It can greatly relieve stress and make you feel happy. There are so many benefits to visiting the park!

□ Li Zhengrong

Recently, a hot word "20-minute park effect" has appeared on the Internet. This is a concept proposed by the International Journal of Environmental Health Research, which means that just spending 20 minutes a day in the park can greatly reduce stress and make you feel better. In family education, how can parents make good use of the 20-minute park effect?

Promote parent-child dialogue

Nowadays, children have a lot of study tasks and very limited time, so it is difficult for parents to have a relaxed and pleasant communication with their children. Making good use of the "20-minute park effect" is a good opportunity for equal communication. Parents and children can take a walk and observe nature, open their hearts and have friendly discussions. Discussing "what do you feel" and "what do you think" about what you see and what you are interested in - such inspiring questions are one of the best ways to communicate with children.

In the book "The Child: The Challenge", which is regarded as the founding work of child psychology, psychologist Rudolf Dreikurs pointed out that although most parents talk to their children with a good attitude, what the children hear is still preaching.

Therefore, parents should learn to talk to their children "with" rather than "at" them. What is the difference between the two? Talking to a child means telling him what we want him to do, asking him to obey, and it is the parents who are thinking; while talking to a child means that the parents think with him and find ways to solve the problem or improve the situation together.

For example, the growth of the famous scientist Qian Xuesen was inseparable from the influence of his father.

Qian's father paid great attention to raising his children in a natural environment. Every spring and autumn, he would take young Qian Xuesen to Xiangshan Park, Xishan and other places for outings, breathing fresh air while exchanging interesting natural phenomena. One autumn, when Qian Xuesen was admiring the red leaves in Xiangshan, he saw a soaring eagle. His father took the opportunity to tell him Zhuangzi's "Xiaoyaoyou" and guided him to establish the ambition of Kunpeng. This way of combining education with entertainment can naturally and effectively promote parent-child relationships.

Promote brain development

Humans have lived on Earth for hundreds of thousands of years, but large-scale urbanization has only occurred in the past 200 years. In the long history of evolution, most of human life has been dominated by nature, and generations of Homo sapiens have adapted to the diversity of nature, so our genes naturally crave nature.

In a comparative study, it was found that children living in communities with higher green coverage were healthier both physically and mentally, were better able to cope with stress and manage interpersonal conflicts, and even performed better on overall cognitive tests.

Brain science research has long discovered that humans need nature. Being in a natural environment for 20 minutes can significantly reduce the body's cortisol levels, which is what we often call the stress hormone. The chirping of birds and the fragrance of flowers can also allow the brain's rational control center, the prefrontal cortex, to relax and rest, allowing better decision-making and self-control and other higher-level thinking.

When you are relaxed, you can also stimulate your creativity. Zhu Yingchun, a famous book designer, has won many awards such as "China's Most Beautiful Book" and "World's Most Beautiful Book". His studio is in the city center, but it is full of pastoral atmosphere, with flowers, trees and insects. He draws inspiration from nature and creates many interesting books.

For example, in his first book about nature, The Book of Insects, all the "words" in it are traces of insects crawling - the whole book is full of insect crawling and gnawing marks. Except for the cover and basic information, there is no human word in the whole book. Zhu Yingchun said: "My 'five senses' are gradually opening up, and I hope to meet more insect neighbors."

Promote self-awareness

The communication between people and nature does not need to go to remote places. Right next to us, parks of all sizes can carry our emotions and memories. We can talk to people around us naturally with our children, or we can say nothing and enjoy a moment of leisure quietly. A flower is a world, and a moment is eternal. A special moment may start a dialogue with the depths of our hearts.

Shi Tiesheng, a contemporary Chinese writer, could not find a job or a way out in the first few years of his disability, so he went to Ditan Park near his home every day in his wheelchair. In this quiet park, he pondered life and death, sorted out his chaotic thoughts, walked out of his mental exhaustion, and also glimpsed his own soul.

Fifteen years after his relationship with the Altar of Earth, Shi Tiesheng wrote the famous philosophical essay "I and the Altar of Earth". He wrote with deep feeling: "In the quiet light that permeates the whole garden, it is easier for a person to see time and his own figure." "Because of this garden, I am always grateful for my fate. I can even clearly see how I will miss it, how I will miss it and dream about it, and how I will not be able to dream about it because I dare not miss it." The influence of "I and the Altar of Earth" is still there, and it also inspires the new generation to make good use of parks to understand themselves and the world, even if it is only 20 minutes a day.

(The author is an educational science writer and deputy editor-in-chief of Beijing Daily Press)