5 Fun Ideas For Getting the Kids To Play Outdoors

 

As a parent, making sure my children spend a lot of time outdoors is important to me. I'm a big believer in ensuring that my children have outdoor time each day, to get some fresh air, keep active and to release some of that never-ending energy they seem to have in time for bedtime too!

 

We are almost always outside and if there's a day where we can't get outside for any reason, I feel like it does us a disservice. 

 

The great outdoors really are the best playground and learning source any child can have. I feel like children can never really be bored when they're outdoors as there's so much to see and do. Everything is an opportunity for play and learning.

 

Over the years, I have loved teaching my boys about nature, letting them get stuck into mud, water and anything else the outdoors throws at them - my belief is that as long as we have a bath and a washing machine there's no need to restrict them in embracing all things outdoors. I'm really looking forward to sharing this love of nature with our newest little addition, Eden, in the years to come too.

I wanted to share some idea from my own experience with my boys, that are perfect ways to get children to spend more time outdoors.

1. Fill the garden with fun things to play with

If you'd like your kids to spend more time outdoors but don't want to constantly be leaving the house in order for them to get fresh air, then having fun things in the garden for the kids to play with and explore is a great way of getting them outside, but still in the comfort of their own home.

 

In our garden we have a wooden playhouse, a large above-ground swimming pool, a trampoline and our newest addition of a wooden climbing frame with a swing set, slide and sandpit. 

The climbing frame is the GhostFlyer Climbing Frame from Wickey and it's absolutely amazing! The boys have spend so much time outdoors playing on it since we built it and it's been a perfect way of getting them to play in the garden each day. You can read my review of it here (link to review here).

2. Go on nature walks

I love a nature walk with my boys - it's a great way of getting them out of the house for a bit of fresh air.

 

We go to a whole host of places - woods, beaches, fields, country lanes, etc. and I let them collect little bits and bobs of nature to take home, as well as playing little games such as seeing what things we can find in different colours, etc.

 

3. Let them play with water

My boys love water play and if there's water near us I just know they'll end up getting soaked - but it gives them great joy so I allow it.

We go to beaches, streams, lakes - anywhere there's water and they've been known to go for an impromtu swim in the most beautiful of locations over the years.

For water play a bit closer to home, let the kids play with tubs of water, pour water in their tuff tray, get the watering cans and hose out and let them have a great time.

4. Have family days out

Family days out are something that are really important to us and we try to explore a new place whenever we can. 

 

Almost all of our family days out over the years have been at outdoor locations. We've seen some beautiful places with the boys over the years and it's made for the best memories

 

Our favourite places to go are castles, manor houses, parks, pet farms and wildlife parks - anywhere that has a lot of open space! 

 

5. Take their games outdoors

When it's a sunny day I always make sure to take the boys favourite toys outdoors and set up a little play area for them. This encourages them to play outdoors and to make their messes out there, which in turn makes my day that little bit easier!

We have a little kids table and I load it with Playdough and all the sets they have for it and they will play for ages with it! When he was younger, my eldest boy loved playing house, so I used to take out his toy kitchen, give him some pasta or rice and let him pretend to cook up meals to his hearts content. 

 

Hopefully this post has give you some ideas on how to get the kids to play outdoors more. There's nothing better than lots of fresh air and happy children.