We know that nature serves as a calming force when we're stressed or anxious, and its effects on children may be even more profound.

"Nature has the power to make children happier, healthier, and smarter," Sarah Milligan-Toffler, executive director of the Children & Nature Network, explained during the Biophilic Leadership Summit, a gathering of dozens of thought leaders in nature-inspired design held this April.

The summit was sponsored by Interface, a sustainable modular carpet company, and the was backdrop—fittingly—was Serenbe, a buzzy wellness community where no home is more than a minute from a hiking trail, 70 percent of the land is reserved as protected green space, and unrivaled access to nature is practically guaranteed with a lease. With edible plants dotted throughout family backyards and trampolines embedded into the grass of public parks, the Georgian town served as a nearly utopian example of the outdoor exploration and play that Milligan-Toffler says is essential to childhood development—especially in an age when the average child spends 90 percent of their time indoors.

"Research supports that the more high-tech we become, the more nature we need in our lives," she tells mindbodygreen. However, recent studies show that the inverse is happening: One out of the UK found that 75 percent of children spend less time outside than prison inmates, and they harbor a growing fear of the outdoors preferring the safety of lives lived on screens.

"When we're focused on our screens, we almost have to close down our other senses. When you're outside, your senses are awakened and there's a wider focus, which allows the part of your brain that concentrates to rest and restore and be ready to take in information or concentrate in a very particular way."