Never bored outdoors? How to Extend outdoor play time
April is Outdoor Play Month at This Playful Home
I want to zero in on a parenting ‘bone of contention’ when it comes to outdoor play: your child complaining that they are bored after 5 minutes!
It’s easier to spend time outdoors when the weather is fie. But in the colder months especially, it often feels like there is nothing worse that bundling your child up in millions of layers to go and play outside, only for them to whinge about being bored or hungry almost as soon as you’ve walked out of the door.
When I first moved to Vienna in January 2019, I had to start preparing to leave for school pick-up an entire hour before because I had to get a baby and toddler into snowsuits and boots to collect my son. It was a mission for sure! (for reference, it usually takes 30 minutes all in these days).
When all is said and done, it’s all too easy to want to forgo going outside at all when it takes so much effort for what seems like little reward.
Despite all of this, going outside has always been a key part of our day and we’ve now got our rhythm keyed in. With an energetic youngest son who would quickly resort to running around the apartment and jumping off the couch (which the neighbours did not appreciate!), I had to ensure that we spent plenty of time outside so I wouldn’t have to constantly tell him to stop what he was doing.
What You’ll Learn in this article:
How to make outdoor play a key part of your daily rhythm
The benefits of a child led walk
Why boredom is a good thing
Key items that help extend outdoor play
How to make a DIY mud kitchen
Essential resources for outdoor play
How to make outdoor play a key part of your daily rhythm
The more you read my content, the more you’ll come to realise just how interlinked everything is. The key cornerstones of This Playful Home are:
Family Rhythms
Environment as the third teacher
Understanding Play
These three things underpin everything else. When it comes to outdoor play and extending durations of outdoor play, you really need to make it part of your regular daily rhythm.