Five Ideas for fast connection to your kids and the great outdoors!

Five Ideas for fast connection to your kids and the great outdoors!

Hi there, I am really passionate about a lot of things when it comes to children. One of the things I am really passionate about is getting kids away from the screen and outside.

As a teacher I saw children in my class who could not socialize, were unable to engage in dramatic play, and sometimes they did not have the fitness to join others at play.  We all are busy, we sometimes think that the educational games on the iPads and phones are helpful, and we sometimes forget how long we, ourselves, spend on screen time. There is a lot of research coming in about the negative effects of screen time, including language delays and later problems in school with math, reading and bullying.

Alternatively there is also a lot of research about the benefits of nature and connecting as a family. Some research shows that children who regularly go outside are healthier and slimmer, have greater imaginations, and are better able to handle stress than their counterparts (see below for more information on that).

So this summer take a break and have fun, here are 5 ideas to connect with nature and more importantly, your child! Every day or on the way home from work, activities, or even from your weekend trip, stop at a park (no playground needed) or natural area.

1.     Play Tag. Children love to be chased; it is actually a developmental need. Children will often run away from adults as a psychological way of asking, “am I important enough for you to come find me?” In addition, playing tag is good for cardiovascular health, agility and there is no age limit.

2.     Play Follow the Leader and take turns leading. This promotes following directions and creative thinking. When children are following they must see what you are doing and then do it too, this increases critical thinking skills and body awareness. When they are leading they must think of what to do, do it, then see if you are doing it. Lots of multiple learning modalities in this simple game. You can also introduce balance, hoping, and skipping; all higher level movements.

3.     Roll down a hill or Spin in circles until your dizzy. Not only is this super fun, it also stimulates the vestibular system in the brain. The vestibular system is responsible for giving our brain information about movement. It allows us to keep balance, and stabilize during movements.

4.     Lay in the grass. Look up and watch the clouds, make pictures with the clouds. Look down and see a whole world under the grass, look for bugs, imagine trails, hear what your child tells you. Slow down and enjoy your child’s wonder at the world.  

5.     This last tip is for those who don’t have time or access to a park. Pull off the road, safely, to a parking lot or other place. Park where there are no other people parking, like the back of the mall or something. Turn your radio or phone to your favorite song; turn up the sound and dance like no one is watching. Or better yet, as I recently saw on Facebook, dance like a toddler because they don’t even care if there’s music! I used to call this a dance break and did it whenever the kids started getting cranky.  Just one song and then race back into the car, usually much happier than before. Showing kids your silly side can really help you connect and having fun is what being a kid is all about!

Be prepared for lots of giggles and a special bonus to these simple and fun activities is that they are mostly also recommended activities for longevity by aging research.  Love those dual benefit, win-win activities!

Here are some links to research and other information for those of you who want more information on this topic:

Screen time and children

http://www.screenfree.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/screentimefs.pdf

This is a summary of actual research and what it showed researchers.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/screen-time/art-20047952 The Mayo clinic is a favorite go to for answers.

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/12/26/505905246/screen-time-reality-check-for-kids-and-parents 

More good information and lots of links to other resources

Connecting with children and nature

https://www.nwf.org/Home/Kids-and-Family/Connecting-Kids-and-Nature 

Lots of information from the same people who brought us Ranger Rick!!

https://blog.nwf.org/tags/green-hour/?_ga=2.118271881.1688176907.1529867677-593605983.1529867677  More tips from National Wildlife Federation

http://richardlouv.com/ 

Richard Louv brought us the book Last Child in the Woods a favorite book of outdoor enthusiasts who love children.