A recent government survey has identified that three quarters of the kids in the UK spend less than 60 minutes a day outside, remarkably this is less time than a prison inmate would spend outside. In addition, research by the National Trust suggests “Nature deficit order” is having a detrimental effect on our children, including medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes, limited respect for their immediate natural surroundings, attention disorders, and depression may develop. Research also showed that schools with outdoor education had a positive effect on their attention span, stress reduction, creativity, cognitive development, and their sense of wonder and connection to the earth.
What has caused our children to spend less time outside?
‘Stranger Danger’, fuelled by the media is one of the main reasons is that parents are keeping their kids inside these days; i.e. to keep them safe from danger and crime. In addition the increase of computer games, social media, and TV programmes are also encouraging kids and parents to stay in.
So how do we break this cycle?
Take some simple steps to spend more time outdoors. Walking is a great way to get the kids away from the TV screens, to to get some exercise and spend some quality time together. Get it right and you could inspire them to develop an interest in wildlife and the environment, as well as appreciating some quality family time. Children who have spent time having wild adventures and exploring will benefit from increased resilience, self confidence and self reliance.
Here are our top tips for taking them for a walk:-
Planning and preparation - Involve the kids in the planning stages, get them to help pick the right route and make them feel like they’re involved. If they want to look at wildlife, get some charts or pocket guide books of what birds, animals or plants they may see on the way. Look for good parking, toilets, with a cafe or shop at the end of the walk.
Pick the right route - The route needs to be easily achievable, a long drawn out route will tire them out and potentially put them off for life. Find a route that has something interesting near to the start of the walk, and be flexible with the route with potential escape routes if the weather closes in or the kids get super bored. Keep your first outing short and simple so they will want to go out again. Consider river or woodland walks. If you live near a coast line there are some stunning beach walks.
Kit them out - Boots are obviously the most important piece of kit for any walker, however they can be expensive, one pair may last them a year but for fast growing toddlers and teenagers they may only last a few months. Waterproofs are essential, as are warm clothes hats and gloves. Get them their own rucksack to carry some basics in, so that they look like mum or dad, but don’t make it heavy.
Make it fun - For most kids, the idea of going for a walk is boring. Kids just want to have fun, so fuel their imagination with a pirate map treasure hunt, picnics, and for the more competitive rewards for challenges or tick lists. Stepping stones, castles, bridges and tunnels can also make it interesting.
Activities - On your walk look for places to stop for some activities, try skimming stones, eating blackberries, paddle in rivers, play pooh sticks, take leaf rubbings, climb trees, jump in puddles, hunt for creepy-crawlies, feed ducks, make daisy chains, play hide-and-seek. Collect enough blackberries or bilberries to make a pie, this way the fun continues after you’ve got home with some home cooking. When they’ve tasted a home made warm blackberry pie with melting ice cream on top, they will want to go out every single day.
Take regular breaks - Take lots of snacks and drinks for regular breaks, a continual walk with no breaks, no conversation, no stops to enjoy the views or wildlife would bore the pants off me, let alone some young ones. Make the walk interesting, educational and inspiring. Point out how far they have come rather than how far it is to go.
Involve the kids - On the walk get the map and compass out, show them where you are on the map. Take a bearing and get your child to walk on that bearing for a set distance, this will make them feel involved and that they will feel like they’re doing the navigating.
Try Geocaching - Described as the worlds largest treasure hunt, Geocaching is a GPS based treasure hunt looking for plastic tubs hidden in woods. The tub contains a log book and swaps for kids to trade. You can pick up a GPS unit at a reasonable price and log into https://www.geocaching.com/play for more details.
Join the National Trust - The National Trust have a fantastic website, with some amazing kiddy trails available and a list of 50 things to do before your 11¾, click here for more details https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/50-things-to-do-before-youre-11-activity-list
If all else fails use Bribery - We all know that kids have a sweet tooth, so reward them for small achieving small challenges, or for reaching mile stones on the walk.
