Justin Bieber’s fishing trip with baby Jack Blues is a reminder of what child development experts have been saying for years
Spring has sprung, and the outdoors is calling to kids everywhere. Even celebrities like Justin Bieber, whose recent Instagram post showed him and his 20-month-old son Jack Blues waiting for a catch on a lakeside dock, are getting out into the sunshine for some quality time.
But this is more than just a celebrity snapshot; it is a vivid illustration of something pediatric researchers have been urging parents to do for years.
Bieber, 32, posted the photos to Instagram after wrapping his two weekend headlining run at Coachella in Indio, California — performances for which he reportedly earned $10 million. The father and son were captured in a quiet, focused moment together, both dressed in coordinating blue outfits, eyes fixed on the water. No screens. No structured curriculum. Just fresh air and a parent’s full attention.
What The Science Actually Says About Kids And The Outdoors
The evidence in favor of outdoor time for children is substantial and growing. Researchers broadly agree that children who play outside are happier, more attentive, and less anxious than those who spend most of their time indoors, and that nature also builds confidence by giving kids the freedom to direct their own interactions with the world around them.
Unlike most indoor settings, outdoor environments engage multiple senses at once — sight, sound, smell, and touch — creating a richness of experience that screens simply cannot replicate.
The first five years of life are a particularly powerful window for this kind of learning. Nature-based learning during this period improves a child’s academic performance and critical thinking, while also building well-rounded perspectives by exposing kids to environments beyond their immediate surroundings.
Writer Ijeoma Nwatu notes for the Nature Conservancy that visiting a river or stream teaches children about fish habitat while also connecting them to where their drinking water comes from — the kind of layered, sensory lesson no app can deliver.
The urgency is real. Children today spend an average of seven hours a day in front of screens, a trend that has drawn sustained attention from public health advocates for well over a decade.
Outdoor play, by contrast, builds motor skills, supports immune function through vitamin D exposure, and gives children the physical space to develop social awareness and self-confidence in ways that indoor settings cannot match.
Getting Kids Outside
Many factors can limit the time children spend playing outside, and sometimes parents contribute to it without realizing it. It’s common to prioritize structured activities like academics or organized sports, assuming they are more beneficial. However, unstructured outdoor play is just as essential for healthy development.
Concerns about the weather or mess can also discourage outdoor time. In reality, with the right clothing and preparation, children can play outside comfortably in most conditions. Many preschools and forest schools embrace this approach, encouraging daily outdoor play regardless of the weather.
There are also unspoken assumptions about which children need or can handle active, adventurous play. Girls, for example, are often given fewer opportunities for outdoor play than boys, and as children grow older, their time outside tends to decrease. Yet all children—regardless of age or gender—benefit equally from time spent playing outdoors.
What This Means For Your Family
You do not need a Coachella paycheck or a celebrity platform to give your child what Justin Bieber gave Jack Blues on that fishing dock. Developmental science is consistent: unstructured time outdoors, especially in the company of an engaged parent, shapes children in ways that structured indoor activities simply cannot.
Camping, fishing, or even playing in the backyard, or at a local park or creek near your home, all qualify. The research does not require a scenic lake — it just requires you to step outside with your kid and let nature do the rest.
