5 Easy Ways to Encourage Outdoor Play This Summer

Encourage outdoor play this summer with these great tips that will surely excite your kids!

With tech at their fingertips and their favorite shows on TV, it can be easy for your kids to spend all summer indoors. But getting outside is not only a great way to get your kids away from their screens for a while, it’s also good for their health.

In addition to soaking in the sun’s vitamin D, playing outside encourages imaginative play and gives them a chance to get moving. But it’s not always easy to convince your kids to go outside and play. Here are five easy ways to encourage outdoor play this summer.

Get Messy

If going outside means they’re allowed to make a mess, get dirty, or get wet, chances are your kids will be all for it. Give them the go-ahead to get a little messy to make putting down their tech and heading outside a little more enticing.

Check out these awesome messy play ideas!

Implement Screen Limits

Setting screen limits for your kids will force them to find other ways to spend their time this summer. To make sure you implement the screen time limits each day, set a timer for your kids. When the timer goes off, screen time is over, allowing your kids to find other activities to occupy their time. Chances are, they’ll head outside to make the most of the beautiful weather while they can.

Get Away from Home

If your kids seem bored by their backyard play options, give them a change of scenery. Head to the local park, take a walk around the neighborhood, or go for a hike on a nearby trail. Taking the outdoor play away from home is a simple way for your kids to enjoy their time outdoors.

Make it Fun

Instead of sending your kids outside to fend for themselves, help them have a good time outside by making it fun. Fill a toy bin with balls, jump ropes, bubbles, squirt guns, and other fun outdoor activities. Or create fun outdoor games for them to play outside, like a scavenger hunt.

Make it Comfortable

Don’t give your kids any excuses to come inside once they’re outdoors by ensuring they’re comfortable as they play.

Create a shaded area in your back yard with patio furniture so your kids have a place to rest and escape the summer heat while they’re playing.

It’s also a good idea to place a cooler with cold drinks and a few snacks in the space so they have everything they need all in one handy place.

5 Easy Ways to Encourage Outdoor Play This Summer