Children are naturally active and love to play, so when parents see them glued to electronic devices, it’s a little heart-wrenching there isn’t more they can do. There is, and it is much more accessible than any parent realizes.
Getting your children outdoors is one way both you and your child can benefit and have a lot of fun at the same time. It also gives children the opportunity to gain physical skills, which will last them a lifetime.
Couple this with all the jumping and running they can do, and their motor skills will be significantly enhanced.
Another good thing about getting your children outdoors is, they will burn more calories which helps prevent any childhood obesity and reduce any risk of heart disease in their later years.
Other Benefits of an Outdoor Lifestyle
There are numerous other benefits of building an outdoor lifestyle with your children, and these are as follows:
- Children become sick less often – it might seem contradictory, but dirt, leaves, grass, and water help stimulate a child’s immune system and imagination.
- They become more resistant to stress.
- Children naturally play in a more diverse and imaginative way
- They become able to assess risk with more confidence
- Children typically bond and have greater feelings toward their friends
- Teach children how to be water safe with activities like kayaking.
How to Build an Outdoor Lifestyle
Finding out what interests your child can be the secret to building an outdoor lifestyle, and one of the best ways is through camping. This introduces numerous ways to learn about their surroundings and how to do things for themselves.
It might take a little planning, but it can be beneficial to the entire family. You can even go as far as getting your children involved with choosing your essential camping gear, which will make them feel more involved with the whole process.
What Activities can be done to get Fit With Children
When camping, it is ideal for getting children doing things without any distraction from gadgets at home.
Here are a few things you can incorporate into a routine or an activity that you can do while camping. This, of course, does depend on the campsite and surrounding amenities.
Infants
Walking, and this means you rather than your toddler. They can be in a stroller or a baby carrier, and walking with your infant is a great way to stimulate their minds and show them the wide world outside. It also gives you some light exercise.
Rolling. If you are on a public campsite, you might be able to find a patch of lush grass. Here you can both roll around.
This helps a baby develop neck, back, and shoulder muscles. You can meanwhile do some planks and work on your own muscles.
Two to Four-Year-Olds
Riding can be a great way to see more. You can easily find secure attachments for your bike which accommodate toddlers.
Kids love the airy feeling in their hair as you zoom along. If you have the right attachment to your vehicle, you can take a bike from home or locate rental places near a campsite of choice.
Kicking really gets kids involved, and there is no way better than soccer. Take a ball anywhere you go, and then you can spend some time kicking around rather than just in your backyard. This can also be a great time to teach throwing and catching.
Just focus on the basics and don’t bother with any rules; kids easily get confused and frustrated if you give them too many instructions. Remember, it’s all about having fun.
School-Aged kids
Hiking can really connect you and your kids with nature. It is a great way to get kids experienced with being outdoors and helps them in many ways which you wouldn’t even consider. Thinking and balance are two areas that are enhanced.
For the more rugged and older child, you could also incorporate some easy rock climbing. All you need to do is keep it short and feature-filled on the first few occasions. All the family can be involved rather than only one parent. (Learn Calories Burned Kayaking)
Nerdy Activities
These can be done at home or while camping, and the only restrictions are imagination:
Live-Action Role Playing
Kids actually do this more often than we realize, but doing it outdoors adds another novel twist when the family is involved. It can be as active as any sport when playing cops and robbers and chasing each other around.
Outdoor Olympics
With a few small and light items, any yard or campsite can be turned into a mini Olympics. Mats, plastic chairs, hoops, and any obstacle nature provides can be included in your obstacle course.
The fastest time wins. One, two, three…go.
Read more: Best Lifetime Youth Kayak
