Naturally Healthy Parenting The parent's guide to a healthy family
When the weather’s nice, there’s no reason your kids shouldn’t be spend ample amounts of time outdoors. Being outside is good for their health, imagination, development and so much more. But many modern kids would rather spend time inside watching TV or playing video games rather than breathing in fresh air and getting some vitamin D. So to help you get your kids outside more in the coming months of good weather, here are three ways you can encourage your kids to spend more time outside this summer.
Set Aside A “Green Hour” Each Day
Spending any amount of time outside is better than spending no time outside at all. But to show your kids how important this is to you, you may want to try setting an amount of time that you’d like to spend outside with your kids. According to Collin O’Mara, a contributor to the Washington Post, you might want to start with one “green hour”. This means that for one hour each day, you go outside into natural spaces. While this might require working with your schedule to ensure that you can find an hour a day to do this, it will be so beneficial for your family is you’re able to spend just an hour outside playing each day.
Make Your Backyard A Safe Haven For Outdoor Play
You and your kids will take more advantage of the outdoor play areas around their home if they feel safe there. As part of this, you might want to install a fence for both privacy and security so you can let your kids run wild outside without having to worry too much about their safety. Additionally, you should try to landscape your backyard with natural elements that your kids can play on or with without putting themselves in too much danger. For example, Trina Sporer, a contributor to ActiveForLife.com, shares that you could plant small trees for them to climb, bring in boulders for them to climb on, or have a log or stump for their to jump on or practice their balance.
Let Them Choose What To Do When Outside
For many children, so much of their lives is structured for them by parents or teachers. So if you really want your kids to get excited about spending time outside, Mark Riley Cardwell, a contributor to The Guardian, recommends that you let them choose how to spend their time outside. While it’s perfectly fine to provide options for them, ultimately let them be in change of what they do when they’re outside and what activities they want to give their attention to. Not only will this help them feel more ownership in the time they spend outside, but it will help boost their imaginations as well.
If you’re wanting your kids to spend more time outside, consider using the tips mentioned above to help encourage this type of positive behavior.
