The Dirt on Dirt: How Getting Dirty Makes for Heathy Kids

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In many households, dirt is a four letter word, one that must never be uttered and certainly playing in dirt is an urge that must never be acted upon.  However there is a secret to share about dirt, a very dirty secret…playing in dirt and mud is healthy for you!…and how appropriate, since every kid loves getting messy in the dirt and mud.The Dirt on Dirt_How Getting Dirty Makes for Heathy Kids - Stay At Home Educator

Recent studies report that children who spend the better part of their day playing indoors (rather than outside in the dirt and sunshine), in the company of technology, have a increased risk of obesity, vitamin D deficiency, depression and also attention deficit hyper-activity disorder.  In fact, in the last twenty years with the dramatic increase of media entertainment and electronic games, childhood obesity has more than doubled and prescriptions for anti-depressants and ADHD medications in pediatric patients has risen sharply.

But, dirt harbors bacteria, so naturally we worry about our children getting dirty in the mud.

Researchers now recommend playing in the dirt as a way to boost the body’s immune system, that digging in the dirt (and even ingesting a little bit of it) actually can help decrease a child’s risk of allergies and asthma.  The basis for this stems from the idea that limiting child’s play to primarily the indoors limits their exposure to natural organisms that build a healthy and strong immune system.  That limitation causes a greater risk of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and type-1 diabetes in adulthood.

Dirt on Dirt_How Getting Dirty Makes for Heathy Kids - Stay At Home Educator

In addition to the physical health benefits, dirt and mud play simply makes a person happier.  Many studies indicate that playing outdoors and getting messy decreases stress and anxiety in children.  In a lab study using mice, researchers at the University of Bristol and their colleagues at University College London found that exposure to certain friendly bacteria found in soil altered behavior in much the same way man-made chemical ingredients do in anti-depressant drugs.  Human cancer patients treated by the bacteria Mycobacterium vaccae, also found naturally in soil, reported a better quality of life.  Researchers reason that the bacteria Mycobacterium vaccae activates the neurons in the brain that contain serotonin, the chemical that makes humans happy.  Further studies are currently being conducted.

Sometimes, it seems that kids do know what is best for them, and based on the research, playing in the dirt and mud has so many healthy benefits.  Building strong immune systems, decreasing obesity and depression, decreasing stress and anxiety, and so on and so on.  The advantages outweigh the detriment of getting muddy.

Get the kids outside and let them get messy with some of these great ideas!

Beyond Mud Pies: Mud Bricks by Family fun
30+ Mud Activities by Growing a Jeweled Rose
How We Built a Mud Pit by Having Fun at Chelle’s House

For further reading:

Getting the Dirt on Dirt for happier, Healthier Children by National Wildlife Federation
Bacteria Found In The Soil Activated A Group Of Neurons That Produce The Brain Chemical Serotonin by Medical News Today
Report Recommends Mud Pies for Earth Day by Galion Inquirer
The Mud Center: Recapturing Childhood by Community Playthings
Let Your Kids Get Dirty! by Simple Mom
Marvelous Mud by Rusty Keeler

22 Comments

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  4. Very interesting =) Thanks for sharing. I do believe that kids should be exposed and should be allowed to spend more time playing with dirt and less time trapped in a ‘spic and span’ home. Dirt not only has a positive impact on the cognitive skills of a child but it also increases their happiness and enhances their learning. Mother Dirt knows best =)

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  9. I love this article! Dirt is one of the highlights of my day care. The children make pies and cakes and love to wiggle their toes in it all day! Can’t wait to share this info with my parents.

  10. My mother often had to hose us down in the driveway before we could come in the house! Dirt is great and playing in it is awesome fun. I actually tell my kids that, when they get out of the bathtub if there is not scunge (read: dirt) in the bottom of the bathtub they did not do their job. That it is their job to get dirty. They think I’m crazy. I also believe that you need to ingest a certain amount of dirt to grow. Maybe that’s why so many kids are short these days? LOL

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  13. I’m so glad you linked this post to the Outside Play Link Up. I loved the article and had previously pinned it!

  14. Great post
    I talked to some early educators recently about UK pre schools who have mud trays in their outdoor classrooms. They didn’t think US parents would accept it. Thanks for giving me some sound research to back it up.
    Is the Bristol research from alspac?

  16. I couldn’t agree more! My kids are under sanitized and over dirty and honestly are the healthiest kids I know. Not a cold, stomach bug, ear infection, or any other sickness in the 5 years they’ve been alive! My daughter has never been to the doctor other then routine checkups and I attribute it 100% to the food she eats and the way she plays

  17. That is brilliant and something I have believed for a long time. Avoiding such germs and bacteria only means that you have little ability to fight anything more serious through lack of immunity.

    Thanks for sharing on Science Sparks 🙂

    Kerry

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