Encouraging Your Kids to Spend More Time Outdoors

When our children are very young, they love to spend time outside. They play in the mud, kick balls around, and love nothing more than a trip to the playground. They don’t need much to keep them happy outdoors, and if anything, getting them to come back in is the biggest challenge.

Then they get a little older and the pull of TV screens, consoles, tablets, and smartphones starts to grow. They spend more and more time inside and as parents, we worry about how much time they spend on screens, and how little fresh air, vitamin D, and exercise they are getting.

The good news is that getting them to spend more time outside doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are a few ideas to help.

Make Sure Your Garden is Safe

Older children don’t need complete supervision when they are outside. But that doesn’t mean that you don’t need to keep your garden as safe as you did when they were toddlers. Make sure your garden is enclosed and that there are no chemicals left out, or that none of your plants are toxic. If there are any signs of pests such as rats, get help from pest control Wolverhampton.

Relax Your Rules

Your kids will never have fun playing in the garden if they are always worried that they will get into trouble for getting muddy, walking dirt into the house, or hitting plants with their ball. You might want a neat and tidy home and garden but try to relax as much as you can. They’ll be time for a tidier garden once they’ve grown up.

Eat Outdoors Together

Eating outside is a fantastic way to get more fresh air and sunlight, and most people find that food tastes better when it’s eaten outdoors. Invest in a table and chairs so you can eat outside as a family and start taking picnics to the park and on days out. You’ll spend more time outside if you don’t have to worry about coming home to eat.

Make Plans

As much as we might like to think that we’re chilled out and spontaneous, most of us are more likely to do things if we have plans. Make a list of things that you want to do and places that you want to visit in the summer, and book as much as you can. If you don’t need a booking, at least write it down in your diary.

Make Walks Fun

Tell your kids that you are going for a walk, and they might not be very enthusiastic. But if you can make walks more entertaining, they might be happier to come along. Try encouraging them to take photos, do scavenger hunts together, or play other games.

Try Things Together

A great way to spend time outside together is to try new things. Try cycling, rollerblading, paddle boarding, and simple games like football in the park.

Spending time outdoors as a family is great for all of you. Try to have plans in place and make sure your garden is safe to spend time in.