Tried and Tested Ways To Foster a Love of the Outdoors with Your Children

If you ask a group of older people, parents or grandparents, what they would do for fun when they were younger, and where many of their happy memories come from, a lot of them are going to talk about being outdoors. It might be playing at the park, biking with friends, jumping in the lake, or other outdoor pursuits. If you compare those kinds of things to what children do a lot of today, then it can be quite different when modern kids start talking about movies, YouTube, and PlayStations.

Many kids do grow up in urban environments as where people live, and how places and cities have changed makes a difference. But it can’t just be a case of moving home to the countryside to get outside. We all need to have some time outdoors in order to really live well. Plus, being able to play outside is an important way for kids to develop some movement skills and confidence. But there are more and more parents who struggle with getting their kids outdoors at all times of the year. So here are some of the proven tips and tricks that will get them outside and enjoying their time.

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1. Talking to your children is one of the most important things. And by doing so, you can tell them that it is fine to get wet, dirty, and messy. Then it will help them to be more adventurous when they won’t feel they’ll get in trouble for some dirty clothes.
2. When you plan play dates and are organizing them all, then plan an outdoor play date. Plan to take your children to the park, a creek, or a lake. Then let them all play together in the great outdoors and seeing how they can learn from the natural environment.
3. Allow your children to use some natural resources into the play equipment that they use. Examples might include things like tree stumps that they can use to jump off, logs or boulders to climb and sit on as well as using for balance. Plants, sand, and gravel can all be used in play too. It can allow for some real creative and imaginative play.
4. Encourage them to go to day camps or summer camps like America's Finest Summer Camps if you want them to be fully immersed into an outdoors experience. Booking them on something like that can be a way to get them to enjoy time outdoors as they’ll see how versatile the outdoors are.
5. One thing that you can do is to set a timer for a certain amount of screen time. You can still have your kids enjoying some screen time, but it needs to be controlled, rather than just leaving them to it.
6. If you have an outdoor space for your children to play in, then make sure that you encourage them to get out there to play, instead of bedrooms, for example. Some chalks, water play, and playing with balls can all be creative.
7. Be outdoors with your children and plant things like a garden, flowers, or even grow your own veggies with your children.