Old-Fashioned Outdoor Fun

By: Beth Duncan

It’s a kid’s world out there. Warmer weather promotes the perfect type of kid’s play. Our family is so fortunate to live in a child-friendly neighborhood; my four children have playmates their ages all around us. There is only a short time of the year when the kids have to entertain themselves indoors. The rest of the time they get to explore the wonders of outdoor play, old-fashioned fun!

I love to see what happens when spring comes and I send the kids outside to play. They become so creative, so adventurous, so energetic, and so full of life! They also become so dirty.

Just this morning my two- and four-year olds played in the backyard together. They were shoveling dirt into buckets and carrying it into their play fort. In the play kitchen inside the fort, they were transforming it into pies and cakes. With a little water added, it became milkshakes and soup. They served it to me with stick spoons and crumbled leaves on top. The four-year old added a little azalea bloom for my dining enjoyment. Their dirt-smudged faces shown with pride. The bigger kids used to do the same thing—and the big ones didn’t teach the little ones; it just came naturally, I guess. Those creative juices were flowing out there in the crisp spring air.

On any given afternoon, there can easily be as many as 10 kids playing in the backyard. They are often involved in some kind of elaborate fantasy play. Some are bad guys and some are good guys. Sometimes there is a mom or a teacher or a super hero. Many times there is a princess or two. Sometimes they are building forts, playing army men and using sticks for guns and pinecones for bombs. Sometimes there is a cook or a waitress or a shopkeeper collecting leaves for money.

For some activities, I have to help a little, like when they become little entrepreneurs and want to set up a snowball or lemonade stand. But, I must say that they have now become pretty self-sufficient as “lemonade stand owners.”

Of course, we also love to take trips to the zoo, the playground, McDonalds play area, the beach, and various other great hangouts. But, I think the type of play that is produced in my own backyard, front yard, or in the neighbor’s yards does something for the kids that is invaluable. The value is multiplied when I think of the way their childhood play links me back to my own childhood.

There are times when two or three of them are swinging up high on our swingset, trying to touch the branches above them. This is probably the outdoor activity I feel most nostalgic about. Swinging is such an exhilarating and carefree joy in life. When I watch the kids swinging, I can almost feel their happiness as if it is my own—my own joy of long ago.

The value of old-fashioned outdoor fun? Priceless.