Encouraging Your Kids to Play Outside

Reader Contribution by Elyse Black
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I loved being outdoors when I was a kid and was fortunate to have parents who encouraged me to be outside. We moved around a lot, and it was always fun to explore new places. Sometime in high school however, I lost touch with that part of myself and became much more of an indoors person throughout my young adulthood. Now, I have a two-year-old son who loves to be outside and am learning once again the value of getting kids (and myself) to play outside.

Photo By Fotolia/Alliance

Our family faces a challenge I’m sure some of you can relate to living in a small apartment with only a balcony to call entirely ours. It’s easy in that situation to give in and blame accessibility, the weather, and a number of other factors for staying inside.  Thing is, getting your kids outside doesn’t have to mean letting them loose in some 1/2-acre fenced backyard or waiting for perfect weather at the park. It might take a bit more effort on your part as a parent, but it’s well worth it.

Are there any other ‘outdoors’ areas nearby? We are fortunate enough to have some semi-wooded public areas in our apartments where I can take my son. Is there a park nearby? Even if it’s just a small neighborhood park, it can offer more excitement than you might think. Do you have time to go somewhere like a nature preserve, county park, or greenway even if only on the weekends? Take advantage of those precious opportunities. What if the weather isn’t cooperating? You might be able to work with the weather for an outdoor activity (as long as you’re not dealing with severe weather). 

Playgrounds are great and sports are certainly a great reason to get outside, but for some kids neither of those will be much of an enticement. In fact, my son has little interest in playground equipment. If your child is ‘outdoor activity averse,’ try coming at it from a different angle. One of the most valuable effects of getting kids outside in my opinion is exposing them to the way nature works. I also love to start explaining to my son how human activity impacts nature and how we can protect nature. For the kid who is more bookish or interested in science than traditional play, recommend they take their interests outside. Could they pick up a book at the library about birds and then put that knowledge to use by bird watching at the park? Or perhaps your young scientist could count birds and then compare their totals to migrating bird counts to see how your local population compares? Or maybe they could observe and diagram the parts of a habitat?  Not all kids want to run, jump, or climb when they’re outside and suggesting alternative activities can inspire a child to get outside when they might not otherwise. 

Of course, one of the most important parts of getting kids outside is you. Kids obviously need supervision but also encouragement and sometimes someone to learn with them. Make what time you can to be part of getting your kids outside and you might even find yourself rediscovering your own inner child with dirt on your hands and fresh air in your lungs.



Elyse Black is a wife and mother to one (soon to be two), educator, avid home cook/baker, and pragmatic environmentalist. You can find her kid-tested, kosher-friendly recipes on her blog,
“What’s Cookin,’ Mamele?”

  • Published on Dec 3, 2013
Tagged with: Reader Contributions
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