Martin Banks 05.13.24
Getting your child outside can be difficult with the dozens of distractions at our fingertips today. From smartphones to videogames, there’s no shortage of obstacles. So, how can you transform your indoor kid into an outdoor enthusiast? Understanding how being outside benefits your child inspires you to take proactive yet practical and gentle steps to guide their behavior. The right encouragement can get your child away from the TV and into the great outdoors.
Outdoor Enthusiast Coverage on AllOutdoor
Why Kids Need Nature
Humans aren’t separate from nature. You and your child are a part of it, and spending time connecting with the living world is essential for health. Excessive time indoors increases the chances your child will develop a mood disorder, such as anxiety and depression. It can even stunt their physical development.
For example, sunlight is an excellent source of natural vitamin D, which helps your body manage calcium and phosphate. These two minerals significantly influence your kid’s skeletal development and growth. Furthermore, spending too much time staring at screens increases the risk of nearsightedness.
Your child’s heart and lungs won’t develop by sitting on the floor in front of the TV or iPad. What will increase is their risk of obesity or being overweight, conditions affecting one-third of America’s children. The pounds don’t get easier to shed as they age, and carrying them increases the risk of various disorders, like diabetes and heart disease.
7 Tips for Transforming Your Child Into an Outdoor Enthusiast
Ordering your child outside against their will establishes a power struggle that only leads to unnecessary tantrums and strains your relationship. Instead, use these seven gentle methods to get your kids off the couch and into the great outdoors.
1. Set an Example
Start young – many toddlers want nothing more than to imitate their parents. Even if it’s raining, cold or windy, dress up and head outside and express enthusiasm about it. There may be times when safety demands leaving your child behind, but you can do so without dampening their enthusiasm for the outdoors. For example, if they’re too young to go hunting with you, try fishing – or buy them a little camouflage outfit and have a pretend “hunt’ in the backyard.
2. Engage in Positive Outdoor Activities Together
Whenever possible, take your child with you on your outdoor adventures. Simply dial down the intensity. For example, a 3,000-foot mountain might seem one-third taller to your toddler than it does to you, so select the easiest hiking route to the top or stop at the halfway point. Is it family vacation time, but you’re on a tight budget? Camping is affordable and eliminates internet access, letting your kids focus on identifying the local flora and fauna.
3. Encourage Unstructured Playtime
Unstructured play in the great outdoors functioned as therapy for generations of children who grew up in the days before CBT and DBT. It still works wonders for their social and emotional development, easing stress while developing their sense of agency and independence. Each time your child works out a problem on their own, such as how to build a fort out of sticks and scrub brush, they develop confidence and the deep inner belief that their actions make a difference.
4. Limit Screen Time
Perhaps the biggest reason kids spend less time outdoors these days is competition from screens. Limit the time your kids spend on their devices. This encourages them to find alternative activities by default — like shooting hoops in the driveway or fishing for crayfish in a nearby stream.
5. Include a Social Element
Plan group outings if you have friends with kids who share your love of the outdoors. Letting your child socialize outside with others close to their age introduces them to new games and increases their enthusiasm for such activities.
6. Support Quiet and Gentle Outdoor Activities
You once dreamed of hunting with your child, but they’d rather pet Bambi than hunt doe for food. Instead of forcing them into an outdoor activity they dislike, find an alternative, such as planting a garden. Include some oats and clover to lure friendly herbivores – for shooting pictures, not stocking your larder.
7. Provide the Right Gear
If the holidays mean it’s time to update phones and iPads, you aren’t nurturing your child’s love of the outdoors with your gifts. Instead, fill their stockings with adventure toys, such as a kid-sized fishing rod, a new sled, or a Nerf bow and arrow set, until they’re old enough for the real deal.
Get Your Kid Moving in the Great Outdoors
Letting your child spend too much time indoors hinders their development and harms their health. Turn your indoor kid into an outdoor enthusiast and enjoy quality time together in the open air.
