Go outside! Why nature time needs to be a priority

It’s disturbing, but a recent study showed that prison inmates spend more time outside than most kids! But, thankfully you don’t need to drop your toddler off at the police station to get him his requisite hours in the sun.  We have some great ideas to make outside play fun for you and your little ones.

Of course, we all know that having a little Steve Irwin, instead of a Couch Potato is vitally important.  Getting into nature helps children’s motor skills, their health (lots of the sun’s Vitamin D, nutrients from the soil, fresh air, and exercise), it boosts cognitive development, and it fosters a life-long love of the environment.

But knowing you SHOULD get your kids outside and DOING it are two different things.

When your time is pulled between work, school, after-school activities, and everything else, it can be hard to schedule some time in the great outdoors.  But that’s the thing – getting away from the computer and out of the car is immeasurably helpful for your mental health too. Mums are run ragged these days, and slipping off your shoes and sinking your toes in the grass will give you more mental energy and emotional reserves to be at your peak.  This is a MUST do for you too.

This doesn’t take a lot of time, but it is so much fun.  Take a few plastic or wooden toys and hide them around the garden.  You can play hot and cold, or make a treasure map as the kids run around and search for their toys.  You can dress up as pirates if you want to take it to the next level.

The reason why this is such a great activity is that you can incorporate so many skills: crawling (under bushes), running, jumping (for a toy), climbing (up a tree or ladder), and cognitive skills like listening to directions (hot, cold, to the left, right, up down, three paces forward, backward etc).

I know, this isn’t going to be any parents’ favourite – it is MESSY. But stripping down to undies or wearing play clothes makes things easier.  Grab some buckets, and disposable/washable/play-plates/cooking utensils/pots etc. and provide some water and dirt. Then have the kids make you some ‘delicious’ mud pies, cakes, and stews.

Make a sheet with items to tick off, then head to the local park to find them.  Items for the list can be anything from local native trees and bushes, to seagulls, crows, pigeons, ducks, ants, caterpillars, butterflies, koalas, and dinosaurs!  Choose things that your kids can search for and find and a couple for fun and pretend. It’s a great way to turn a walk into a fun activity where you learn about your local environment.

Pretty obvious, but throwing and catching are vital skills for a child’s development.  You can level up by playing a game of dodgeball or tunnel-ball.

My daughter loves this one. We will often search for the homes for animals in the woods and we will even make ones to help out.  This could be as simple as finding sticks and other things for a bird’s nest and leaving them to be found. Or it can be more complicated and involve making a bird feeder and shelter, or a bat box, or a soft spot for a possum to snuggle.  This is a great rainy day prep activity too. On a wet day we will research local animals and ways to help them, and then when the sun returns, we put the plan into action.

Whether you head outside just to hit the swings, play tag, or build a teepee, it all counts! Anytime in the great outdoors is well spent.