Why Kids Focus Better Outside
Have you ever noticed how we feel calmer, or more focused, after playing outside?
There's real research on this. Kids with ADHD took the same concentration test three times: once after a walk in a park, once after a walk downtown, once after a walk in their own neighborhood. The park walk won every time. Actually, their scores looked closer to what you'd see after medication.
Last week we talked about how screens can wear focus down. This week's about the flip side — what actually builds it back up.
We want to tell you about a family who built something around a similar idea using natural materials instead of anything electronic.
HERO STORY
A Stitch in Focus
We want to introduce you to a young family in Toronto Canada. They were raising three kids when they learned how many children around the world go hungry and wanted to do something about it.
Determined to make a difference, the couple came up with an idea: to handcraft dolls that would donate 10 meals to children in need for every single one sold.
So they raised money in their community and within days, began their long journey to Peru to meet with knitters to bring their dream to life. Together, they created their first collection of hand-knit dolls from natural materials.
It would've been easy to stop after the first hard year, but they didn't.
Eleven years later, they're still making the same dolls, for the same reason, and have donated more than 40 million meals to kids who need them, which matters even more this month since it's also Malnutrition Awareness Week.
Here's the quiet turn: they didn't need something flashy to keep going. They needed one idea worth staying with. That's true for kids too. Focus isn't about finding the most exciting thing to do, it's about sticking with something even after it's not new anymore.
Happy 11th anniversary, cuddle+kind! Thank you for staying focused on something that matters.
If there's a little one in your life who could use something soft to hold onto, cuddle+kind is offering REK readers 15% off with code KID15, now through September 25, 2026 — a sweet gift that helps feed a child somewhere else too.
THE TINY TRY
The Outside Reset
Researchers who study attention have found that time outdoors actually helps the brain rest and reset. It's not exercise that does it. It's simply being outside.
This week, before homework or something that needs focus, try 20 minutes outside first. A walk, the backyard, a park — it doesn't matter much where.
Some days this won't be possible, and that's fine. Even a few minutes helps. The point isn't to be perfect about it. It's just to try it once and see what happens.
Want to make it stick? Help your child build their own habit recipe.
After I _______ (anchor: step on to my driveway after school, open the door)
I will ________ (tiny habit: open my window, get the mail, step into the backyard)
Then I'll ______ (celebrate! Fist pump, say "I’m free!," high-five myself)
Here's one to get you started: After I arrive at my front door after school, I will walk through the backyard and sit in the sun for a minute, then I'll give myself a fist pump.
A minute in the sun still counts. The goal isn't a long walk, it's building the habit of stepping outside before diving into their work.
Before you go…
Did you grow up believing multitasking was a skill worth having? Technology has only made it easier, but what it doesn't show us is the cost: our brains paying for it quietly, in stress and small mistakes we barely notice. So what does a better balance actually look like? This week's video breaks it down.
Source: TedTalk by David Strayer, Cognitive Psychologist, University of Utah
One more thing: next week we've got a surprise printable headed your way, perfect for outside, made for coloring in a little kindness.
Now go on, get outside for a bit. Your brain will thank you.
Your friends at REK,
Adam & Matthew Toren, Sylvia Tam, and Tammy Vallieres
Our new member hub is live — free activities, conversation starters, and resources for your family. Access it here.
“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”