If you have children, hang with children, or are looking to get yourself, family, or friends outdoors here are a few tips to get you started.

This summer I’ve had the pleasure of being outside with kids of all ages, genders, enthusiasm’s (more on that later), and differing athleticism. From a super athletically inclined 9 year old, to an indoor preferred teenager, to a take it or leave it 10 year old. So the first tip?

1. Find a neutral activity that doesn’t require a high level of athleticism but can still be fun. The goal is to get everyone outside, and with this goal, we are not trying to produce all star athletes (unless they are inclined to that) but to get some fresh air in the lungs and get off the devices (*clears throat* adults that includes you). Bike riding is something I noticed all children don’t mind doing. Start there!

Next, when dealing with young adults who do not want to be outside, do not pick extreme weather conditions as an intro to this new lifestyle. Be it cold or hot, either extreme is a sure way to get whines, complaints, and outright no’s on being outside. I learned this from my teenager who affectionately and politely (might I add) let me know, she doesn’t like the heat. We drank a lot of water that day. As you can imagine, time outside was short lived. Soooo…

2. Stick to neutral temps! Try mornings, evenings, and now with fall around the corner on the east coast it is the perfect time to kick start things!

Last but not least tip number 3…

Make it fun!

Going outside should be fun. Have a relaxed demeanor, don’t have a time limit, follow the lead of the young adult. When my little cousin was tired, he told me. I could tell he wasn’t used to riding a bike super far. We did 1 mile so I was happy. On his cue… we turned around. This is encouraging behavior and a positive experience. SO he will likely want to ride again in the future. On the other hand, if you have a seriously athletic 9 year old, be sure you are in shape. I think my other 9 year old did 5 miles easy, and when we came back he wanted to do another outdoor activity haha. Good thing I could keep up! Thats all the tips for today! Below is a pic of one of my lovely cousins.

What do you do to encourage the littles in your life to get outside?