Technology is a wonderful thing, but it also means that a lot of us are spending far more time attached to our screens than is probably good for us!
It’s especially noticeable in children. It’s somehow quite disconcerting to watch them spending so much time playing on a tablet or computer when you know in your heart that they ought to be playing outside.
Luckily, there are some things that you can do to encourage more time outdoors.
Spend time together outdoors as a family
If you tell your child to spend more time outside, but you aren’t doing it yourself, then they probably aren’t going to understand why you want them to do it, and they are likely to resist.
To encourage your kids to play outdoors, try planning activities outside that you can enjoy together as a family. If you only have limited time, you could try things like eating your lunch as a picnic in the garden or playing a quick game of catch.
On days when you have more time, it can be a great idea to take your kids to the woods, the beach, or the arboretum to allow them to see all of the different things that nature has to offer. This is even more effective if you can teach them a little bit about the animals and plants that they see, as it will start to create an interest in the natural world.
Take the indoors outside
A lot of the reason why kids like playing indoors is that all of their cool stuff is in there! If you want to encourage outdoor play, a great strategy can be to take some of their toys outside or to invest in some fun outdoor toys that will make them long for a sunny day when they can be outside.
It needn’t cost you a fortune either; a lot of the time, you can get hold of second-hand toys at places like Facebook marketplace. You could also arrange toy swaps with other moms in the neighborhood so that your child doesn’t get bored of the toys that they have.
Make it easy to go outside
If you have a sliding door that leads into your garden, you can install smart sliding door systems which are installed on your existing door and mean that they can be set to automatically open whenever anyone approaches.
This means that your child can easily get into the garden whenever they want to, rather than having to wait until you have finished what you are doing to let them out.
Make it a social event
Everything’s more fun with friends! Try inviting other kids over to play outdoor games with your child, and they will soon start to see the benefits of having more space to run around in.
In the summer, you could even set up a paddling pool or take your garden hose and some old bin liners to create a water slide. You’ll soon be finding it difficult to get your kids to come back indoors!
