Blog

father and son fishing together

Families That Play Together

Recreation has all kinds of benefits for the mental, physical, and social health of young people. One of the primary benefits of youth recreation is that it often builds a sense of community and provides opportunities

read more …
baseball team with coaches

Building Empathy Through Coaching

For youth, positive intergenerational relationships are essential for healthy emotional development. While relationships with adult family members are central in the lives of young people, it’s important for kids to

read more …
young men playing basketball

Adolescent to Adult: Recreation in a Time of Transition

When we think about youth recreation, it’s easy to picture elementary school kids exploring a neighborhood park or high school athletes gearing up for practice. But we also know that the needs we have as kids don’t

read more …
coach with young swimmers

Positive Coaching Workshop Highlights Youth Development in Sports

Last month, NRF partnered with the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) to offer a workshop for our grantees focused on making youth athletic programming more meaningful for participants. While PCA’s work is generally

read more …
two young girls in the woods on a science program
Photo Credit: Capturing WNC Photography

Lessons from Muddy Sneakers: Outdoor Science Learning is Especially Powerful for Girls

Learning outside can have all kinds of advantages for students who don’t perform at their best in a traditional classroom setting. While outdoor learning has become a popular idea during the pandemic, lots of

read more …
girl with braces in the park

Time Outside Builds Resilience in Youth Mental Health

It’s clear by now that the pandemic is having a negative effect on our collective mental health, especially among young people. You can check out our February blog post to learn more about those trends. Adolescents

read more …