WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO GET KIDS OFF THEIR TABLETS AND OUTSIDE?
QI’M struggling to get my two young children to play outdoors as they just want to stay in and stare at screens all day. What can I do to encourage them to get outside more?
ADR Fiona Holland, a senior psychology lecturer and part of the Nature Connectedness Research Group at the University of Derby, says: “Looking up resources beforehand and having ideas at the ready can be really worthwhile.
“Finding age-appropriate ideas to engage your children helps them have a positive focus for their time outside. For example, create a treasure hunt and tick off when you see a Y-shaped stick, a heart-shaped stone, a bridge, a squirrel, a black and white dog etc.
“Get ideas from books such as 101 Things for Kids to Do Outside by Dawn Isaac. This is a great resource with lots of ideas, such as making a herb garden, planting a bean wigwam, a twig plant pot, pond-dipping tips, water balloon pinata, make a butterfly feeder, go star gazing, or make a rain gauge, for example.
“Other ideas of events and activities organised for you can be found on websites of organisations such as the Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, the National Trust and the Wild Network.
“Another top tip is to make playing outdoors a social event. Take your children’s friends along, or alternatively, meet another family somewhere outside so everyone can catch up and play together.
“My advice, whatever you choose to do, is keep it simple. Find things that don’t cost money. It doesn’t have to be a huge day out with expensive meals in cafes. You can pack snacks or a picnic and stay closer to home. Find local free greenspace; kids like building dams in streams, making mud pies, making dens, splashing in puddles.
“Don’t overwhelm your children timewise. You might just go out for 15 minutes to try to catch falling leaves or build a den rather than making a huge effort to do a long country walk or a day trip to a faraway nature reserve. Start smaller, make it fun and build up the interest of your children in smaller activities.
“You can then explore further afield, and perhaps find a local organisation that hosts nature-based events. These are often free or very low cost. Make sure you have some all-weather gear and keep spirits up with snacks and warm drinks.
“If your kids are technology-mad, use it to help get them outside via a variety of nature apps such as the Persil Wild Explorers app and Geocaching (treasure hunting).
“For older children, taking photographs or videos outside might engage them more and focus their attention on their surroundings.”