Outside with your kids.

I have 2 children and they have always been like chalk and cheese. But they always liked to be outside. I always used to take them out as often as I could and we used to spend all day long in the country park near us. when they still needed picking up from school we always took the longest walk home, along the canal and then we would detour across a field to stand on the railway bridge to watch to see if any trains where coming and then back onto the canal bank and home. I think it is good for them all their lives.

My daughter loves to play outside. I have to beg her to come indoors. If we are visiting one of her friends she would rather stay indoors to play with their toys!

I think that MOST children love to play outside - I can't think of a young child I've ever known that doesn't adore the outdoors. I also think (and this is just my own opinion, mind you) that as children get older and get into indoor activities like television and video games, they get drawn into them and less interested in spending time outside. That was certainly the case with me, and with my husband too. My three-year-old daughter just loves being outside, never wants to come in once she's out, and she's always been this way. We make sure to keep outdoor toys for her - tricycles, a playhouse, balls, etc. - to encourage her to want to be out there. The hard part, for us, is spending time outside with her - sadly, it's just not as fascinating for us. Having a variety of toys helps with that too, though, since we don't have to play with the same thing every single time we go out.