Being outside, with the fresh air, is one of the best things that you can have your kids do on a daily basis for both their physical and mental well-being. However, many children spend far too much time indoors, leading mainly sedentary lives. If this sounds like your child, it can be hard to know what you can do to get him or her outside and enjoying all that nature has to offer. So to help make this task a little bit easier on you, here are three things you can do to encourage your kids to play outside more.
Set A Good Example
If you don’t show your kids that being outside is important to you, then you might be hard pressed to convince your kids of this fact, too. So even if you’re just sitting under your covered patio, Cari Nierenberg, a contributor to Live Science, recommends that you first set the example for your kids by getting some fresh air yourself. While this doesn’t mean that you have to spend a ton of time outside or be a super fit parent, you should be able to enjoy the outdoors with your kids and personally show to them just how vital this is to their health and development.
Challenge Them To Get Dirty
For many kids, there’s nothing more fun than getting dirty and playing in the mud or rocks. But if you’ve previously got on your kids about tracking in filth or ruining their clothes with grass stains, they might be hesitant to take the chance of this happening again by playing outside. In situations such as this, Trina Sporer, a contributor to Active For Life, suggests challenging your kids to see just how dirty they can get by playing outside. While this will mean a bit of a clean-up for you, it could be just what your kids need to get outdoors and spend some time in the natural world.
Help Your Kids Track Their Activity
If your kids have an activity tracker that lets them see how many steps they’ve taken or how far they’ve walked in a day, Catherine Holecko, a contributor to Very Well Family, advises that you use this technology to your advantage to help you motivate your kids to move more. Try to set goals together about steps or distances and see if they can reach those goals. Additionally, you could ask them to guess how many steps it is from your house to the park or how many steps it takes to get around your neighborhood as a way to get your kids outside and actually enjoying their time.
If you’ve been looking for ways to get your kids to spend more time outside, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you learn how you can do just that.
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