at Stanford University found that walking can help to improve one’s creative output by as much as 60%.
Taking these skills into the workplace can help you to become more productive, better at solving problems and an all-round more valuable member of your team.
The photos selected to accompany this story are from all around the six-county region of SE Wisconsin. The links in the captions will take you to our page of information and photos for each of them. Many more can be found on our Find-a-Park map, so that you too can develop your CV-worthy skills — or just have a great time in the outdoors!
This article was submitted by Forest Holidays, which invites you to delve further into the subject with their guide to 50 ways forest and outdoor learning experiences benefit child development.
Charlotte Halton is a former primary school teacher, who now writes aims about childhood development and non-traditional learning methods. Eddee Daniel is on the board of Preserve Our Parks.