Have you been outside today? Going outside is proven to do the following:
- Produce smiling children
- Produce dirty, smiling children
- Produce dirty, smiling children who want to live outside forever and ever
If you haven’t been outside yet today, please stop reading right now and GET OUTSIDE!
I don’t care if it’s raining! That just means you’ll have dirty, smiling, WET children who want to live outside forever and ever!
In all seriousness, though, going outside does wonders for the average kid–and mom! When we’re having a cranky day inside, the first thing I ask (well, after checking food and diapers) is, “Have we been outside today?” If the answer is no, it’s pretty clear what needs to happen next, and sure enough, everyone feels so much better after getting some fresh air for a little while!
If you can’t go out, at least open a door or a window and stand with your face in the breeze. Let it waft over you. Take a nice, deep breath and breathe out slowly. Again.
Couldn’t stop that smile creeping up, could you? 😉
Now, what can you DO outside? Well I’ll tell you the number one thing you should NOT DO: take your phone out. Unless you’re taking a picture of the happy moment, that phone needs to go bye-bye! Better yet, LIVE THE MOMENT for now, take pictures later.
But what can you DO? Well, there’s endless ideas on Pinterest. Check out my board for Outdoor Play for some fabulous ideas out there! But here are some of my favorites that don’t cost a thing and require little to no prep on your part:
- Move your body (if it’s been awhile and you have to remind it how, start by wiggling and the rest will follow naturally 😉 )–run, skip, jump, leap, hop!
- Collect anything–sticks, leaves, rocks; you can use them for crafts later or just start a collection!
- Get dirty and/or wet–dig in the dirt, pull on the grass, play in the mud; it all washes off and an extra tubby time is always enjoyed by wee ones!
- Take toys outside and see what miracles happen–your kid might even entertain himself for a little while simply because his toys will seem fascinatingly new to him in a different environment!
- Take books outside and sit on the grass to read to each other–books take on a whole new life when read by sunshine!
- Take food outside–anything tastes better outside, trust me!
- Throw/roll something–ideally a ball of any sort, though really a lot of things work for this; just leave it to your kids and I’m sure they’ll find something!
- Push something–if you have a cart or stroller of some sort this will keep them entertained just by racing around the yard!
- Set up a grocery store–if you don’t have play food, check your recycle bin (for non-sharp objects, please!); it’s easy to make your own by taping up boxes or just screwing lids back on!
- Scavenger hunts–not just for Easter; you can scavenger hunt for almost anything, real or imaginary!
There. That should get you started. Now get outside and have fun!
