Spring is finally here! Which means that the kids (and adults!) are itching to get outside and play in the sunshine. Fresh air, nature and spending time away from a screen is more important than ever. Not only are you replenishing your Vitamin D levels, you are spending time in the great outdoors, getting your hands a little dirty and spending time with those that you love. In today’s blog post, we are going to be sharing five of our favorite outdoor activities to try with your friends and family.Â
Activity #1: Biking
Biking can be an easy or hard activity depending on the age of your kids, their skill levels and your energy levels. If they’re too little to ride on their own, front and rear-mounted seats and bike tows are great ways to go biking with kids who haven’t learned how to ride yet. There are also tandem bikes available if you want to race on teams. Biking is great for your cardiovascular health and helps to improve your heart, lungs and circulation! Aka, it's an all around, healthy activity for everyone in the family!
Activity #2: Walking / Running
Like the last tip, this activity boils down to the age of your group and your energy levels. Walking and running are two of the best ways to get around your neighborhood and explore new areas. Consider driving to an area, park or city that you haven’t explored before and take your time strolling around in the great outdoors! If you run into an ice cream shop, well, you know the drill! Ice cream and walk, that is.Â
Activity #3: Camping
This tip will either bring back good or bad memories for most people. If you’ve had a bad experience camping, you might prefer this option - backyard camping! If you are lucky enough to have a yard at your disposal, is an easy, affordable and more appealing way to get back into camping if you didn’t love it the first time. We encourage you to pitch a tent in the backyard, set things up exactly as you would at a campsite - you can even make a fire if you have a pit available and no fire bans in place. Do your best to stay outside and only go inside for the absolute best necessities. When night falls, lay flat on the ground and try star gazing. This is a great activity to get the kids involved with and get them to try to make different shapes based on the patterns they see. Spend the rest of the night eating the classic camping snacks, playing board games, roasting marshmallows by the fire and telling stories. In the morning, after waking up from a restful sleep (ha - just kidding!) cook yourself a hearty campfire breakfast. While this activity does require a little more effort, backyard camping is one of the best ways to spend time in nature without having to travel far and introduce your little ones to the great outdoors!Â
Activity #4: Hiking
Want a family adventure? This is it! Hiking can be as tough or easy as you make it, depending on the trail. Do some research and look up some of the best trails closest to you. Factors to consider are the terrain, distance, time and difficulty of the trail. Take the time to teach them about insects and plants they may encounter along the way - make sure to point out poison ivy if you see it! It can also be fun to plan games like scavenger hunts and trail bingo to keep them aware of their surroundings. One suggestion we do make is to bring plenty of snacks. Trail mix, sandwiches, fruit, electrolytes and Vitamin C packets, granola bars and vegetables go a long way! No one likes being hungry, and no one likes being with someone who is hungry and hours away from food!
Activity #5: SportsÂ
Don’t worry, you don’t have to be a pro at a sport to teach your kids the basic rules to play! Pick from your favourite sports; soccer, baseball, football, spikeball, swimming, volleyball, basketball and frisbee. Or, if you've got the gear, pick a different one every weekend and rotate through them all. You can even invite the neighbourhood kids out to play and make teams out of it.
There you have it, five of our favourite outdoor activities for you and the family to try. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter which sports you play, the trail that you hiked, the neighbourhood that you explored or the food that you ate. All that matters is that you spent time together as a family and enjoyed each other's company. The goal at the end of this, is that you had so much fun, you want to do it again!Â