Let’s face it – when it comes to kids wanting to play outside, a lot of things have changed. More than most of us would care to admit. Over the past few years, a lot of kids have become indoor kids mainly due to the fact that technology has taken over a large part of all of our lives in general. No two ways about that, really. It’s not too much of a stretch to say that nowadays, kids prefer the temptations of the screen at an extremely young age, be it video games or even animation movies.
For all those of us who have some of the fondest memories playing outdoors as a child, this is quite the depressing development. After all, no matter what anyone thinks of the matter, the charm of playing outside simply cannot be replicated. It is as simple as that. Not to mention the fact that in today’s day and age, kids are spoilt for choice when it comes to the types of children’s play equipment that is available out there in the market.
Having said that, it is important for us to realise just how essential it is for a child to have a natural inclination to play outside. If you happen to be one of those parents who is worried about how much time your little one is spending in front of the screen at such a young and impressionable age, here are seven ways in which you can encourage your child to play outside more often :-
- Take the toys outdoors: Once you take the toys that the child enjoys the most outside, not only does the child get exposed to a whole new world, but they can find new ways to play with their toys as well. Not to mention the fact that there will be a much better chance of them making new friends as well.
- Extend your indoor space: In this regard, you can use the outdoor space as an extension of your indoor space. Whether you want to make it a patio or even a big verandah, the choice is entirely up to you. Plus you can even decorate the space to your child’s liking, making it even more appealing by nature and adding primary playground equipment.
- Spend quality outdoor time as a family: Whether the outdoor plan involves a short walk or a picnic somewhere, the point is for the family to spend some quality time together. That is the key. That way, all of you can find similar activities that you enjoy the most. There are so many family-friendly weekend adventures that you can plan.
- Explore a range of outdoor environments: You will certainly need to think beyond your own backyard when it comes down to your kids playing outdoors. That is for certain. Travel beyond the confines of your home and you will certainly find enough fun activities to do.
- Make it as social as possible: By inviting one of his best friends over for an outside get-together, this may be the perfect incentive for your child to play outside. Once you set up a fun outdoor activity, just leave the two of them to have their fun.
- The aspect of water: It is really no secret that most kids absolutely love playing with water. There are so many things that one can do, right from buying a small inflatable pool to taking the kids for a drive down to the lake as well.
- Try and make it a habit: Being the last point, this is something every parent should keep in mind at all times. Ideally, you should keep aside an hour every day for the child to spend time outdoors in the best and most fun possible way.
At the end of the day, it is vital that you understand not to overdo the process of playing outside as well. The above points are indeed important, but only if your child is in front of a screen throughout the day. This is something that you cannot afford to forget as too much of playing outside could lead to the child getting bored extremely fast.
This, in turn, would also lead to the child reverting back to getting obsessed with the screen once again. If this happens, the whole purpose of encouraging your child to play outside would be nullified. So do make sure that you keep that fact in mind at all times.
