10 Ideas to Get Your Child Outdoors

Meet my new favorite book, "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv. If you haven't read it yet, you need to.

In my past I was vaguely aware of this concept of "nature deficit disorder", but never thought it would concern me or my future kids. I grew up in South Carolina, surrounded by woods, rivers, lakes, and mountains. As a child I was outside for the majority of my day- building forts, throwing dirt bombs, hiking, making salad out of poison oak leaves... 😒 

I always assumed that my children's experiences would be much the same....

...until we moved to NYC...

Adjusting to life in the concrete jungle has been challenging for my husband and I. 

For our children, both of whom have been raised here in the city, urban life is their normal. In my heart and soul I knew that I didn't want my son and daughter to grow up distant from nature. But after reading this book, I was adamant not to let that happen! 

But let's be honest, urban moms, it's HARD! It's difficult to let your child explore nature when you live 12 stories up in a 2 bedroom apartment. It's hard when the nearest playground is a 0.5 mile trek and even then, the closest your child gets to nature there is pretending to be a monkey while he hangs from the bars......Asphalt and metal slides aren't synonymous with "The Great Outdoors". So, if you have a backyard, that is amazing! Use it!! Make sure your kids get locked out of the house every now and then and are forced to use their imagination in nature. But for those of us whose kids' nature times have to be scheduled and attended, here are 10 ideas for getting outdoors!!

1. Schedule a play date away from the playground. 

I put this one as #1 because I feel this is so important! Children thrive in their play when they share it with their peers. But often the playground is the easiest place to schedule these times of interaction. How about instead, have your friends meet you at a spot in the nearest woods or grassy area and just let the kids play. They may whine of boredom at first because there is no ready made play equipment. But after a while you will have a hard time getting them to leave!

2. Go on a bug hunt. 

Make sure to take a field guide with you to help your child identify them. 

3. Make a leaf collection. 

4. Visit a park at dusk and catch lightning bugs (fireflies). 

Don't forget to release them before leaving!

5. Take a weekend to get out of the city. 

Make this an often and regularly scheduled adventure outside the city limits..

6. Camping. Camping. Camping. 

I know this entails leaving the city, but I can't stress enough how everyone needs a tent in their lives!!

7. Lie on your backs and cloud gaze. 

Great stress reliever for you and your child. 

8. Go on a walk in your nearby park and look for signs of spring. 

9. Schedule into your day a designated hour of unstructured, outdoor time. 

I know this takes effort. A lot of effort. But look at it like going to the grocery store or walking the dog. It has to get done. So do it!

10. Lead by example. 

If you show a love and appreciation for the outdoors, you're children will likely lean this way as well.