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About That Mom Life Formerly MAMAPRENEUR

Why and How to Get Kids to Play Outside

November 24, 2023 in Toddlers

Last Updated on November 25, 2023 by Natalie

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At present day, I have a 4.5 year old and a 4.5 month old. In the last months of my pregnancy leading up until very recently,  my older child spent more time than I’d like in front of the TV.

While there are other contributing factors (i.e. a whole new baby sister turning life on its head), my 4.5 year old son has been acting out more and a lot of his meltdowns happen about issues surrounding the TV.

I needed to focus on weaning my son from his TV addiction and getting him back to some good ole screen-free, brain-stimulating play.

Benefits of Outdoor Play

I have been learning about what kids need for their optimal development and play is essential. More specifically, outdoor play.

Kids are not meant to be sedentary for hours throughout the day. It’s not just for fun. Play is how kids learn. Aside from meeting that basic need, there are so many ways that playing outside benefits kids. To name a few:

  • Improved mood. Less tantrums.
  • Motor skills development
  • Helps get energy out and get great rest
  • Decreased hyperactivity
  • Boosts immune system
  • Helps with problem solving and decision making
  • Promotes creative thinking
  • Decreased risk of obesity

You had me at “improved mood.” Where do I start?

How Much Time Do Kids Need Outside?

In her book Balanced and Barefoot, Angela J. Hanscom, a pediatric occupational therapist,  says every child needs a minimum of 3 hours outside per day.

Ginny Yurich of 1000 Hours Outside has her own adapted approach to this: 4 – 6 hours outside three to four hours a week.

My first, second and third thought is how in the holy, humid Miami heat?! If I can convince my 4 year old to be out there longer than 30 minutes, you’ll usually find me proposing we go back inside.

Dealing with Uncomfortable Weather

While listening to Linda Åkeson McGurk at the 2023 Raised Good Summit, she shared a quote, which is also partly the title of her book.

There’s no such thing as bad weather; just bad clothing.

Linda shared that this perspective implies that if you’re using the right clothes, the weather can’t bother you. Basically, ski clothes in snow or rain boots and coats in wet weather.

I don’t agree that the perspective applies to very hot, humid weather. With the way things get where I live, you can go out naked, stay in the shade and still be uncomfortable unless you’re doing some sort of water activity. The hot air just envelopes you. In my case, I was wearing my newborn throughout the summer months and aside from the body heat it added, it wasn’t safe for my baby to be out in that heat. The risk of heatstrokes is real.

You can apply this theory as well and safely as possible by dressing everyone (of an appropriate age) in tank tops and shorts and taking indoor breaks frequently. To do this daily in places with hot weather is undoubtedly tough.

For Safety: Keep everyone hydrated and in shade as much as you can. Buy some portable fans.

What Gets My Child Outside for Longer

There are days my son spends a good amount of time playing outside. This is what keeps him entertained out there:

1. Riding around.

He loves to ride around with me or his dad.

Child Bicycle Seat

Kid’s Scooter

2. Swing Set

My parents got him a swingset for his 2nd birthday and some weeks, like this one, he wants to be out there swinging everyday.

3. Outdoor Toys

Toys are kids’ tools for their job (playing). For example, there are certain activities that my son absolutely loves such as catching lizards. We bought him some tools to facilitate the fun. I’ve made a list of my son’s favorite toys that keep him entertained outside for plenty of time.


What activities entertain your little ones outside?

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  1. Toys to Inspire Kids to Play Outside - About That Mom Life says:
    November 25, 2023 at 1:54 pm

    […] learning about the benefits and importance of kids playing outside, I want to focus on creating more opportunities to inspire my children to do […]

    Reply

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Sharing this video of my baby boy last year before Sharing this video of my baby boy last year before this Hispanic heritage month is over. 

It was his first school show ever and I had no idea if he would have a melt down or cooperate. 

Turns out we've got a showman! 
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It's been more than 40 days since I deleted social It's been more than 40 days since I deleted social media apps from my phone. A lot of living has happened during that time and the absence of social media has impacted how that living played out. Birthdays were celebrated, first steps were taken, gluten-free living has been practiced, health procedures happened, first day of a new school, we danced, learned new things, time spent with family and friends. 

My general efforts to be more present have resulted in a stronger bond with my baby girl who loves me even more than before. The absence of a constant stream of bad news has not given me more material for my (still existent) health anxiety. I still find opportunities for distraction and I have more work to do. I've decided to poke in when I have something to post. For the sake of my kids, my productivity and my mental health and clarity, I can't keep these black holes of time too easily accessible to social media. 

Still tweaking this relationship to minimize it's negative impact without losing the positives.
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One year. One year since I decided at 4am to sto One year. 

One year since I decided at 4am to stop ignoring those irregular,  uncomfortable sensations I had been having since the night before and I somehow wasn't convinced were contractions. 

One year since I wondered if I was overeacting by going to the hospital even though I was 41 weeks pregnant. 

And then a few short hours later we met. We've been together everyday since.  But I can't believe it's been a year. People always say it goes fast but it's a whole other level of fast when you have more than 1. I have not been as successful in slowing down time like I was able to do with hermanote. But on this very special day, I promise to keep trying. 

No more fuzzy days, please.  

Happy 1st birthday, Yayas!

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