10 Fun Ways to Encourage Your Kids to Play Outdoors
With the mass adoption of technology and screens, it can be a challenge to encourage children to engage in outdoor play. Thankfully, there are numerous creative ways to get your little ones outside and help them develop an appreciation for nature while participating in fun activities.
By implementing activities that foster creativity, initiative, and teamwork, you, as parents, can make outdoor play just as enticing as their favorite video games or television shows.
Ideas to Inspire Your Kids to Play Outside
With some planning and inspiration, your kids will soon discover the endless wonders the great outdoors has to offer. Here are 10 fun ways to encourage your children to play outside.
1. Create an Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
An outdoor scavenger hunt is an amazing way to keep your kids entertained and engaged with their environment. By crafting a list of nature-related items to find, such as leaves, acorns, or colorful rocks, you’ll encourage exploration and ignite their sense of adventure.
To make it even more exciting, consider incorporating small rewards for collecting specific treasures or finishing the hunt within a certain time frame. This activity not only sparks curiosity but also promotes problem-solving skills and creates wonderful memories for your little ones.
2. Build a Vegetable Garden Together
Working on a vegetable garden with your children provides numerous benefits, such as teaching sustainability, promoting healthy eating habits, and offering valuable bonding time. Planting seeds and watching them grow is an engaging and educational activity for kids to partake in.
Get your children excited about gardening by involving them in the selection of their favorite vegetables to plant. You can even start small by planting flowers. Through this hands-on approach, you’ll not only help develop their green thumb but also create lasting memories.
Planting grass seeds is another fun gardening activity, as children can watch the grass grow and enjoy playing on their patch of green. From different types of zoysia grass to drought-resistant fescue, you can choose from a variety of seeds that suit your region and climate. Simply follow the instructions on the seed packets and allow your kids to take ownership of their grass-growing project.
3. Bring What They Like to Do Inside to the Outside
To gently transition your child from indoor activities to outdoor play, consider incorporating their indoor hobbies into an outside environment. For instance, if your child enjoys drawing or painting, set up an outdoor space for them to create art using sidewalk chalk or watercolors.
Or if your child is glued to your screen, you could use something like Carrots&Cake. This screen time app/solution encourages children to prioritize education and limits smartphone use. Once you get your kids outside, you can slowly limit their screen time and replace it with outdoor play.
4. Plan Themed Outdoor Playdates With Friends
Themed outdoor playdates are an excellent way to make playtime even more enjoyable and engaging for your children and their friends. By organizing events with specific themes, such as an Olympic-style sports day, you’ll keep their interests piqued while promoting teamwork.
These playdates are opportunities for kids to get active outdoors, learn about collaboration, and create lasting memories with their peers–all while having a blast in the process.
If your children aren’t getting a lot of social interaction, playdates become especially necessary and important. Incorporating fun elements like gaga ball pits can elevate the excitement, providing a unique and interactive way for kids to play together while honing their agility and strategy skills.
5. Invest in Outdoor Toys That Encourage Physical Activity
One way to motivate your kids to play outdoors is by providing toys specifically designed to promote physical exercise and develop coordination skills. Team sports can even promote positive mental health, so consider inviting your child’s friends over for some play.
Consider investing in outdoor equipment like basketball hoops or soccer goals, which not only offer endless hours of entertainment but also help foster a healthy and active lifestyle. By incorporating these toys, you’re supporting their physical development and overall health.
6. Set Up Regular Family Nature Outings
Scheduling regular family nature outings is a fantastic way to encourage your children to appreciate the outdoors, explore local flora and fauna, and create cherished memories. Family nature outings are especially fun for small children who can’t explore by themselves.
Activities such as nature walks, or hikes can serve as bonding experiences, sparking curiosity about the natural world around them. Family outings in nature also promote conversation during exploration, facilitating connection among family members and fostering a love of the outdoors.
7. Create DIY Bird Feeders and Watch Wildlife
Encourage your children’s creativity and love for wildlife observation by helping them create simple DIY bird feeders using recyclable materials. By placing these homemade feeders around your yard, you’ll attract a variety of birds for the whole family to watch and admire.
This not only exposes your little ones to the joy of caring for backyard wildlife but also nurtures their appreciation for nature. It’s also a great way to get your children interested in birds and other wildlife so long as you spark discussions about different species and their characteristics.
8. Support Incorporate Water Play on Hot Days
Image by vecstock on Freepik
On hot summer days, it’s important to bring exciting and refreshing water-based activities to your children’s outdoor playtime. Through simple tools such as water balloons, squirt guns, or sprinklers, you’ll provide fun ways for them to cool down while remaining active and engaged.
Incorporating water games into your child’s outdoor routine can add a lot of variety to outdoor playtime, particularly for pre-teens. It can also encourage essential motor skills development and cooperation among friends, all while making wonderful summertime memories.
9. Build a Fort, Treehouse, or Den
There’s rarely something more fun than building a fort in Minecraft, but technology has its time and place. Instead of taking your building to the virtual sphere, bring it into your physical space by constructing a fort, treehouse, or den. If possible, include your children in its construction.
This collaborative effort offers numerous benefits, like fostering creativity and problem-solving skills and teaching basic construction principles. As you work together to build their sanctuary, you’ll create memories and deepen your family bond through shared experiences.
10. Go Camping With the Whole Family
Organizing a family camping trip is an incredible way to encourage outdoor play and foster bonding experiences through shared activities, such as cooking over a fire and exploring trails. It also gives your children a chance to wake up amongst the chirping sounds of birds.
Camping excursions provide an excellent opportunity for teaching your kids valuable life skills like navigation, fire safety, and resourcefulness while immersing them in the great outdoors. By experiencing this moment, you’ll instill in your children a love and respect for the environment.
Camping in the backyard with a kids tent can also be something your child does on their own to encourage independence while having fun outside.
In Conclusion…
Now that you’re armed with various exciting ideas, it’s time to take action by incorporating these activities into your family’s routine. Not only will you be creating cherished memories, but your children will benefit from the mental and physical advantages that come from outdoor play.
