3 Ways To Encourage Your Kids To Spend More Time Outdoors All Year Round

In today’s society, many modern kids don’t spend an adequate amount of time outside. With all the technology around us and the desire for kids to learn and grow faster than they might naturally do, so much more of our children’s time is spent studying, watching videos, or doing other indoor activities.

But for your kids to be healthy, active, and learn about the world around them, they have to get more time outside. So if you have kids who are reluctant to go outside when there’s so much they could do inside, here are three ways you can encourage your kids to spend more time outdoors all year round. 

Give Them Something To Learn About

When kids are young, their minds are like little sponges wanting to soak up everything they can about the world around them. This is the perfect time to get them outside and learning about all there is to see beyond the walls of their home or school.

To further encourage this, Leticia Barr, a contributor to Scholastic.com, suggests that you send your kids outside with a task to learn about something they can find out there. This might be about the different plants or animals in your area, about the structure and design of your deck or your home, or about how to create something entirely on their own. But by giving them a little direction, especially at first, being outside with nothing to do won’t seem so intimidating. 

Challenge Them To Get As Dirty As They Can

When you send your kids outside, they’re bound to get a little dirty. But if you’ve been disappointed about how filthy they’ve gotten in the past, you might have subconsciously made your kids not want to be outside and incur your wrath in the future.

If this is something you think might be holding your kids back from playing outside, Trina Sporer, a contributor to Active For Life, recommends that you occasionally challenge your kids to get as dirty or messy as they can when outside. This will give them the freedom to explore things or areas that they might have steered clear of before. 

Bring Someone For Them To Play With

Sometimes, what your kids really need to enjoy playing outside is someone to share their adventure with. If you have multiple kids who like playing together, sending them outside with one another can give them an instant playmate,

For families with just one child, Catherine Holecko, a contributor to Very Well Family, recommends having one of your kids’ friends over to play with them when they go outside. Additionally, if you’re ready to take on some more responsibility, getting a pet that does well outside, like a dog, could encourage your child to spend more time outside playing with them as well. 

If you’re wanting your kids to spend more time playing outside but don’t know how to make this happen, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how you can encourage this positive behavior.