The Tech That Can Get Your Family Out In The Sun
We’ve all been seeing some gorgeous weather, so it might be a little demoralizing to see your kids with their faces locked onto their screens while you’re trying to encourage them to get outdoors this summer. This is a problem parents have been dealing with ever since radio and television became things. It was probably an issue with books before, too. To that end, here are some of the tech tools that can get your kids more interested in playing outdoors with you.
Consider limiting their time with tech indoors
Before we look at all of the ways you can make the outdoors more fun with the right gadgets and games, it’s important to first talk about how you can disincentivize them from spending too much time on the screens indoors. Simply put, you might want to consider putting some limits on their access to their digital tech. No matter the device, there’s likely some way to put parental controls on them that lock certain users and profiles out of them during certain times of the day. This can be done with PCs, tablets, smartphones, and even some consoles like the Nintendo Switch. You’re likely to hear some complaints about this new policy in the home, but the recommendations below will serve as the “carrot” to go with that “stick.”
Take them on a digital treasure hunt
What could be more exciting than braving new locations for the chance of finding something super cool? That’s the whole notion behind Geocaching. You’re given a location by the Geocaching app, or you can use it to explore your local area and see if anything pings up nearby. Then you head to the location and try and find whatever items might have been left there. If you want to keep the fun going, you can even make sure that after you see or take the treasure, you leave something behind for others who want to get involved, too. It’s just a good idea to make sure you check what you might find before you let children take a look, too. There’s no guaranteeing what you will find.
Get to know the natural world
Geocaching and other activities can help you get out into the wilderness, but a lot of children are going to find themselves naturally curious about the flora and fauna once they get out there. There is a more than slim chance you’re going to get bombarded with questions of “what’s that called” on your way around and, if you’re like most, your answer is going to be “I don’t know” most of the time. However, with the wildlife spotting apps that are available nowadays, you can pull up information on anything that you see, usually including some trivia that will keep your kids really interested, encouraging them to keep their eyes peeled for any new facts to discover.
Use augmented reality to get them moving
It’s a growing genre of games that most devices with a camera, including smartphones and tablets, can access. Augmented reality isn’t like virtual reality. Instead of being totally transported to a digital world via headset, it uses the camera to super-impose digital assets over your surroundings. The most famous augmented reality game of all is Pokemon Go, which involves traveling around with the intention of finding and catching Pokemon to train, evolve, and contest other Pokemon. While the craze has somewhat died down since its uproarious debut, there’s still plenty of content to enjoy in that game, especially if you’re out playing it with your family. Just pay close attention to the safety recommendations the game makes.
Take to the skies with them
Flight has been a fascination of people since way before any of us can remember. Children feel that elation and excitement about flying just as much as any adult, and maybe even more so. While going paragliding with them might not be feasible, you can give them a vicarious sense of that joy with the right flying tech. Nowadays, the most widespread and convenient of them all is the drone. With sites like DJI Drones, it’s easy to take a look at the wide range of drones and find those that would suit your needs perfectly. You can ensure that they’re fun, safe to operate with your kids, and have all the features that will keep them interested.
Making exercise fun
Like any parent who wants their kids to grow up healthy and happy, you might want more than simply to get them outdoors. You might want to make sure that your kids are getting any and all exercise that they might need. Taking them out for jogs, bicycle rides, or simply playing some ball in the nearby park can be great ways to get them moving. But if they’re not into the idea, then there might be ways to better incentivize them. Fitness trackers for kids do exist, and many of them come with gamification features that can encourage kids to move more. You can even reward them for meeting goals with the tracker.
Enjoy the night sky
It might not be as digitally impressive as some of the other recommendations made above. However, taking a look at the night sky with the help of the right telescope has helped thousands (if not millions) of kids get interested in the night sky above them. It can unlock a curiosity that can be hard to hold down after that. There’s something magical about going out at night with a parent to carefully take a look above and to learn more about what you see. Do a little reading up on your stars and there are all kinds of interesting facts, myths, and trivia that you can share with your kids about them, as well.
When you get them outdoors, kids are likely to not need tech to rely on as much to enjoy their time out there. But the tips above might be able to help you get things kicked off.
