They need to go outside!!!

[Noreen Claire]

How do you get your kids to go outside, and what do they do once they are out there?

 

My boys (8, 5, and 3) NEED to go outside during the day. I have built-in breaks during school time mid-morning, and before/after lunch. (Only DS8 does any work after lunch.) DS 5 & 3 could be outside most of the day, if I could get them to go! They just don't want to go outside. DS5 would prefer to spend all day upstairs using Legos. DS3 will go outside sometimes, but wants to be doing whatever his brothers are doing. DS8 prefers to read and/or annoy me for attention during breaks.

 

They do better when they spend more time outside! I often throw them all out the back door and tell them that they can't come back in until lunch/whatever, but I don't want outside time to be seen as a punishment. (TBH, I spend very little time outside myself, as I also have an 11mo old and really need a few minutes of quiet here and there away from the noise of the three boys.)

 

What do your kids do outside? We have a small-ish backyard with an unused soccer goal, misc. sports balls, etc. (Baseball bats are given only under husband's supervision, as they will hit each other, rather than play baseball.) When there is snow, they sled on the little hill in the back. We have a small, hand-me-down plastic playhouse but they mostly use it to see who can climb and sit on top of it. Husband is against buying playset/swings/trampoline. They use chalk on the front sidewalk. They can't ride bikes on the street, as we live on a steep hill.

 

What can I do to get them outside more?

 

FWIW, we have several playgrounds within a 5-minute drive, but I don't want to have to put them into the car. 

[JumpyTheFrog]

What about scrap lumber, some nails, and a hammer?

[Guinevere]

I eased my kids into a lot of outside play by giving them a specific project. A tent is a good way to start. Kids can usually put them together with just a little help the first time or two. Once it is up, then they have a fort, so they get stuff to set up their fort, and then I send out a basket of snacks, and it just goes from there.

 

I realized that mine needed a little help to get started, just like they do inside, so I just give them a nudge now and then. Watching movies of outdoor options is helpful, too (Davy Crockett, etc).

[Guinevere]

Oh, I give my kids outdoor assignments as part of schoolwork, too. Jump rope 100 times, pass a soccer ball back and forth 50 times. Etc. Those chores take long enough that they have usually thought of a better way to do it, or something they'd like to try when they are done. If not, at least we've burned a little energy!

[wathe]

Junk.  Mine love junk.  scrap lumber and firewood (becomes bike jumps, obstacle course, forts), kiddie pool and buckets, rope, bits of old eavestrough, tarp,  etc.  Our neighbour let her kids dig a big hole.  Big fun!  It's amazing what they come up with.  But, our yard looks, well, junkie.  Bothers me less than it might bother others.

[ScoutTN]

At 5 and 3, mine played on the swings/playset, in the sandbox, on riding toys or wagon. They often played with water unless it was cold. Dress up clothes, toy weapons and stuffed animals were often outside. A jump rope, sidewalk chalk, balls, plastic dishes and food, plastic animals and people were often a part of the stories they played. And the so-patient dog!

[ScoutTN]

Pvc pipe and fittings can be made into outdoor Tinkertoys. Inexpensive and fin for kids who like lego or building.

[Tap]

My kiddos love to be outside and we live on a flat road, so not quite the same situation.  If you have a driveway/sidewalk or can go to the park here are some ideas.  We did LOTS of outside school when the kids were home. Usually active school, but sometimes just sitting on a blanket under a tree.  It is some of their favorite memories.  Being outside let to lots of small breaks but it really helped to keep them busy. 

 

DD18 is dyslexic and very active.  We did a lot of school outside.  Math was often done in hopscotch grids (I would write the answers in the grid and she would do the math problems to see where she needed to jump to.

 

I would draw boxes ( train cars) in a loop around on the driveway. I would write answers in the boxes.   She would run, skip, scooter et to the right train car to pick the answer.   Sometimes I would switch it up and write simple math problems in the boxes and give her the answer, Jeopardy style.

 

We did history on the climbing gym, with the kids going a rung for each right answer and backwards for wrong ones.

 

Memorization on swings.  Math chants on swings (multiplication tables etc)

 

Relay circles.  we would pick a few points and make stations. I would write problems and answers on cards.  I would let her run to grab a problem and then run to the next station to get the answer, another station to get a picture of the item etc.Example:   Picture of a evergreen tree. The word evergreen tree on a card.  The sentence "these trees don't loose their leaves in winter".

 

We build pirate ships on talk like a pirate day. 

 

I know you are looking for more play ideas but since everyone will come up with great play ideas, I thought I would give you some different ones. 

 

Edited September 18, 2017 by Tap

[rebcoola]

If what they like is building and reading than let them do that outside.  Pvc pipe, small chunks of wood, rocks and dirt are all great for building. I know the thought is go outside and be active but their is actually a lot of research that just being outside helps calm and focus kids.(I will try to link some later)  

[Noreen Claire]

What about scrap lumber, some nails, and a hammer?

Weapons. Someone would require a trip to the er!

[Noreen Claire]

Oh, I give my kids outdoor assignments as part of schoolwork, too. Jump rope 100 times, pass a soccer ball back and forth 50 times. Etc. Those chores take long enough that they have usually thought of a better way to do it, or something they'd like to try when they are done. If not, at least we've burned a little energy!

This sounds good!

[Critterfixer]

Large sandbox.

 

ETA: My boys (at that age) commandeered the creek and all the rocks therein. There are still remnants of dams and towns that have survived several floods from their building projects. PVC pipe was a huge hit (we had Pipe-world) for a long time. Now they bike, play basketball, build golf courses, and yes--they still build things in the creek.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Critterfixer

[Noreen Claire]

Why on earth is your DH against buying a swing set / playset? That's what my kids do outside. .

He believes that they won't get used. There are lots of playsets in my area, but you never see anyone playing on them. We have 4 playgrounds within a five-minute drive, and we often go there after school time is over and on weekends.

[Guest]

Junk. Mine love junk. scrap lumber and firewood (becomes bike jumps, obstacle course, forts), kiddie pool and buckets, rope, bits of old eavestrough, tarp, etc. Our neighbour let her kids dig a big hole. Big fun! It's amazing what they come up with. But, our yard looks, well, junkie. Bothers me less than it might bother others.

Mine too. It's like a shanty town but they adore it, and the creativity skyrockets. Scraps and building materials go a really long way.

[Guest]

He believes that they won't get used. There are lots of playsets in my area, but you never see anyone playing on them. We have 4 playgrounds within a five-minute drive, and we often go there after school time is over and on weekends.

While junk is a favorite, my children use their play set every single day, usually in conjunction with the junk.

 

I see them not get played with when the kids aren't home or are inside playing, but when they're forced outside they absolutely get used!

[Elizabeth86]

you never see anyone on them because you never see anyone outside to use them. I have never seen a backyard where there was a playset, but the kids were avoiding it. The problem is not the playset, it's the abscence of the children in the yard :-)

True story. My neigbors have a playset and a pool and they are NEVER outside.

[ErinE]

If you're uncertain about hammer and nails (I only allowed it with a more mature neighbor boy supervising), how about cardboard boxes, paint, duct tape, markers, etc.? It will get torn up when it rains, but the kids will spend hours building their fort. PVC pipe and fittings are also great building tools.

[regentrude]

From infancy through elementary, we spent the entire afternoon outside at the park, unless it was pouring buckets.

And we played outside in the yard together. I was usually outside with the kids.

Sidewalk chalk, toy cars, tricycle/bike, balls.

We also spent an entire weekend day in the woods, hiking and climbing as a family.

ETA: And we began each day with a walk.

Edited September 18, 2017 by regentrude

[KathyBC]

For awhile my kids got really into building obstacle courses.

[barnwife]

I say "it's outside time!" And, willing or unwilling, they go. I am perfectly fine with having mandatory outdoors time. To get the least amount of whining, I try and go outside, even if it's only for a few minutes. Then I can usually sneak away to go do something else (cook, clean, whatever).

[Jean in Newcastle]

My kids also loved to build with pvc pipes.  For one birthday we went to a  hardware store and got some lengths of pipe and lots of different kinds of connectors (angles, T's etc.).  The store clerk asked what we were fixing.  We told him that it was our son's birthday present.  Best present ever! 

 

Sandbox and sand toys.

 

Do you have even a small patio in the yard for riding toys? 

 

Army men and animals to play with outside. 

 

Set up an easel outside and let them finger or brush paint. 

 

 

[keirin]

I struggle with this as well. We DO have a playset - a simple one with a slide and swings and a little monkey bars - and the kids rarely use anything except the swings. The swings get used for about 20 minutes a day. So I would recommend instead of buying a full on playset, just get a swing set. You can even build your own fairly cheaply: http://www.hgtv.com/design/make-and-celebrate/handmade/how-to-build-a-wooden-kids-swing-set

 

After the swings, the thing that gets used most is the sandbox. I don't like the mess of the sit down in it type sandbox so I got one that they stand up at: 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Step2-Naturally-Playful-Sand-and-Water-Activity-Table-Value-Bundle-8-piece-Accessory-Set/10983986

This plus some sand toys and mini bull dozers and army men gives me a lot of outdoor play time.

 

The next most useful things would be chalk, a water table, a rubber playground type ball. We have a mini trampoline and a balance beam that we made ourselves. These get used very occasionally, more when friends are over. I'm considering a life size jenga set next. :D

 

 

[Annie G]

Our kids LOVED the sandbox. It had a lid and we were militant about closing it when they weren't outside. We refilled it every year using that sand that is now probably banned- it's the really fine beach kind of sand that I think had something in it. Anyway...it was even the place our teenagers gathered to chat. Bare feet in the sandbox, running their hands through sand....it was funny to watch. 

 

When we built a playset with a platform the kids mostly just went up there to read or talk or play with whatever toys they played with inside, like Legos. But hey, they were outside. 

 

 

[EMS83]

The house rule is you can be calm and quiet inside or wild and noisy outside.  And then I'll also have times where I just say, it's outside time, now.  And if they try the run-inside-every-2-minutes routine, I just say: use the bathroom, get some water, now don't come back in for 20 minutes (or whatever).  They're ok with and/or used to this, though the heat of summer is hard.  Either I try to boot them out early in the morning or let them have the hose.  

 

All of this is generally speaking; we have our ups and downs with it.

[Rachel]

My kids like to dig holes, much to my husband's dismay. Fortunately they do it by the honeysuckle bushes so it doesn't ruin the yard. They also pretend the bushes are their spy hideout.

 

We do have a playset, they spend a lot of time swinging. They also play pirates and who knows what else from the "Fort" up top. My 9 year old rides his bike around the block. They all ride bikes or scooters in the driveway and down to the end of the block. They all like using sidewalk chalk and bubbles. Sometimes they chase each other or kick a ball. On hot days they have squirt gun fights.

 

I find they play better when there is less available. So even if they could do chalk, blow bubbles, and have a water fight, I would only make one suggestion. I say you are going outside until 3:00, you can have a water fight if you want. They usually groan, then don't want to come in when I tell them it's ok.

 

When the weather starts getting nice in the spring it's difficult to get them to go outside and stay. But by winter they are begging to go outside even when I think the weather isn't good enough.

 

Oh and I find it helps if I have them use the bathroom first and then put ice water out on the picnic table for them. If it's after school time I'll put out a couple extra cups in case a neighbor kid shows up. It takes away the excuses for wanting to come in every 10 minutes. My kids generally have fun outside but sometimes just getting them out the door is a struggle.

[Lady Florida.]

Oh, I give my kids outdoor assignments as part of schoolwork, too. Jump rope 100 times, pass a soccer ball back and forth 50 times. Etc. Those chores take long enough that they have usually thought of a better way to do it, or something they'd like to try when they are done. If not, at least we've burned a little energy!

 

I never had trouble getting ds to go outside - I had trouble keeping him in to get school work done! In order to get school done we did some outdoor school stuff like hopscotch math and nature study.

 

Ds was a Lego nut but he could also spend hours out in the back yard watching bugs and lizards, climbing trees, and running around with his dog. 

 

If you can't get them out to just play, try doing some outdoor school activities. 

[scrapbookbuzz]

If you're uncertain about hammer and nails (I only allowed it with a more mature neighbor boy supervising), how about cardboard boxes, paint, duct tape, markers, etc.? It will get torn up when it rains, but the kids will spend hours building their fort. PVC pipe and fittings are also great building tools.

 

I like this idea! I've been reading through this thread thinking, "How about when you live in the desert and it's TOO HOT to go outside half the year?" But THIS they could do. Even at the ages of my kids: 19 and 13.

[KungFuPanda]

Are you going outside with them every day? It's hard to sell the importance of outside time if they don't see the adults out here regularly. When my kids were little we got out at least once a day altogether. I'd also do things like serve meals or snacks outside or put craft supplies outside. Having a big outdoor table that is kid friendly goes a long way. I'm not talking about some dinky kid-sized picnic table. I mean an old door on legs sturdy enough that your kid can climb on and jump off. Put the Legos out there. Use a sheet as a tablecloth so it's easy to gather to clean them up. Put play dough out there. Some rope and some cloth for fort building can keep them busy a while. If you stay out there long enough to sell it and get them busy, you can go back in and get a few indoor chores accomplished. You can fold clothes outside if you have a table. You can grill lunch. You can let each kid start a tiny garden. We did schoolwork and read alouds outside in nice weather. My kids played in the sandbox while I read all of Narnia to them. It was a nice summer.

 

The more they're outside, the less they can mess up the inside :-)

Edited September 18, 2017 by KungFuPanda

[KungFuPanda]

I like this idea! I've been reading through this thread thinking, "How about when you live in the desert and it's TOO HOT to go outside half the year?" But THIS they could do. Even at the ages of my kids: 19 and 13.

Above when I said we went outside every day, I DID NOT mean if it was pouring rain or below 40 degrees. In the winter, they're on their own or walking with DH (who is fine with the 30s and 40s). I will own up yo being a wimp about winter. I don't care what that says about me. I'm guessing in the desert summer is your no go season. You might wanna redefine "too hot" as "97 or above" so you don't lose HALF the year.

[ScoutTN]

If you're uncertain about hammer and nails (I only allowed it with a more mature neighbor boy supervising), how about cardboard boxes, paint, duct tape, markers, etc.? It will get torn up when it rains, but the kids will spend hours building their fort. PVC pipe and fittings are also great building tools.

 

 

Yes, giant boxes! Best Buy and other appliance stores will save them for you, if you ask.

And read It's Not a Box, and Kristina Caterina and the Box too! 

[Pink and Green Mom]

When mine were that age I had to go outside with them.  Some things they liked:  sidewalk chalk (sometimes they would draw a road on the driveway to follow), their own made up obstacle courses, forts in the bushes, a "picnic" (they loved to eat anything you would give them on a blanket outside), digging in the dirt under our deck, shooting hoops, playing things like McDonalds (I would sit in a chair, they would pretend their bikes were cars and I was the drive through lady at McDonalds...they'd place their orders and then pretend to pay me, etc.).  Another biggie with my competitive oldest was timing how fast he could ride his bike or run from Point A to Point B.

 

Sometimes, they'd play act whatever we read about in history that day (so pretend they were in a boat on the Nile, pretend they were knights defending a castle, etc.

[Elizabeth86]

He believes that they won't get used. There are lots of playsets in my area, but you never see anyone playing on them. We have 4 playgrounds within a five-minute drive, and we often go there after school time is over and on weekends.

A note about playsets. If your dh is handy, this is what we are doing. We thought if we bought a playset they may tire of it, so last year we built just a swing set. Next year we are building a playhouse. The next a slide. See saw and so on. Add a feature each spring, so it something new instead of all at once. We built a big sandbox. They have all kinds of neat things besides shovels and pails such as cars, dinosaurs, coins, seashells. My kids are whiny about going out solo even though our yard is safe and fenced. I usually just plop my butt in a chair and relax. Tbey love random ropes.and sticks and wood and junk. Our yard looks awful, but they love it. If you have/ had a garden consider getting then child sized hoes, rakes and shovels. They love digging in the loose soil. They are currently working on a "china hole". Mine are a pain to get out, ultimately have a blast after I drag them out. Also gardening is a hit with my oldest and youngest. They end up just playing make believe a lot. lots of pokemon battles. Ds 1 likes physical challenges like see if you can run 5 laps around the house, do 20 jumping jacks. My ds likes those ride on hopper balls. They try to jump rope lol. Pretend they are race cars and race around the house or to the fence.

Edited September 18, 2017 by Elizabeth86

[theelfqueen]

My 12 and 16 year olds love to hike. We go regularly. They read in the hammock (including school work) ... when it's nice out we have brunch or lunch on the patio. I bring out my coffee and planner in the morning and often they follow with what they can. Sherlock likes to practice his instrument outside. We joke that the nearest large regional park is our 3rd classroom (after home and co-op) ... we do science labs on a folding table in the yard.. plus they have weeding chores and fill the bird feeder.

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Elizabeth86]

Mine too. It's like a shanty town but they adore it, and the creativity skyrockets. Scraps and building materials go a really long way.

lol us too.

[OneStepAtATime]

At those ages:

 

Swing set

Sand box

Buckets of water

Squirt guns

Nerf balls 

Mud (created by the buckets of water)

Garden hose

Me organizing games to play such as Red light/Green light until they could do them on their own

Having other kids come over to play so they had someone close in age/size to play WITH

Fort building with whatever we could scrape together 

Big bouncy ball

Big bubbles

Little bubbles

Flavored bubbles

Scented bubbles

Bubble machine

Duck duck goose

Picnics with snacks

 

 

[busymama7]

I used to give my kids a Popsicle and require they eat outside. Usually by the time it was eaten trhu were in the midst of some complicated play and thru would stay out.

 

I have no problem requiring it either. It is GOOD for them to be bored and have very little with which to be entertained. It builds creativity. My kids play with DIRT. A lot. They come up with stuff to do when it's just required that they be outside.

 

We've used lots of the same tricks mentioned here too. But the biggest is just to require it and make it a habit.

[Elizabeth86]

I used to give my kids a Popsicle and require they eat outside. Usually by the time it was eaten trhu were in the midst of some complicated play and thru would stay out.

 

I have no problem requiring it either. It is GOOD for them to be bored and have very little with which to be entertained. It builds creativity. My kids play with DIRT. A lot. They come up with stuff to do when it's just required that they be outside.

 

We've used lots of the same tricks mentioned here too. But the biggest is just to require it and make it a habit.

Yes I do the popsicle trick too lok. Sometimes Im feeling good and make homemade healthy ones too.

[Elizabeth86]

Sprinklers are nice for warm weather if your kids like it. Only the baby likes water here.

[Carrie12345]

Can we smoosh our kids together and even them out?

 

I've spent 2 days trying to get my 6 and 10yos  inside to clean their room and do school work.  We don't have a swing set, but we have a rope hanging from a tree, rocks, dirt, and "forest". (They have to stay within our 1.25 acre boundaries.)  They don't even want to come in when I remind them that it's time for the bears to come out!

[Rachel]

I forgot that we got my kids hammocks on Amazon a couple years ago, they also love setting them up around the yard and even hanging from the playset. They were under $20 and came with tree straps so the 9 and 7 year old can hang them themselves. The 5 year old needs help. The hammocks become part of their pretend play.

[Elizabeth86]

I forgot that we got my kids hammocks on Amazon a couple years ago, they also love setting them up around the yard and even hanging from the playset. They were under $20 and came with tree straps so the 9 and 7 year old can hang them themselves. The 5 year old needs help. The hammocks become part of their pretend play.

Thanks for that idea. My kids woukd love it.

[bookbard]

Yeah, we have a slide,  a see-saw and a swing - the kids never use them.  Luckily they were given to us. Trampoline would get used, we don't have one as my mum has one down the road from us.

 

Obstacle courses (ninja warrior!) are more popular, and anything they can climb. If you do consider buying something, I'd go with a fort with a 'rock climbing wall' on it. We use random things like wooden pallets to create ours.

 

Sandpit was used a lot in the past. I need to tidy ours up a bit. 

 

Oh! The main use of outdoors for us this year has been a science centre. Table, beakers, sodium bicarbonate and vinegar. You can add colours or other random things for fun. "Sciencing" as they call it entertains them outside for ages, and the mess doesn't matter.

 

If you have a garden, my boy likes planting every seed from every apple or orange he eats in it. My daughter has created a little fairy garden with random plastic characters which she'll arrange. 

 

I used to give my kids a Popsicle and require they eat outside. Usually by the time it was eaten trhu were in the midst of some complicated play and thru would stay out. 

 

haha we do that. "If you want an ice-block, you have to eat it outside!"

 

 

 

[greenbeanmama]

We have a five-foot jungle gym and a tire swing that has received hard use (year-round, and we get a decent amount of snow).  We were given a (very rickety) swing set that my children have definitely claimed as their own.  Besides swinging and sliding, they use it for sidewalk chalk, have built a small table on a hinge in the fort area, added a pulley and rope system to hoist buckets of junk up, etc.

 

They also:

-ride bikes and scooters
-Ripstik
-stilts and pogo sticks
-PVC pipe building (if you throw in some old sheets and chip clips, they build forts)
-army tent (a real tent! used by a real soldier! which they think is awesome!)

-random wood, hand tools, caster wheels, pulleys, rope, etc.

-fire pit (my 11-year-old son started by setting leaves on fire with a magnifying glass when he was seven...as I type this, he is putting the finishing touches on tonight's dinner that he cooked in his Dutch oven, over the coals)

-rakes, shovels, branch trimmers (with direction, mostly - they do have a "digging hole" where they are free to dig, but if I give them a job and the tools, they like to accomplish it)

 

 

Instead of driving to playgrounds, we tend to walk or bike if possible.  It means they're pretty worn out by the time we get home.

If we do a picnic style lunch, that is always well received and they wander away to play when done eating.

 

[Myra]

I trained my kids to love outdoors (as much as I do!)  But I spent a lot of time outdoors when they were young as I don't feel comfortable with kids under 5 being outside without my supervision (and interaction) - even with older siblings around. 

 

From the time they were babies they were crawling/snuggling on blankets while I read. Then later the toddlers painting with water, blowing bubbles, or making mud pies.

 

When they were 5ish I would start being outside with them while running inside for a few minutes to put a load in the washer or watch them out the kitchen window while I prepared a snack (to eat outside, of course!) and this helped start their independence.  My kids loved their swing set but often used it for other purposes like tying old sheets to them while anchoring the sheet ends with rocks to make forts, teaching the dog to go down the slide, etc.  

 

Myra

 

 

Myra

[Guest]

Get some chickens.  Seriously.  DS asks every day if we can go outside and do school or just sit and watch the chickens.  And he does in fact go outside several times a day, especially now that we have hammock chairs in the chicken run.

[Elizabeth86]

Get some chickens. Seriously. DS asks every day if we can go outside and do school or just sit and watch the chickens. And he does in fact go outside several times a day, especially now that we have hammock chairs in the chicken run.

Oh yeah. My kids love grandparents chickens. We are thinking of getting a few too.

[Melissa in Australia]

I send mine outside. I tell them it is outside time now and sometimes I help escort them out. I usually put a snack on the outside table and leave them to play.

[Ausmumof3]

From infancy through elementary, we spent the entire afternoon outside at the park, unless it was pouring buckets.

And we played outside in the yard together. I was usually outside with the kids.

Sidewalk chalk, toy cars, tricycle/bike, balls.

We also spent an entire weekend day in the woods, hiking and climbing as a family.

ETA: And we began each day with a walk.

This is how my ideal day looks but I can never figure out how it works?

 

So like you walk from 8amish, school from 9-1 then lunch then outdoors till 5? and the house stuff happens around the edges?

[busymama7]

This is how my ideal day looks but I can never figure out how it works?

 

So like you walk from 8amish, school from 9-1 then lunch then outdoors till 5? and the house stuff happens around the edges?

I wonder that too plus what about naps? I've had napping toddlers for close to 20 years and that after lunch time is sacred. We certainly couldn't miss it daily.

[Guest]

things for them to do on their own -

games such as tag, nerf archery, bowling (use a kickball and 2 liter bottles), kickball, obstacle course, running, sack race, bball horse, hide and seek, geocache...

sand and dirt and water and sticks - build a canal, whatever or dig to the other side of the world

your 3 may enjoy painting with water...paintbrush, water, fence

pull weeds, move things things with wagon

fill birdfeeder and report on bird usage

 

 

boards....use something like landscaping timbers and let them stack and make a fort while your ds trains not to hit. they are heavy enough that it will help them get the deep muscle satisfaction they need

 

your 8 can start making things with dad...maybe a trebuchet, a fence, a rope and pulley system,etc

 

does your hill have a landing area?  roller sled