The Simple Things: Spend Some Time Outside Today Playing With Your Children

When was the last time you stepped away from the computer, laptop, iPad, TV, and cell phone and stepped outside to play with your children? I try my best when it's 50 degrees or warmer to spend at least an hour a day or more outside with my children. I don't always play with them, but I leave everything but my cell phone in the house. It goes in my pocket, because we don't have a house phone, and I also don't have internet access on my phone.

Matthew, Chloe and I went outside today with their tricycles and their Frisbees! We purchased them last year at Dollar General or somewhere like that for a dollar each. One is pink, and one is blue. When I was younger, my father taught me how to throw one, and I enjoyed it when I had someone else to play with me and catch it, and then, throw it back.

(Image Credit and Info on How to Throw a Frisbee)

Matthew is five and a half now, and he asked me how to throw it. I showed him twice, and he picked it up rather quickly just by watching me and holding it how I showed him. After a half hour, if you were walking by our house, you would have thought that he had been doing it for a while. He was doing tricks with it. He threw it up one time, and it sat in the air in one spot and was spinning for five seconds or more. It was so cool! Chloe is three and a half, and she was happy just watching me throw it, and then she'd go pick it up and bring it back to me.

It's amazing that my children love the cheap, simple toys when it's nice outside. They love bubbles, frisbees, a three gallon bucket full of water, mini watering cans, big plastic measuring cups, sidewalk chalk, riding their bikes up and down our driveway, playing outside in their blow up hippo pool, and of course, when it rains, jumping in puddles. It doesn't cost a lot to have fun outside with your children. Simply throwing a ball or frisbee back and forth can be a lot of fun for them, and it's some great physical activity for you too. Plus, most of all, you get your daily dose of Vitamin D! A little sunshine never hurt anyone.

Starting tomorrow, I challenge you to spend time outside with your children on the weekends. Just one hour a day. It's not much to ask and it will go by so quickly, you'll probably end up spending more than an hour outside without realizing it. Come back to my blog and post a comment about what you and your family did. I bet that your children will remember what you did with them, because you'll be spending quality time with them, and actually tuning into some one on one time with them!