Photograph Courtesy of family+footprints.
For those of you who celebrate Father's Day, this weekend may already be filled with traditions. If you are still looking for ways to do something special with the dad in your little one's lives, consider spending time outdoors as a way of combing all the benefits of being outside with all the benefits of being together as a family. Here are some of our favorite ways to bring the whole family into the mix of your nature play for Father's Day and beyond.
01. Start a Family Idea Jar
This idea is much like it sounds. Designate a jar as a place where you write down ideas for your family to pick from and do. Your idea jar can be filled with any variety of ideas, but for these purposes, consider things to do outdoors - i.e. built a fort, watch a sunrise, watch a sunset, go star gazing, go on a night hike, go canoeing, etc. Let everyone come up with ideas and have as much fun brainstorming and figuring out who came up with which as you do experiencing the actual adventures.
02. Take a Family Trust Walk
Pick a leader and blindfold everyone else. Have the leader guide everyone through the woods largely using verbal cues. This exercise is a way for your family to work together to get from one place to another outdoors. The woods will offer unique elements to navigate, along with a calm setting with little distraction. The goal is that your family leaves feeling united, with strengthened trust and lots of laughs along the way.
03. Go on a Family Scavenger Hunt
Create a list of things you might find outdoors this time of year and go search for them. You can give everyone in the family a different list or work together as a team on a single one. Choose things that match age groups and knowledge appropriately so that there is a challenge for everyone. For younger kids you might have them find " a favorite tree" but for older children, "a maple tree". You can also personalize it to your family with prompts like, "an object Dad would love", just to see where the kids take the idea.
04. Read a Book Together in the Woods
There can be an excitement in taking typical indoor activities and bringing them outdoors. Things like eating, playing with certain toys, painting, etc. all take on different forms when done in nature. Reading a book is already a special experience, but bring it outdoors and it can make the story come alive in new ways as often a child's imagination starts to incorporate the natural setting into the story. This can lead to outdoor imaginative play based on the story or can simply be a new way to enjoy the outdoors together.
05. Find a Favorite Family Spot
Head out on a mission: find a quiet spot outdoors that your family loves best. Is it deep in the woods? Near a waterway? On a fallen tree? Along a path? Once you find your spot, talk about why your family loves it. Perhaps you even want to decorate it with natural materials. Visit it often and notice how it changes with the seasons. Enjoy it as a place that is special and unique to your family.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend, hopefully full of family time together outdoors. We'd love to hear what other outdoor family plans you have in store or other traditions that bring you outside.
See you in the forest!
Thanks!