May 1st, 2018 by
With more and more children being brought up in the age of smartphones and other gizmos, it can be difficult to encourage them to play outside instead of staring at a screen. Both from a health and creativity standpoint, outdoor activities are an important part of growing up, and can aid the development of a child in a number of ways. It’s good for the mind, it’s helpful for social interactions, and it’s beneficial for the imagination. But how do you go about teaching them the importance of playing outside? By highlighting just how fun it is! Depending on your child, their favorite outdoor activities will differ from other children, but they will all be rooted in the same reason for doing said activity: fun. Spring and summer are the best seasons to put this to the test with the weather being ideal for a lot of these activities. From digging about in a sandbox to bending it like Beckham – we’ve compiled a list of the best outdoor activities for your kids to partake in. There’s a whole world out there just waiting to be explored – and it’s not a virtual one. Here’s our guide to the best outdoor activities for kids.
1. Sandpits
One thing every adult admires about children is their wild imaginations. They can take the simplest of things and turn them into something that defies conventional thinking. Well, one area where they can really let their imagination run free is in a sandpit. With just a bucket, a spade, and some sand, kids can have hours of fun just seeing what they can come up with. From sandcastles to whatever other logic-defying idea they can muster up – sandpits provide children with all the necessary tools to really help them express themselves in a creative fashion. Plus, it’s always fun to play with sand!
2. Football
If you’ve got a young boy or girl who’s into football, then you’ll already know how important the sport is to them. Whether it’s at school or around the house – footy is great pastime for them to indulge in. It teaches them to play together, to strategise, and to use critical thinking in a way that can only be beneficial to their development. As well as those important attributes, it also keeps them fit and healthy – something every parent can only see as being a positive. What’s more, it’s an inexpensive hobby with only a football needed. Don’t worry – they’ll make the nets out of their own clothes!
3. Hide and Seek
It goes without saying that kids love the thrill of chasing after and hiding from one other. So what better way to do that than to play a tense game of hide and seek? It’s simple, it costs nothing, and it’s fun for everyone involved. The game revolves around hiding from a predetermined person who is out to find everyone else that’s playing. No matter whether you’re designated as “it,” or you’re one of the kids that’s hiding – hide and seek is just as enjoyable regardless. The alarming sound of “ready or not, here I come!” still makes my inner child smile like a Cheshire cat!
4. Swings & Seesaws
There’s few more care-free pastimes for a child than playing on a swing. It’s excitement, fear, and fun all rolled into one, yet, it’s one of the simplest hobbies around. It’s a great example of less is more, and even though you might get tired pushing them all the time, the sheer happiness it will bring them will make it all worthwhile. Of course, you can’t have a swing without a seesaw for everyone to have a go on too. Lifting your friend up and down on this contraption can be incredibly fun for young kids. Get these two pieces of apparatus, and you might have to call for the kids more than once at dinner time!
5. Chess
Chess may be complicated for a kid to get their head around at the start, but it’s probably worth introducing the board game to them nonetheless. Why exactly? Because unlike most of our other entries here, chess requires much more mental input from the child. It tasks them to think before making a move, scan the board for potential squares to exploit, and ultimately plan how they are going to win. The standard board game may be a little dry to really grab their attention but adopting it for outdoor use should get them intrigued. And you never know – your kid may even be the next Bobby Fischer just waiting to be discovered!
6. Slides
Let’s face it: what kid doesn’t enjoy the thrill of going down a slide without a care in the world? It’s another simple but ingenious way to keep the kids occupied, and incredibly, it’s one which never seems to get old no matter how many times they go down it! Yes, it’s still one of the most fun activities for children to partake in, with parks and playhouses commonly equipped with them too. So, the next time your little one is feeling a bit under the weather, don’t forget about the temporary joy that a slide will bring them!
7. Rounders
Rounders is a much-beloved sport in the UK, with its origins dating all the way back to the 18th century. Revolved simply around a bat and a ball, it’s surprising how long this baseball alternative has endured for, remaining a staple in many schools across Britain in particular. It’s easy to pick up too, with one team acting as the batters and the other playing as the fielders. It’s sure to get the youngsters running around like headless chickens, but they’ll have a blast doing it. If you want to get your children to be more active, then rounders is a very effective game to introduce them to.
8. Marbles
We’re finishing our guide with an oldie but goodie: marbles. The aim of the game is simple: knock the marbles out of the circle with your own marbles, with the winner being the person who displaced the most marbles. Simple! It’s certainly not too complex so it’s perfect for kids of all ages to play. It will teach your child some useful hand-eye coordination techniques as well, proving that there’s much more to it than what the objective of the game would have you believe. The best things in life never grow old – marbles is case in point.
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