If you're looking for a way to relieve your family of a constantly blaring television and the stuffy indoor air, open the door to the backyard and your children will thrive. Youth who get outside on a regular basis are less likely to have weight-related health problems and more likely to build upon their emotional, social and physical skills, according to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies.
Ball Games
Ball games promote cooperation, coordination and physical fitness in youth of all developmental levels. Classic baseball and softball games are adaptable, whether you get your preschooler a tee and light bat for T-ball practice, invest in a high-quality mitt to play catch with your school-aged child or go the distance and get all the neighborhood youth involved in a full backyard or park softball game. Organized foot-and-ball games such as kickball and soccer are entertaining for older kids, but you can also gently kick a ball back and forth with a toddler or preschooler to promote early skills for later games. Other outdoor ball game options include basketball, tennis, flag football, backyard bowling with plastic pins, croquet and dodgeball.
Play on Wheels
A set of wheels can transport older youth from point A to point B, but it can also offer hours of entertainment for kids of all ages. Youth as young as age two can begin learning to ride a tricycle, then grow into a two-wheeler bike with a set of training wheels by preschool or kindergarten, finally developing the balance to ride a two-wheeler without training wheels in early elementary school. Other wheels you might invest in include roller skates, inline skates and a skateboard. Just be sure that you supervise younger youth at all times and provide your children with properly fitting protective gear such as a helmet, wrist guards, and knee and elbow pads.
Water Games
Water adds an extra element of excitement to outdoor play during the warmer months, and you don't need to have a swimming pool to enjoy it. Grab a hose and play limbo under a stream of water, play "freeze" tag with a super squirt gun or race around an oscillating sprinkler trying to catch the most water in a cup before the timer runs out. If you do have a swimming pool, a timeless supervised swimming game is racing across the pool. To spice up a pool race, instruct all participants to push a plastic duck or closed, empty water bottle across the pool with their noses to see which one reaches the end first. Ensure children of all ages have proper adult supervision during pool time.
Nature Adventures
The great outdoors can be unexplored terrain for many city-dwelling youth, so get your children back to their roots by encouraging nature activities. Even if you're not the outdoorsy type, simple activities such as walking through a local hiking trail or park with a "Nature Observations" diary or making a collage out of leaves and rocks will encourage your children to think outside the box that is your house. Another outdoor activity that can promote bonding and imagination is camping. Once again, if you're not accustomed to creating fire out of sticks and rocks, you don't need to "rough it" to provide your children with a meaningful and memorable experience. Simply pitch a tent in your backyard, roast marshmallows on a hibachi, tell spooky stories at dark and gaze together at constellations, real or made up.
References
- Disney FamilyFun; Get Outside!; Leslie Garisto Plaff
- National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies: Discovery and Play: Children Benefit from the Great Outdoors
- Family Education: Backyard Water Games
- "Parents" Magazine; The Top Five Outdoor Sports for Kids; Karin A. Bilich
- Disney FamilyFun: Sprinkler Race
Member Comments