7 Simple Tips to get Your Kids Outdoors and Active

Hi guys, Paul here from Father Fitness.

If you hadn’t come across my blog before, I created it for motivation when my little lad was born.

I was an unfit Dad, and I wanted to create a good impression for when my kids got older

I was an unfit Dad and wanted to create a good impression when my kids got older.

The blog has developed over the years, it has information on nutrition, exercise routines and also tips on keeping your family active.

I thought after speaking to Gav, I’d share the top tips that my Wife (Mutha Fitness) and I use to get our own two kids outdoors.

We have Adam, who’s seven and Emma, who’s four. They’re both pretty good walkers, I guess they have to be with a Hungarian Vizsla as a pet!

1. Take a backpack full of goodies

Midway snack stops and treats along the way is always a winner Our kids have little backpacks from Mountain Warehouse and they’re a great price at only £4.99 (also here on Amazon).

Fill them up with a small water bottle, snacks and treats.

Midway snack stops and treats along the way is always a winner.

Our eldest sometimes makes a map to put in his bag, proper adventurer!

Allowing them to pack and carry their own bag gives them a great sense of responsibility They’re also great for carrying essentials such as hats and gloves when they get too warm. We all know how kids like to strip layers off during walks. Allowing them to pack and carry their own bag gives them a great sense of responsibility.

2. Go with friends

It’s amazing how our kids can run, skip and jump for miles if they’re with friends. No moaning about tired legs or being hungry.

No moaning about tired legs or being hungry The distraction of running around with other children whilst on a walk might even mean that you get an uninterrupted conversation.

If you’re thinking about arranging a play date with school friends, instead of inviting them over for tea why not suggest a walk on a beach or local nature reserve. The kids will love it and you won’t have the mess at home!

3. Make it fun!

I recently created this free nature trail sheet. My Wife once drew a similar one and it went down a storm! It kept our kids entertained for the whole walk so I hope it works for you too.

they are not thinking about how far they’ve walked or how much further they have to go

When kids are busy searching for things off the sheet they are not thinking about how far they’ve walked or how much further they have to go.

I plan on creating a beach-themed sheet in the future and also ones for various aged children. They will all be free to download so please keep your eyes peeled.

4. No such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes

Dress the kids appropriately for the trip out.

Layers always work best for our two as they can be stripped off and put back on depending on whether they’re running around and getting too hot or dawdling in freezing wind.

Nothing worse than cold miserable kids Wellies are an absolute must, great for muddy puddle jumps or splashing in rock pools.

In the summer, sunglasses and sun hats.

I guess be prepared is the message here. Nothing worse than cold miserable kids who are a decent walk away from home or the car.

5. Take a treasure bag

I laughed as I wrote this as quite often our kids’ ‘treasure bags’ are spare poo bags but hey, they’re not bothered.

[pullquote2 style='left' quote='dark']the kids as they love to collect treasure along the way If we’re heading to the beach, we tend to take a couple of sandwich bags for the kids as they love to collect treasure along the way.

Shells, sea glass, funny-looking pebbles and even crabs legs all make for an exciting treasure bag.

If we’re having a woodland walk, depending on the season the kids collect different shaped leaves, acorns, conkers and pine cones.

We do have a huge glass vase though that we keep all the shells and sea glass in, it’s like a collection of memories now

Don’t worry about having a houseful of ‘treasure’ as the kids generally forget all about it once they’re home and they can be discreetly disposed of.

We do have a huge glass vase though that we keep all the shells and sea glass in, it’s like a collection of memories now.

6. Choose an exciting destination

We’re lucky to live close to a city centre that quite often has brilliant (and free) events on during the weekend and school holidays. To reach the city we have a 2-3 mile walk through a farm and along the riverside, it’s a beautiful walk which we love to do.

If we do this walk with the kids it’s great to have something fun to head to in the city.

Check your local free paper for events in your area We’ve been to colour art events, science festivals and various seasonal activities.

Check your local free paper for events in your area, you might be pleasantly surprised as to what you have within walking distance. If there’s nothing on, hot chocolate at a local coffee shop is always a winner!

7. Take a kid's camera

So this one may not be a free tip but it’s still a very good one for a small price to pay. We recently bought Vivitar cameras from Argos for £24.99 each.

they couldn’t wait to pose in front of things for each other The cameras were a present for our kids before a family holiday last year. They kept our two entertained for the whole holiday and they couldn’t wait to pose in front of things for each other. It also made for a lovely evening when we hooked them up to the TV and looked through what had been taken.

If you don’t want to spend any money then check if you have an old camera lying around in a drawer somewhere or ask relatives. With the use of Smart Phones now, everyone has an old camera sitting unused in a drawer!

So there you have it, our top tips to get your kids outdoors and really enjoy it.

Thanks for reading,

Paul and Amy