How much time do your children spend playing outside?
A survey by The National Trust has found that children spend half as much time playing outside than their parents did. The research found that on average, children spend just four hours playing outside each week. This is in stark contrast to the 32 hours each week that the average 2-5 year old spends in front of a screen. However, 9 out of 10 parents questioned said they would prefer their children to spend more time outdoors developing a connection with nature.
Studies have shown that children who spend more time playing outside are less prone to obesity, asthma, anxiety and depression. In addition to this, playing outside also leads to improved sleep, increased gross and fine motor skills and improved confidence and creativity. The research is difficult to argue with but in our modern world, it’s not always easy to find the time and energy to spend that much-needed time outdoors.
I love nature and could bang on all day about how much I enjoy spending time outdoors and what a positive impact it has on my wellbeing. However, I’m also a busy mum who seems to find herself with a to-do list as long as her arm and a toddler that probably (…definitely) spends too much time in the company of Peppa Pig. This summer, I’m going to set myself a challenge to ensure that said toddler spends more time playing outdoors.
Earth mother I am not but here are some of the ideas I’ve come up with:
Invest in some outdoor toys
There’s nothing more enjoyable that sitting in the garden and sipping a cup of tea with the sun on your face. However, those of us with toddlers or small children know that the opportunities to actually indulge in this pleasure are few and far between. I had a staunch anti-microwave policy for cups of tea prior to having my son but now a single cup of tea might find itself zapped umpteen times before it’s finally consumed at a reasonable temperature. So how can I drink a hot cup of tea in the garden whilst keeping the toddler safe and occupied? Garden toys. I’ll start by saying that my garden is not large, in fact, it’s probably not even average, its small, so I won’t be building an Olympic-sized swimming pool or installing a multi-storey Wendy house. Instead, I will be incorporating some small and simple outdoor toys such as pavement chalk, a football, a small sandpit with buckets and spades, some outdoor toy cars and diggers, and a slide. If I had older children, I might also consider bubbles, a skipping rope and Swingball.
Make the most of our environment
Living in East Anglia means that we’re blessed with an incredible natural environment. With beaches, the broads and woodland all on our doorstep, I really do feel that I should be making more of an effort to make the most of it. My husband is from further inland and always remarks upon the fact that we very rarely have a “beach day”. There’s something about living right on top of something that means you take it for granted. My son loves walks on the beach and collecting stones, shells and other treasures. I’d also imagine that now he’s that little bit older, he’ll also love building sandcastles and digging holes. This summer, I’m going to make an effort to spend more time at the beach.
Like thousands of others, during the first lockdown, with little else to do, we also developed a habit of taking a daily walk around our village. Our son was a baby at the time but we still made an effort to point out to him all the wonderfully interesting things on our doorstep, from the duck pond to the field of cows round the corner, and even ladybirds resting on leaves. I’m sure he’d find it much more engaging now that he’s actually able to stay awake for the duration of a walk. Perhaps we’ll start it again.
Bring the indoors out
For children who seem less enthusiastic about spending time outside, it might be worth trialling bringing the indoors out. Obviously, there’s nowhere to plug a PlayStation in outside but children could be encouraged to bring some of their favourite toys or hobbies into the garden. For example, if your child loves reading and can often be found with their nose in a book, there’s no reason that can’t be done in a comfy chair outside. If your child loves painting or colouring in, those activities could also be brought into the garden.
A favourite hobby of mine happens to be eating and that’s an excellent pursuit to take outdoors. Not necessarily BBQs – to be honest I find them a bit of a faff and I tend to panic about salmonella; I just like to sit in the garden for breakfast or dinner. Why not have a garden picnic to make lunch time that little bit more exciting?
Attend a forest school
Forest schools are becoming increasingly popular and having attended a group based on the forest school ideology with my son, I can see why. Forest schools take a child-centred approach to learning and encourage children to explore the environment around them. Typically, Forest School’s don’t use outdoor toys to encourage play but provide children with resources such as pots and pans, paint brushes, bug viewers etc. to inspire them to take a closer look at the world around them. Personally, I was amazed at how much my son enjoyed himself in such a simple environment and it gave me ideas for things to do with him at home such as painting with mud and water, collecting sticks, flowers and stones and making mud pies.
The group we attended was Wild Tots at Carlton Marshes – Suffolk Wildlife Trust and I’d highly recommend it!