How do you encourage your children to play outside? Tell Persil for a chance to win a £300 voucher! NOW CLOSED

[PoppyMumsnet]

A new global study of 12,000 parents reveals children are spending on average less than an hour outdoors per day - and in the UK specifically 1 in 5 children never play outdoors.

In response to this, Persil is launching the Dirt is Good campaign, encouraging children to spend more time playing outdoors.

Here’s what Persil has to say: “We believe that children need plenty of outdoor play because climbing trees, building dens and just being in nature are essential for their learning and healthy development. That’s why we say that #dirtisgood. However, parents have told us that it’s getting more difficult to find time and places for their kids to play. So, in partnership with parents, educators, and other leading child development experts, we want to investigate ways to help children play and explore more so that they can learn and develop to their full potential.”

Persil wants to hear your top tips for encouraging your children to get out and play. Do you feel they have fewer opportunities to play than you did? What are the main obstacles to outside play and how do you overcome them? What, if anything, would you like to help you facilitate outdoor play for your children?

Everyone who adds a comment to this thread will be entered in to a prize draw where one winner will receive a £200 Love2shop voucher.

Thanks & good luck!

MNHQ

Standard T&Cs apply

My top tip is to go out with your children - go out into the garden with them and set up/suggest fun/interesting things they can do (you can then nip in and out while they get on with them). Rig up something to act as a net and get them playing tennis when Wimbledon is on. Go with them to a safe place they can skate, ride their bikes, etc. Take them on walks and talk to them about interesting plants and insects you spot. Once they get used to being outside and seeing how interesting and how much fun it can be they will come up with their own ideas.

lost the fear of the weather! So often us adults moan about rain and that rubs off n the kids. If you have an attitude of getting outdoors whatever the weather then the kids will be happier too.

invest in some wet weather coats / trousers and let them get out and have outdoors adventures without fear of the mud and rain!

Be a good role model. Going out somewhere all together is especially important when you live in a gardenless flat in a city like us.

Our local council does excellent outdoor play schemes - den building, bug exploring etc. We use these as often as possible and then replicate them with friends.
At home, DD loves to potter around the garden, 'helping' and growing her own fruit/veg/herbs.

Taken yesterday and today. My favourite thing is to just let them explore, don't direct them and allow them to develop their own games. Both mine love the outdoors. Wellies, waterproofs, and wet wipes are your friends. #dirtisgood

Open the back door! My kids are pretty good at outdoor play. But we live right by woods and they can go into them safely from our back gate. It's all private and i think they enjoy the freedom. But for days when they don't want to go out, i simply pack them in the car and we drive to a national trust place and say we'll just go to the cafe for a cake and hot chocolate... Then we somehow manage to take a really long route there. They are usually already distracted by a playground or some flowers by that point anyway!

If I go out and start doing something, they follow.. we had great fun cleaning the Windows with water pistols.

As a family we enjoy being outside and the dc love getting dirty, something we have always encouraged them to do, it's part of being a kid. We started young and in all weathers, so they feel it's normal.

Do you feel they have fewer opportunities to play than you did?
From a safety point of view yes, I used to go out and play with my sisters and friends from the age of 5 upwards, now it would be more like 10/11 for them to go to the park alone.

What are the main obstacles to outside play and how do you overcome them?
As above safety, I wouldn't let them go to the park alone yet, so we have more garden equipment, there is more to do in our own garden than there was in mine growing up. Trampoline, football goal, basket ball hoop, swing ball, badminton net.

What, if anything, would you like to help you facilitate outdoor play for your children? Local family activities that don't cost the earth.

a jug of water, lots of empty bowls and tubs and some washing up liquid and they're happy for hours...

Turn the wifi off and it works a treat. Make them do a walk/ exercise before a treat like ice cream/ meal out.

Join up with friends as kids don't moan as much when other kids are walking too.

We've been doing lots of lovely outdoor artwork, finding leaves and twigs etc and getting creative. Taking pics and making our own gallery. We also do collection competitions, who can find the most pinecones, daisies, green leaves. Dc are 3 and almost 2 and they love it, want to be outside always.

My Dd doesn't really play outside, but to get her out in the fresh air, I buy seeds and bulbs we can plant in flowerpots and I get a cup of water and a paintbrush in the summer and we 'paint' on the patio and watch the sun dry it up

Encourage? It's all I can do to keep them in! I buy splash suits second hand - one in the wash, one on, one hanging up. They roam free. Favourite games include collecting mud, stones and sticks, and "feeding" the hideous lion statue left by our precedessors

All I have to say is, 'treasure map'. Seriously, whatever the weather, if my son thinks there is something to find in the garden, park or play ground he will have his Wellies and coat on before I've even told him what the treasure is (usually a chocolate coin or a pound coin).

All of mine love playing in the garden, maybe it's because I insist that they go out if it's a reasonable day. I can't stand the thought of them watching tv when they could be outside. Maybe this changes when they become teenagers, who knows? I'm hoping that this will instill in them the benefits of being outside. It's more work for me though, as invariably they'll traipse in and out with muddy shoes, their clothes will be filthy as they will be too!

Our babies are very young but they've always learnt to get outside even on a grey day. Rain or dark clouds is not a reason not to get out, just bundle up in waterproof clothes and keep warm. I'm not precious about their clothes so if they get messy, so what. If the tiles in the kitchen get muddy, what does it matter? It's only a bit of dirt so digging, hunting for bugs, searching for treasure is never off limits.

Whatever the weather just go outside - as long as you're wearing appropriate clothing it will be fun!
We take them to parks, farms, the woods, even just for a walk or rude on their bikes round the block.
We're lucky enough to have a garden too so utilise that a lot.
I enjoy it more being outside and I think they can see that so we all have fun and prefer it to screen time.

• ride not rude!!

Go out whatever the weather. My invesment in waterproof trousers for the toddler has been paid back many times over!

My DD doesn't need encouraged, she is always asking to go out. We don't have a garden - I think having one makes it a lot easier. We do have a community garden and a lot of local parks. The main barrier is the weather, not much can be done about that, so having good waterproof clothing for child and parents is important!

Agree with pp re having the right kit. You can buy wellies and rain kit in primark even now and they are much nicer than what was available when I was a kid. I love the soft shell waterproof trousers I got for the dds in go outdoors.

I just made it part of the routine. If they want to watch a film at home at weekends they have to do a big walk usually at the beach or national trust estate. As with other posters getting the dog helped but dd1 just likes pottering in woods and on the beach.

I think my best advice is find places locally where they can be as independent as possible. Trails where you have to jump out of the way of a million bikes is no good. Big meadows away from roads and beaches where you can see the kids even when they are quite far away work really well for us

I spoke to a mum in neighbouring street and when she realised who we were and that the children could play out together without crossing any roads they have been outside playing with each other. Get to know your neighbours!

Get an 'i-spy' book - I have mentioned this series on another thread but they really are great - they have ones with themes such as 'Nature' and 'Gardens' so encourage them to choose one then take them to a park, wood or similar to help them look for things to tick off in the book when they have seen them.

Make the outside area as attractive as possible - eg windmills/ make decorations to hang up etc
Atttact wildlife to your garden to give them something to observe - make/ buy bird feeders/bee and butterfly hotels/ place a large rock/ piece of wood for "bugs" to congregate under
We bought cheap bug hunting kits and they love these
Have special outside toys / activities as well as taking out favourite toys to the outside eg put down a rug or mat and out out duplo or small world toys
We live near a river / beach and country side so doing scavenger hunts are ways fun
I think because I always had the opportunity to play out I try hard to replicate this for my children - I have spent a total of 4 hours in the park today having a picnic and they loved it! I just made sure I had a supply of coffee and a very warm coat!!!!

No real cajoling needed here, just sling them out. It gets harder as they get older because garden toys are less appealing, but then once they're old enough to go out on bikes/to the park with friends you'll see them only at mealtimes.