You love your family and probably want to spend more time with them. All of you are likely to benefit from spending more time outdoors – as outdoor time can improve mood, relieve stress, and even support good health.
But with limited time to work with and so many attractive indoor hangout options, how do you find the motivation to spend that enriching outdoor time?
Ideas for Spending More Family Time Outdoors
These are some of the most accessible and convenient ways that you can spend more family time outdoors:
1. Invest in an outdoor kitchen. An outdoor kitchen is exactly what it sounds like – a kitchen that allows you to cook (and eat, of course) outside. You’ll need at least some available space to fit this outdoor kitchen, and installing all the necessary equipment can be expensive for people on tight budgets. But if you’re willing to make the investment, you’ll have an easy opportunity to spend time outdoors cooking and eating every meal. You’ll also boost the value of your home at the same time!
2. Go camping (even if it’s in your backyard). Another easy option to get more outdoor time is to go camping. Whether you purchase an RV or rough it with a simple tent, camping gives you a chance to experience the wonders of nature without spending a fortune. And if you don’t have the time or money to take a full camping trip, you can consider having a smaller camping excursion in your own backyard.
3. Have a picnic. Next, consider having a simple picnic. Many families struggle to spend quality outdoor time together because they don’t have the extra time; their schedules are packed full of other activities and responsibilities. But no matter what, all of you have to eat. Why not pack up your food and eat it outside as a family?
4. Plant a garden together. If you want an excuse to spend more outdoor time together, consider planting a garden as a family. Each member of your family can pick out one or more plants to add to the garden, and all of you together can handle responsibilities like weeding, watering, and picking fruits and vegetables. As an added bonus, if you plant crops, you can get access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs that you can incorporate into delicious meals together.
5. Pick up a sport or game. If you’re looking for something a bit more athletically challenging, or if you just need an excuse to get more physical activity in your life, consider picking up a sport or a game with the family. Depending on the ages of your children, your level of athleticism, and other factors, you may want to join a recreational team in your area, or you may just practice in your own backyard. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of options here, from football to croquet.
6. Tour your local parks. Depending on where you live, you might have multiple parks within walking distance of your house or you might be forced to take a long detour just to get to an area with greenery. Either way, if you’re willing to make the effort, you can take the family on a tour of all your local parks. See what each park has to offer, make a list of your favorites, and return regularly to see what’s new.
7. Forage, bird watch, or collect. Foraging, bird watching, and other simple activities that force you to pay attention to your surroundings are excellent opportunities for families to spend time together. You can wander around in the woods, sit peacefully at a picnic table, or go on a more intense hike – it’s all up to you.
Additional Tips for Success
These tips can help you find even more success in spending family time outdoors:
- Make your outdoor time tech-free. People spend, on average, about 7 hours a day staring at digital screens. You don’t need to bog down your outdoor time with more screen staring. Leave the tech at home.
- Make it fun, not a chore. Don’t make your outdoor activities a mandatory sentence. These should be fun activities that everyone wants to participate in, so don’t force something that isn’t working, you also don’t want to spend much on this just get games from sale like darts for sale at a cheap deal.
- Get feedback. Check in with your family members to see how they’re feeling. Do they like the activities you’ve already tried? Do they have ideas for new activities in the future?
- Continue broadening your horizons. Keep experimenting and pushing your limits. There are unlimited possibilities for activities to try with your family.
Families that spend more time outdoors are going to be happier, healthier, and more connected than their counterparts. With so many activity options, the only real challenge is finding the time to do it.
