getting kids excited about the outdoors

I am someone who places a lot of value and emphasis on outdoor time for my kids. And I know I’m not the only one. In 2018, when I was reading a lot of books about the benefits of outdoors time on children, I realized that kids wanting to spend time outside wasn’t just ‘ofcoursedness’, it would likely take effort on my part in many ways.

See, kids usually love to play outside when they’re little, but, as they get older, its becomes harder to draw them out of the house—especially if there’s no one around to play with—with all of it’s comforts and screens.

Now, my oldest defines one of her main characteristics as being someone who loves the outdoors. We didn’t get to this place incidentally, but, rather, through lots of experiences over time (I still need to work more with my son, who has had markedly less outdoor time as a toddler than his sister did). So, what did I do to foster a love of the outdoors in our daughter?

go outside really regularly. Duh, right? But, for real. When my daughter was just under 2, we started going on Hike It Baby toddler walks. There were two a week, at different locations, and we went to both. After a few months, I—as a very indoorsy person—noticed the benefits. Being out regularly, literally just twice a week for 1.5-2 hours at a time, made me want to be out more. It’s like when you haven’t had fresh fruit, or vegetables in too long, and you can tell you just need them. The more we spent time outside, the more I noticed I needed to be outdoors. As wintertime came, we started going out 1-2 times more on our own during the week. Eventually, we were getting at least 4-5 days (each at few hours at a time) of outdoors time a week. Start small. But make sure you have a set day or time that you can absolutely count on getting outdoors. Then, it feels easier to go, because it’s on the schedule. It’s what you do.

do a variety of outdoor activities. Kids can play outside for ages, but, as they get older, what they want to do can change and shift. Parents—or at least me—don’t find playgrounds very interested to hang out at for hours. Maybe you do different things on different days. Monday a family hike; Tuesday at the playground; Wednesday wandering somewhere in nature; Thursday at a different playground; Friday another wander; Saturday a family bike ride; Sunday in the back yard. Utilize bikes and scooters, and chalk, and balls, and buckets, and trowels. Variety makes a difference.

dress appropriately. In my experience, the number one reason kids don’t want to go outside is because of the weather. Now, sometimes you can’t really get out; but in most cases, when dressed well and going out at the right time of day, everyone’s okay. In Spring and Fall, make sure you have sturdy and maybe even waterproof shoes and a jacket. In summer, keep clothing materials light and easy-drying. Don’t go out in the heat of the day, or find a shady space to spend time. In Winter, layering is  K E Y. Bring a warm drink when it’s cold, and plenty of water when it’s hot. If your kid is still resistant—Winter, I’m just gonna presume—try going out for small bouts of time. Play in the yard for 10-30 minutes, or go for a walk. As they get used to being bundled up and getting out, they will get more comfortable. Stick with it.

celebrate outdoors. Whenever you can, use the outdoors as a place to be when you feel good! Did something good happen today? Celebrate by playing outside. Are you having a birthday? Why not party outdoors. Bad day? Let’s help ourselves feel better by taking a walk. When the outdoors is associated with feeling good, it becomes more appealing.

bring a friend. As I mentioned earlier, being an adult outside with kids can be tedious. That’s not to say you can never enjoy yourself. Bring a chair or hammock (I have neither) or blanket, and read a book or knit. However, when it’s hours upon hours for days, it can be demotivating to get out this way. Find someone who you can be out with. When I first met one of my besties, we had park playdates at the park twice a week, and it allowed the kids to have fun, and us to have someone to chat to. And then we became best friends. With Hike It Baby, even if you didn’t know everyone well, just chatting while the kids played made it easy to want to go multiple times a week. See if any of your friends or neighbors would be interested in meeting up for a walk or toddler hike, or playground date. Is there a Hike It Baby, or other family outdoor group, in your area; or any family biking activities? The slight awkwardness of meeting new people is worth it, because then you’ll have people excited to see you for outdoor time, and it’ll motivate you more. Plus, you’ll already have one thing in common: prioritizing outdoor time for your kids.

your attitude counts/use your words. Okay, so you know being outside is good for kids—and you, too. Fine, you’ll take them out. If you’re just there, telling the kids to figure out how to enjoy nature, it’s not gonna give you the results you want. Even if you start off faking it, you’ve gotta seem cool with being there. Then, use your words to express how you feel outside. “I really needed this,” “The leaves are so pretty right now, I’m glad we came out,” “I’m so happy we get to be together out here.” All of this sets the scene for your kids.

give kids space. In our irrational society, there’s not a lot of places where kids can just run around, or explore by themselves. It’s not just the idea that they could get lost, or run into someone dodgy, but also cars. Roads. Parking lots. So they have to stay by us. Now, I’m not saying you should set up a picnic and let your 3 year old wander out of sight wherever into the wilderness. But, I am saying that being outdoors gives you the chance to give your children a much, much longer leash. Personally—in the absence of automobiles—my rule of thumb has been that I just have to be able to see them. I’ve had my 2 year old go to the edge of the park while I stayed put. I could still see her, it was not overly crowded, it was fine. I let my kids wander far away. This allows them to test their limits. To taste some freedom in a safe way. They can learn to trust themselves in the environment they’re in, and that is so valuable.

bring nature home with you. I have a whole post about this. We have a nature bowl. Sure, set limits on how much kids can bring home, but if they know they can choose 1 or 2 things from their nature outing to bring home and keep, they’ll be very busy determining which thing is the one that gets the honors. Then, later, they can admire their finds, and be reminded of all their nice memories outside.

notice everything. This is the most important one of all, I’ve found. When I moved to Utah, I thought it was super ugly. I’m from the Appalachians, which are ridiculously lush, but I hadn’t known what I had was so great until I moved here. I didn’t have a lot of compliments for this state and it’s foliage (or lack thereof). One thing that came up over and over again in my readings was how many people had their imagination and love for nature sparked by a parent’s observations. So, as we started our transition into becoming outdoorsy, I made sure to notice anything and everything good. “Wow, this area is pretty green!” “That tree is big”, “Look at the beautiful red on those grasses.” You can be there, and be happy to be there, but as kids grow up, and  become less interested in simply playing outdoors, the beauty in nature is what will continue to motivate and inspire them to be in it. Now, my daughter very often points out all sorts of tiny flowers, and leaf colors I hadn’t even noticed. She can appreciate even the smallest lovely things.

I hope this post can act as a mini primer on how to effectively get your children interested, and even excited, in the outdoors. If you already have indoorsy habits, just know that the transition will take time. Start with 1 or 2 days a week, and stick with it, even when the kids complain (because they’re almost never still complaining by the end of the outing). Prioritizing outside time has been a huge benefit to our little family, so I hope yours can find fun, joy, and peace in nature, too.