If you find that your children are mostly spending their time indoor and are either watching TV or indulging themselves on mobile devices… You may want to check out this list of 9 tips that will help to encourage your kids to play more outdoors.
Tip #1: Does your house have a backyard? If so, use this space as a play area for the children. You can install swing sets, slides, climbing walls with rope and ladders or cargo net (like the one below) to keep them occupied.
Tip #2: In case you have a garden, you can encourage your little ones to do the gardening with you and even assign days for them to water the plants, clear the yard and other similar chores. Don’t forget to get them their very own garden tools set!
Tip #3: Beside helping you with your gardening, you can encourage them to collect insects, small animals, and display them in one of those critter cases. Remember to remind them to be careful with these insects and try to release them by the end of the day, preferably!
Tip #4: Help your kids to build and paint a tree or birdhouse and encourage them to feed the birds. Note that it may not be so immediate to start having birds making visits.
Tip #5: Take your children to the park and other areas where they can run around, play, explore and appreciate the beauty of nature.
Tip #6: If you have to run an errand, bring your children along and encourage walking instead of driving or other means of transport.
Tip #7: Encourage your children to participate in outdoor sports and other group activities.
Tip #8: Give them books of trees, plants, insects, and animals, and take them out on excursions to photograph (an alternative way of using the mobile devices) and later compare and identify what they see in the books.
Tip #9: Take your kids swimming, camping or fishing on weekends or vacations and have a change from everyday routine.
An Important Note:
As you encourage your children to play outdoors, you will need to be patient and not make it appear like you want them outdoors just to get rid of them. That’s why you should join them whenever possible and in that way establish a desire in them to spend more time outdoors. Spending time outdoors is healthy and will make you and your kids appreciate nature while having fun bonding.