Last Updated on June 27, 2020 by Natalie
It has been a struggle lately to get outside. I’m often met with whining and crying when I suggest it. It’s often easier to just stay indoors than deal with the challenges of actually getting outside.
First, it seems like no one is ever dressed. I have to find clothes and socks for both children, encouragement to get dressed or dress them if that’s what they want, and then go outside. Sometimes, the furthest we go is our front porch.
I’ve failed, I desperately think during those moments. My kids hate the outdoors!
Except, they don’t. Once they are outside, they have a blast. On rainy days, they want to go and get ready quickly. They still love puddle jumping. They still love playing in water and mud (or both at the same time). It’s easy to go outside when I have a fun activity planned. I don’t always have the energy for the planning or the arguing. So, I don’t always push us outside everyday.
I want this to change. How can I can us outdoors more? Plan some outdoor play ideas, of course!
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Fun things to do outside for kids (even when you don’t want to)
Sometimes, I just make it happen. I quietly get the clothes and socks. The kids get dressed, even while complaining. I don’t want to go and they don’t want to go, but we go anyway. It’s always worth it. We all feel so much better after spending time outdoors.
Here are some of the fun activities for kids to do outside to keep us motivated to get outside every day.
Popcorn picnic in the park!
Pack a Picnic
We have done this a handful of times and it has worked amazingly well. We usually bring popcorn, but we’ve also brought regular lunch food with us. The kids love it and we usually end up staying outside longer than I’d hoped. They will even pack up the food and reusable water bottles. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. Pack a few snacks your kids will eat and skip along to your perfect picnic spot. Or your backyard.
Use a 15 minute timer
Even though 15 minutes is a far cry from the recommended 4-6 hours outdoors, 15 minutes a day is better than nothing. Sometimes, it helps to tell my kids we only need to go for 15 minutes. Most of the time, we end up far exceeding 15 minutes. Sometimes, we don’t. If we got outside even when it was a struggle to encourage everyone to be outdoors, I count it as a win. This is a strategy that I use with a lot of success.
Playing in mud is a fun thing!
Plan an outdoor activity
This doesn’t have to be elaborate and I actually encourage that it isn’t. Some activities I’ve planned have been: a plastic bin filled with water, running through the sprinkler, play in the mud, paint outside, making leaf masks, or even just bringing favorite toys outside. Mostly, the activity is to get the kids excited about going outside and NOT to try to direct their play. I also usually plan for any fun, messy activities to be done outside. Other things that I prefer remain outside are kinetic sand and often even slime and play dough.
Chilling in their “pools.”
Filling a plastic Bin with Water
When it’s hot, I want to go swimming. I don’t have access to a pool nor do I live close to a large body of water. Even though I can’t fit into a plastic storage bin, my kids can! We put on the swimsuits, go in the backyard, and fill the tubs with water. Last time, this turned into muddy play; it became a mud bath! My kids declared that a great day. Win for me and a win for their future mental and physical health! Additionally, the water was then used to water the trees, grass, and plants in our small yard.
More water play
Since I live in a dry area, I do try to keep my grass alive. Setting up the sprinkler or spraying the kids with the hose with their consent is also fun. I like to have the towels ready in advance, but it doesn’t always work out that well. In that case, I just use old dish towels so they can stand inside while I’m getting them a couple of bath towels.
Enjoying the front steps.
Listening to the Kids
Sometimes, I’ve managed to drag them outside and they won’t leave our porch. That’s okay! I didn’t push them to walk to our neighborhood park. We sat on our front step, talking, playing, and making observations until the kids started fighting. We managed to be outside for a half an hour that day, which was a surprise since no one had wanted to go outside at all.
Using flashlights for an evening walk
This is my husband’s brainchild. He started talking the kids on twilight walks to look for cockroaches when we moved to Mexico. There are cockroaches almost everywhere on the planet, but they aren’t common in Ohio. My husband and kids observe other neighborhood wild life and even saw a black widow spider on one of their walks! Don’t worry, unlike Coyote Peterson, they left her alone.
During the day, we will look for lizards. We don’t have them in Ohio and it is always a treat for me to see them.
This awesome water installation was at a local park. Even though it isn’t a true splash pad, the kids did get wet!
Do something new
All over the US, there are parks and places with many outdoor activities, such as canoeing, zip lining, and even outdoor natural play areas. Consider the aforementioned activities if your kids are old enough for them. There are also many splash pads popping up all over the US and that’s a great activity in the summertime, with many different ages of children. They have been a hit with my kids from very early ages.
My leaf mask.
Nature Crafts
Plan a simple nature craft. Recently, we made leaf masks, using only what we were able to find on the ground. My children took this to a new level, making wrist guards, beards, and other assorted items. The point is to start them imagining, not dictate the end result.
Other ideas, include making forest fairy wings (with found sticks), painting leaves (with paint or even mud), drawing pictures, or making body armor out of leaves.
Make getting outdoors with kids daily a priority
Like many healthy habits, prioritizing the positive behaviour is key. Habits take a minimum of 28 days to stick. Start with a goal and work your way up. First, decide the minimum amount of time you want to spend outside and then prioritize your schedule for that amount. If your beginning goal is 3 hours per week, your goal might be to be outside at least 25 minutes per day.
If your week day schedule is sporadic, plan for a longer excursion one weekend day every week. It’s easy to spend several hours exploring a park or a new playground. Then, during the week, get outside as often as you can to help keep up the momentum.
Waterfall in Hocking Hills, Ohio. Photo used with permission, courtesy of Historicohio.net
Take Advantage of the natural or man made wonders nearby
Most of us have parks nearby. Some of those parks may have incredible natural formations. Even Ohio (where I’m from) has waterfalls, rock caves, and gorgeous sites to see. Mexico (where I currently live) has many incredible archeological sites, as well as natural wonders.
Parks in the US are also coming up with all kinds of wonderful ideas, such as natural play areas, playgrounds, obstacle courses, etc. Even if these places aren’t an every day thing, they can be incorporated once a week or a couple times per month.
Go outdoors
Even if it’s only a few minutes, go outdoors and take a few deep breaths. Let the sunshine or rain touch your face. Stretch. I don’t always want to go outside, either. However, I’m always so glad when we do!
Get outside and go wild for awhile with your kids!
What’s your go-to way to combat the “I don’t want to go outside” blues? Are there any activities that always get you and your kids happy to go outside? What are your favorite things to do outside for kids? The best feedback comes from others parents. Please leave a comment. Thank you!
