We all know that kids spend a lot more time indoors compared with generations gone by, and there are a couple of reasons for this. The first is that we’re now more aware of safety than we once were- while the streets might not be any less safe than years gone by, we hear about problems much more often now due to things like social media. This can put us off letting our kids outside to play and naturally make us want to wrap them up in cotton wool. Due to things like phones, tablets, computers and video games, kids get less bored than they did in past generations and are less inclined to want to go out playing and exploring. To keep our kids healthy, we need to limit their screen time and make sure they’re spending time outdoors and in the real world as much as possible- but how can we go about this?
Get them gardening
There are lots of benefits to teaching kids gardening. It can educate them about different plants and wildlife and enables you to explain how things grow from seemingly nothing. It keeps them fit and healthy, and also teaches them patience. That if you nurture a plant and wait patiently, it will eventually grow rewarding you with things like flowers or fruit. We don’t have the longest growing season here in the UK but get yourself a greenhouse from a site like https://www.greenhousestores.co.uk/ and you can stretch it out and keep growing from early spring right into late autumn.
Go camping
Camping enables you to teach kids a ton of great skills, from orienteering and map reading to pitching a tent, building a campfire and even setting traps. On a camping holiday, you can go fishing, cycling, mountain walking, bird watching and so much more. All of these help to keep you all active while teaching kids new things in a non- school setting. It’s cheap and cheerful and something you can enjoy as a summer holiday or just a weekend here and there.
Plan outdoor family days
Spending time together as a family is so important, but don’t make it all about family dinners and movie nights. Spend your weekends getting out and about, go on long walks with your dog, try out new activities together and eat lunch alfresco. Fun days out like to the farm, zoo or theme park all involve a lot of walking and you’ll rack up plenty of steps and burn calories without even thinking about it.
Play outdoor sports
Outdoor sports like tennis, badminton, football and basketball are a great way to get outside over the warmer months and enjoy some quality time with your kids. If you’re having a family meetup, bring a rounders or cricket bat and play a bigger game of something instead! You’ll all be having so much fun, you won’t even think to look at your phone.
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*This is a collaborative post*
I think it is very worrying that their is so much online content directed at toddlers and children