Autumn is nearly upon us, and this heralds a time of cosy nights in, beautiful walks, and warming culinary concoctions.  Whilst the nights are drawing in, and the days are getting much colder, soon we can look forward to the magical feel of frosted leaves under foot on the walk to school.

Summer tends to be a much more active time than autumn and winter, of course, as the weather is much more aligned with frolicking on the beach, in the parks, and even running around in the garden.

Autumn and winter, however, tend to be a little tougher due to the colder weather, and many parents find their kids curled up in front of the tea or getting obsessed with a game such as Final Fantasy XV for Android; and whilst these cosy indoor activities certainly have a place, it’s important to keep your kids active in the outdoors too.

Here are some tips on how to do just that:

Going for a family walk is a great way to spend quality time together, particularly after a nice roast dinner on a Sunday afternoon, yet for many children, a walk in nature is a little too boring for them, meaning it’s a good idea to look at ways to make it more engaging.

In this sense, you could set little challenges for them, such as to find particular items like a scavenger hunt.  This could be a simple word document with the name of the item and a photo next to it, along with a tick box, that your child can tick as they find the items.  In addition, if they are keen on photography, you could have them take photos of their findings too.

Another way to make walks more fun is to bring a dog along, now if you have a dog already, you’ll know how much more enriching walks are with a canine companion… yet, if you don’t, you could always borrow a friend’s dog. I know this sounds a little strange but trust me, it makes a lot of sense and the kids will love it. Normally, people are glad of the additional exercise for their pet, though if you don’t have any willing friends there are websites such as Borrow My Doggy that pair people up – those looking for someone to look after their dog from time to time, and those that want the joy of interacting with a pet, without the long-term commitment.

In addition to walking, in nature, you can engage in a more active sport such as cycling or climbing.  Autumn is a fantastic season to cycle, as the vibrant colours of nature put on a dazzling show for those willing to get out into the great outdoors.  Then, sports such as climbing and abseiling, presuming you have the equipment and necessary training, are very popular in autumn as the temperature is less (sometimes the stone gets really hot) and popular routes are less busy.  A less intense alternative to climbing, of course, is scrambling which is essentially walking but with a bit more adventure; as you are having to climb over boulders and scree slopes.

In summary, getting your kids outdoors in autumn doesn’t have to be too much of a chore, and presuming they are wrapped up warm, the cold weather doesn’t need to be an issue either.

Love, P

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