As kids spend increasing numbers of hours indoors plugged into their laptops, cell phones, and tablets, fresh air, sunlight, and outdoor fun is becoming more and more important to our mental and physical health. If you are searching for a way to unplug your family for some outdoor fun, check out these 5 fun outdoor activities that the entire family can enjoy:
Grow a Garden
Kids of any age can help plan, plant, tend, and harvest a garden. From deciding on what to grow, to reading about how to take care of the plants, and digging in the dirt and pulling weeds, children will learn practical skills while enjoying the abundance of nature. And to top it all off, gardening is a long-term investment in health with tasty rewards for the dinner table.
Camp Out
Hiking and fishing are making a steady comeback in our culture, but perhaps your family is not quite ready to rough it in the Boundary Waters. Pitch a tent in the backyard and spend an evening breathing in the fresh air. This mini-adventure is the perfect opportunity to reconnect with your kids, spend some time grilling out, and indulge in a bit of stargazing together.
Camping is a great idea because it gets your children reconnected with nature during a time of greater isolation and it can help them grow confident in new skills—like the ability to navigate the forest, cook over a campfire, build a shelter, or identify birds and insects around them.
Go on a Treasure Hunt
As a family, try out letterboxing or geocaching, essentially modern treasure hunting which involves hunting for objects or finding landmarks. These family-friendly activities encourage exploration, develop problem-solving, map-reading, and math skills, and require some physical activities. If your kids are quite ready to dive into a full-blown treasure hunt, help them make their own treasure map by exploring your neighborhood together.
Go on a Photo Safari
Encourage your children to focus on nature through a photo safari or nature scavenger hunt. This outdoor activity can be impromptu—“Grab your camera! Let’s go take some pictures in the park!”—or you can plan a formal outing based on the kids’ ages. For older ones, create a list of clues and send them out exploring the park in search of the answers; for little ones, help them interact with the natural world through their 5 senses.
Ride a Trail
Bike riding is a family-friendly activity for good reason: fresh air, exercise, and pure fun! This year, challenge your family to do some trail riding to really enjoy the outdoors. Although you probably already have bikes, consider a bit of new equipment, such as helmets, padding, or even new bikes. Off-road adventures will take a bit more specialized gear like fat bikes. Fat bikes have much wider, heavy-duty tires and are more durable, so when trail riding, fat bikes are more equipped to handle rougher terrain.
Whichever one of these outdoor activities you choose as a family, take the time to unplug, breathe deeply, and enjoy!
