This is every parent’s worst fear. Our children don’t like going outside! Oh, no! Goodbye healthy lifestyle. Goodbye friends. And goodbye social life. Think again. It’s not so bad. And the love for the outdoors can be taught too.
My son has allergies so we can’t spend hours outside without him having to clean out half the tissue box. So, he’s a bit of a homebody because of this. However, he actually likes the outdoors, just not the aftermath of going outside though. I’ve discovered many outdoor activities that can be done indoors. Then that gave me a thought. If you introduce these activities to your non-outdoorsy children, and then move them outside to do them afterwards, they may not feel so reluctant to get some sunshine.
Here is a list of indoor-outdoor activities:
- Dancing: You can literally dance anywhere and no one ever said you can’t blast music outdoors. Get them excited about dancing inside first, and then slowly transition your dance location to the backyard. You’ll find your kids craving the extra room to dance.
- Camping: When my son was younger, we used to set up the tent inside. My husband loves hiking and camping (I’m only okay with it), so we thought to introduce it to him first before going out for real. Many parents actually set up the tent in their backyard and treat it like a ground-level treehouse. Their kids can go outside to watch the sunset or look at the stars.
- Hockey: Yes, you can play hockey inside as long as you clear some space in the living room and remove all the breakables. I used to play a very simple hockey game with my brother where we scrunch up a ball of paper and use the mini plastic hockey sticks and mini nets to play a quick scrimmage. It was a fun rainy day activity. If your kid doesn’t naturally love hockey, try this out first with them. When they start catching on, move the same game outside by using proper hockey sticks and nets and teach them road hockey. My transition phase was like, ‘Oh look how grown up you are now, you can now play in the big leagues. Let’s promote you from mini hockey to road hockey.”
- Tag or hide and seek: The classic childhood game that requires absolutely no skill or extra accessories. You can play this inside or outside and both places are a lot of fun. This can get your kids running, strategically thinking, and working up a sweat.