For parents who want to ensure that they have as much quality time as possible with their children (and with their significant others too, for that matter,) regularly coming up with family days out and group activities is extremely important. The great outdoors offers a wealth of family time fun
There’s something about going out and doing things together as a family that helps to form good memories. It gets the conversation flowing. And it helps bring everyone closer together, in a way that conversations at home around the dinner table often won’t.
Out of all the different family activities and outings you do, however, there are many exceptional benefits associated with spending regular family time together in the great outdoors. Here’s our top three favorites:
Stress reduction
Over the course of day-to-day life, it’s likely that every member of the family is likely to encounter stressful situations. These often feel disheartening and overwhelming.
It may be that you or your significant other are working too much Maybe you’re nervous about finances. Or perhaps it’s health or school issues. For example, your kids may be dealing with conditions such as dyslexia and making inroads to improving things via books for kids with dyslexia.
Whatever the case may be, spending time in the great outdoors can be remarkably beneficial in terms of overall stress reduction. For everyone!
In the great outdoors, the pace of life naturally slows down for a while. The constant noise of traffic, or chatter of the TV, dissapears for a time. And the fresh air and scents of trees and soil have a very grounding and soothing effect.
A deeper sense of connection to the cycles and rhythms of the natural world
One of the issues that many people find themselves experiencing in the world today, is a sense of disconnection. A feeling of not being immersed in something larger and more uplifting in daily life.
Regularly spending time with your family in the great outdoors leads to a much deeper and richer sense of connection. Connection to each other and to the cycles and rhythms of the natural world.
This helps to establish a sense of connection to something transcendent. It also helps promote an appreciation for things like the turning of the seasons. Renewing your connections to the changes in plant and animal life throughout the year.
A good opportunity to take a break from screens, to reset, and to maintain perspective
Today, huge numbers of people from all around the world spend the majority of their time each day staring at a screen. (ie: a TV, or a computer, or a tablet, or a smartphone).
These digital devices have many incredible benefits. However, there’s also good reason to think that too much time spent staring at a screen is detrimental to wellbeing. We lose perspective, focus, and all manner of other important things.
The writer Johann Hari points out in his recent book “Stolen Focus,” for example, that excess screen time appears to be linked to ADHD symptoms in kids. It’s vital to our over-all well-being to take time to disconnect.
Time spent in nature offers a perfect opportunity to get away from the screens for a while. What are you waiting for? Go on! Spend plenty of family time in the great outdoors today!
