What to do when your kids hate being outside
February 18, 2008 by Jennifer
Today was a no school day here in WA. Being unschoolers, Cedar and I usually go for a long walk each day, rain or shine. More rain usually – we are in WA. Today he asked if his two schooled friends could go, being that they were home. I said sure, we went and picked them up. They were reluctant because they wanted to stay at home and play video games, but we talked them into it.
So, 20 mins into our walk his friends start whining. Massive whining:
- “I’m too tired…”
- “Why do we have to walk?”
- “There’s nothing to do on this walk!”
- “Whine, blah, whine…. and more whine.”
How annoying. Cedar never does this, unless he’s sick, which is justified. I tell them we’ve only been walking 20 mins and that people need lots of fresh air to stay healthy. Whiny older kid (age six) says, “20 mins is long enough for the day.” Huh? Seriously, when I was a kid we stayed out all day long. 20 mins is nothing. I tried all my tricks.
- We hunted rocks.
- Looked for shapes in the trees – we found a dino, an octopus, and an umbrella.
- Hunted and counted squirrels.
- Had stick throwing contests (I won!) course, my arms are longer
- Stopped at the park and played on the slides and swings.
Other things I suggest for inside loving kids might be to…
- Take a camera and let them take photos.
- Take some toys, a bike, a skateboard, what have you.
- Read about some birds before hand then look for them.
Mostly though, I suggest you take your kids out daily, or at least as often as you can. My tricks barely worked to distract these whiny children. It’s completely ridiculous for a five and six year old to be so whiny about, “Having to be outside.” When we got back, Cedar said he still wanted to play outside. We have a little park and grassy area next to our house. Since I can see him from my office, he can play out there. The whiny children, of course, started whining, “WHY! Cedar, we want you to come inside…” Cedar actually talked them into playing outside, but it took a while.
If you don’t get your kids started young with being outside, and having fun outside, this is what you end up with. This is not the first time this has happened with these kids either. It’s not healthy, or, in my mind, normal for kids to act like this.
What other tactics can you think of that will encourage kids who already hate being outside to enjoy outings more?
I’ll be back with our first green school audit checklist before the day is over.
Totally not normal by our standards, but thanks to all the gaming consoles and television programs, it is normal now.
It is sad when the kid’s shows have such high ratings they beg kids to get outside to play.
I know, kids shows do have those commercials now – like go outside and play, don’t watch our show! How lame. This was unnecessary when I was a kid. I’ll grant that it’s a mix of things, less green areas, less safety, and all that, but still, it’s so depressing. Half the kids at the park are over chubby – not little kid cute chubby, but working on unhealthy fat.
I have one kid who loves the outdoors, one who hates it and one who’s fine doing either. (Unless, of course, the others are in agreement. Then he wants to do the opposite. lol )
In my opinion, there are two things to keep in mind – matching a child’s interests and activities, and building up their activity level and tolerance to the elements gradually. If someone really hates being outside, I’d start with 5 minutes and do something they’re bound to love. Leave things on a good note, and go back to it later.
For kids who like action games or cartoons, I would try a game of tag or hide-n-seek, or pretending to hunt monsters or aliens, or fight off poachers. Kids who like adventure-type stories, might like mapping out an area and deciding where to bury treasure, or pretend games involving quests, or even acting out storylines in video games or movies they enjoy. Over time they’ll appreciate nature through finding great hiding spots, or the perfect branch to use in a mini-golf course, etc etc.
You make a good point that some kids are born not liking the great outdoors. I think true kids like that are a minority though. Many kids I think, just don’t have that opportunity or inclination to go outside because parents don’t make it the norm. I know you wouldn’t do that though.
I like all your suggestions for activities. Mapping is a good one. We had a nature treasure hunt for one of Cedar’s birthdays and the kids loved it.
I know that you’re right. Too many parents don’t make the effort to make the outdoors as fun or comfortable as being inside. (Not many parents around here are making an effort to do much with their kids at all.)
For those that do though, they can also check with county conservation groups. Ours runs snowshoeing, cross country skiing and ice fishing clinics all winter long. They provide the instruction and the equipment (and the hot chocolate lol). All you have to do is show up.
They have different free programs all year long.
I was definitely one of those kids who hated being outside… I still hate it most of the time. I never liked the feeling of heat or sweat, and have been terrified of bees my entire life. I’m not (nor ever have been) a TV-watcher… when I was young (5, 6, etc.), I MUCH preferred being inside in the a/c reading a book. The only way I would like being outdoors now is if there were no bugs… I haven’t gotten over that. (I’d say my bug phobia is the biggest reason I hate being outside… if your kids don’t like being out, I’d suggest finding out the real reason.)