Encourage Activity Outdoors

Do you ever wish you knew how to encourage activity outdoors with your children? As parents, if we want to see our kids spending time outside and loving it we need to start early but if we did not start early we can still do things to get the kids out of the house and away from video games and the computer. There are so many things that keep our kids entertained, inside, that we forget how much they need to be participating in outdoor activities. What can we do to encourage activity outdoors that will be fun and make them want to be outside even more?

If we are the parents of a baby or toddler it will easy to get your child outside. It is as simple taking a walk with the baby in the stroller. It is not important at this stage to entertain as it is to expose. We do not need to encourage outdoor activity at this point with the child as much as we need to be encouraged to be outdoors ourselves.

We can not monitor our children with a security camera  system As a child gets a little older we can always find a nice park nearby for them to play in. If possible find a friend to take along to make it more fun. Of course there are sports-related activities that can encourage outdoor activity in young children. In addition, most kids love to go to the zoo. This is one thing that all kids seem to enjoy and while you are at it pack a lunch and have a picnic. It does not have to be fancy, just fun.

It gets a little harder to encourage outdoor activity as the kids get older. This is when they prefer to play video games and be on the computer for hours at a time. This is when you have to set limits and perhaps add some more active and entertaining activities. This is a good time to start hiking, or learn to water ski, or if your child does not swim, how about some swim lessons. If your family is more adventurous then you might try an overnight camping trip. Of course, each area of the country has special feature may encourage, certain types, of outdoor activity.

Hopefully, by the time you have teenagers they will appreciate the times you encouraged outdoor activities in their lives and it will provide you with a special connection that will allow the lines of communication to always be open. I know this is not a fun activity but now may be a good time to teach the kids how to take care of a yard by learning to mow the grass, use the weed eater, and plant flowers. Some of these skills may even lead to a part-time job for them.

Be creative; use what you like to encourage outdoor activity, in the beginning. As your child grows they will let you know what they like and that will give you more opportunities to enjoy family time and it all starts with encouraging outdoor activities.