How many parents feel safe at letting their children play out in the streets, go to the local shop or park by themselves or go off for the day with friends? There are just so many dangers: traffic, predatory strangers, getting lost; as a result children take part in these activities less and less. These are human fears – we don’t want our children to be abducted or hurt so it makes sense to take that extra precaution right? The problem is that this attitude creates its own set of issues. Many children end up never having had the chance to take risks or make decisions. It is the parents who are assessing the risks and removing them but if children never have the chance to learn how to do these things for themselves, they will never learn to manage risk for themselves. Surely this is a more dangerous position to be in. There are also consequences for the mental health of children and young people especially if they never feel independent or in control of their own lives.

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Outdoor adventure activities are one excellent way of teaching children these skills of confidence, independence, resilience and risk management. Of course this needs to be done in a carefully managed way – getting lost in the mountains or going climbing without the correct equipment is no laughing matter but these activities prepare and teach children, in a physical way, about the importance of independence, responsibility and preparation encouraging them to be problem solvers. Not only that but they push children outside their comfort zone and give them a bit of adrenalin which invigorates them in so many ways. Additionally and as importantly, adventure sports also teach children that they need the support of their team mates to be successful and that they have to work together for things that they may take for granted in day to day life. Here are some examples of great activities:

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Camping: This is a cheap way of getting closer to nature with a range of options to suit everyone of all ages. From popping up a tent in the back garden, to using a site with well-developed facilities, to wild camping miles off the beaten track, the opportunities are endless. From being up early, to spending the days being busy and active to evenings round the campfire and ghost stories by torchlight, children love going back to basics seeing themselves as intrepid adventurers. Get them involved with the jobs from setting up the tent to cooking, water carrying and washing up. It will be all part of the fun for them. They will soon see that if the work doesn’t get done, those essentials for day to day living such as food, water and shelter are compromised leaving them cold, damp and hungry.

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Climbing: Great to push children outside their comfort zone and to build team work. This can be a great way for children to build self-esteem and face their fears doing something that they thought they couldn’t. There are also lots of indoor climbing centres now which are a great way to get started and introduce you to those who organise expeditions in the local area.

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Walking: This can be such a great lesson in patience and persistence and something that everyone in the family can do to spend time together regardless of skills or fitness levels. Even if you live in an urban environment there are some wonderful walks to be had, perhaps along a canal or river. It can also be a great lesson in navigation. Get the children to pick the route and get gloriously lost (it helps if you as the adult still have a good idea of where you are and how to get back!). This can also provide children with a chance to learn what to do if they get lost for real. Out in the countryside there can be nothing better than a good day out in the hills. What a sense of achievement after a long, hard climb to see the view from the top and the countryside around. The only thing that can make it even better is if you have a picnic to enjoy!

Canoeing/Kayaking: Again this is something that can be done both in the city and the countryside or at the beach and each different environment can provide such rewarding paddling. This is a chance for children to pick up skills quickly and feel independent on the water. It is also a good chance to learn about water safety and rescue. These can be sports for all ages and abilities as canoes can have a number of paddlers and can be lashed together for extra security; kayaks can come as tandems as well.

With all outdoor activities, think about what suits your and your family in terms of location, budget and interests and above all think about what level is suitable for your children. The last thing you want to do is put them off by forcing them up hills in the driving snow when they are miserable. There is a fine balance between pushing them outside their comfort zone and pushing them so hard that they are put off for good. Think about ways of motivating and encouraging children who are getting tired or impatient: a treasure hunt for local flora and fauna or games such as hide and seek en route which is always a winner.

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The ability to assess and manage risk independently is one of the most important skills we can give to our children to enable them to make wise decisions when we are not there hovering over them. Yes, there will be scraped knees and bumps and bruises along the way but the benefits for both their physical and mental health are so wide. Instead of encouraging children to “˜be safe’, encourage them to think of what they would do if things went wrong. This will teach them to manage fear and become problem solvers rather than problem avoiders. Hopefully too they will develop a lifelong love of the outdoors.

What are your children’s favourite outdoors adventures?

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However, hibernation seems far from the mind of children as they bound around with just as much energy and just as much need for activity as the rest of the year. Outdoor activities are somewhat restricted as the parks are shrouded in darkness as you pick them up from school. There are no longer the easy summer evenings of bike rides, throwing a Frisbee or lounging on a picnic rug. There are however, many options to make the most of winter.

Outdoors

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Wrap up warm. There is always the saying that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad kit. No one has fun if they are cold, wet and miserable but these can be prevented with the right clothing. Make sure if you are walking in the dark you remain visible to cars and bikes by using florescent strips. Stay active. It really is so important for children to have the opportunity to be physically active and having had the chance to run off all that energy, they will be much easier to entertain at home. If you are struggling for space or somewhere out of the dark, think about what your local area has to offer whether a swimming pool, soft play centre or floodlit sports pitches. If you are stuck inside and have limited space, children can still be active using items such as balloons, which aren’t going to damage anything. Children also always love to make up dance routines and this can be an excellent way of using limited space creatively. Use the seasons. Autumn and winter have lots to offer – puddles to be jumped in, leaves to roll in, conkers to be found and snowmen to make. Make up a winter nature trail. There is always something special about discovering a frozen spider’s web or looking at the patterns that frost makes on leaves.

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Conduct science experiments. This is the perfect time of year for children to understand the effects of temperature on solids, liquids and gases. Leave one container of water outside overnight to see it freeze and another inside and compare the difference. What happens when you bring the ice back into the warm? How much quicker does it melt if you put it by a heater? You can even make decorations for the garden using this idea by filling some balloons with food colouring and let them freeze. Once frozen take away the balloon coating and you have some giant, coloured ice marbles. Once again this is a great way to show how solids and liquids act differently – how liquids fit the space of their container whilst solids have a fixed shape. You could even freeze objects inside ice trays or inside the frozen balloons for children to experiment with different ways of getting them out.

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If it is several degrees below 0 ° outside, take out some bubble mixture with a wand, watch them freeze in the air and see what happens to them when they pop. There is really nothing better than curling up by the fire with a hot chocolate after being busy outside.

Craft ideas

Winter provides a wealth of craft opportunities whether taking leaves home and creating collages or making ‘bug hotels’ using natural provisions. Children also love leaf and bark rubbings trialling out different textures.

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Making Christmas decorations can while away many a happy hour. Paper chains are simple, yet effective and children love to see their hard work on display as they really feel as if they are contributing. Snowflakes are another favourite. 3D models can be made using different length pipe cleaners and look effective on the Christmas tree. Paper cut-outs look fantastic on the window and are always good to encourage children to work on their dexterity with scissors. Make salt dough decorations. Put 1 cup of salt and 2 cups of flour into a bowl and slowly add ¾ of a cup of water. Mix it all together (children can also help with this). Dust the table with flour and roll it out before using cookie cutters to make wintery shapes (children could also use it to model freely). Once dry (either leave overnight near a heater or bake in the oven), they can be decorated. Winter can offer so many options for exploration and discovery even if it is dark and the weather is less than desirable. Sometimes children need to develop a certain robustness if they are reluctant in these conditions, and almost always, as soon as they are engaged, all complaints disappear. This could be as simple as introducing hide and seek into a winter walk where they have to run ahead and hide, or set a treasure hunt for them to follow using a trail of flour to guide their way. How do you keep your children busy during the winter months and how do you ensure that they get enough physical activity? We would love to hear your ideas. Featured photo credit: Bunches and Bits {Karina} / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

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