There’s a bizarre conversation that takes place in homes across the world every time the sun is shining. First, a parent or guardian will notice that the sun is indeed shining. Next, that same parent or guardian will also notice that their child is ignoring the opportunity to play outside and is instead choosing to stay indoors and play the same video game they’ve been playing for months (there’s always a popular video game that kids play to death for most of a year before they shift to a new video game time drain). The instruction will then come to turn the computer off and play outside, and the child will respond: “But, there’s nothing to do outside?”.
Now, let’s look at some outdoors activities for kids, so that the next time your child is looking at you for playtime inspiration, you’ve got something in your back pocket that can swing their enthusiasm away from devices and screens. There are plenty of ways that your children can play safe and healthy outside.
Den building – There is not a child alive today that doesn’t get excited at the prospect of building a den. Forget forts and treehouses for now, those things take time to get right. But a den? You can’t go wrong. All you need is two ingredients: a forest and time. For those unfamiliar with visiting forests, there are often visitor services and den building areas already set up. Don’t worry, you don’t need to pay or turn up at certain times. But finding these ready made den building areas is useful because all of the larger sticks that you’re going to need have already been sourced and laid out. There will be lots of dens already set up. You can build on them, steal ideas from them, take branches from them for your own den … you could even take a picnic. This is something that your child will ask to do again and again.
Obstacle courses in the garden (if you have the space) – If you don’t have a garden, you could also build a smaller obstacle course indoors. This is a simple idea but kids love it. Crawling under tables or blankets. Jumping over string tied between chairs. Using books and upturned pots or pans as stepping stones. Spinning around ten times and trying to walk in a straight line. Children love this stuff. You’ll need to bring up a timer on your phone or device and shout out their times – hours of fun as they try to achieve a daily personal best! You may even feel tempted to get involved yourself and show them how it’s done.
Blow Gigantic Bubbles – Kids of all ages like to blow bubbles! Did you know that you can fill up a sheet pan with a bubble mixture, then dip an over-sized wand to get a GIGANTIC bubble?
Draw On The Sidewalks – There are many kids that LOVE to draw! If you have a child that is creative, give them a big bucket of chalk and let them go wild with their drawings. You might even want to get crafty and make your own chalk with your kids that they can use for their masterpieces
Make sure that safety measures are taken, especially if you have young ones. You have to step in and teach Generation Tech how to play. And not only that, but how to play safely, because try as you might to cover all of your bases in terms of safety, the playgrounds and play areas of the world do not always take every safety aspect into consideration, and accidents do happen (if your child is injured, find a personal injury lawyer in Washington DC for more details).
Here is another article you might be interested in reading: Why Every Kid Needs Play
Speak Your Mind