Home Outdoor Fun As Kids Grow Up, They Spend Less Time Outdoors. But Here’s What Parents Can Do by Shahrzad WarkentinNovember 23, 2018 Search more like this middle schooltechnologyafrican americanfree timeoutdoor activitiesscreen timeoutdoorsuniversityencouragenatureridetourismmanagementcomputer Advertisement Trending Now Celeb & Entertainment Melanie Lynskey Talks about Being Body-Shamed in Hollywood & ‘Starving Herself’ Viral & Trending Viral TikTok Explains Why You Don’t Owe Toxic Parents a Relationship with Your Kids Celeb & Entertainment ‘Bluey’ Season 3 is Coming to Disney+ This Week! Viral & Trending Dad Gets Shamed for Using a Leash with 5-Year-Old Quintuplets News Chrissy Teigen Announces She’s Pregnant Almost 2 Years after Losing Jack Advertisement Keeping kids off smartphones and away from computer screens gets more challenging the older they get. A new study has found that kids spend less time outdoors as they grow older in favor of time indoors on screens—but the good news is, it’s never too late to do something about it. A new study from researchers at North Carolina State University and Clemson University has found that middle school students spend more time indoors on screens and less time outside. The study, which looked at outdoor activities of 543 middle school students living in South Carolina, found that while kids spend at least some amount of time outdoors, the majority of their free time was spent inside on screens. Photo: Pexels via Pixabay The study found that not all kids were equal when it came to missing out on the outdoors. Girls, African-American students and eighth graders were more likely to spend less time outside, while boys, Caucasian students and six graders were more likely to spend recreational time outdoors. “We’re not going back in time when it comes to nature and electronic media. They’re now intertwined,” Lincoln Larson, study co-author and assistant professor of parks, recreation and tourism management at NC State, said. “The question becomes, how do we find ways to effectively integrate nature and technology? Can we design programs or experiences that appeal to young people’s inherent love for technology, but also get them outdoors to improve to their lifelong health?” Here are a few ideas to help encourage older kids to spend more time outside: Choose family activities for the weekend that are outside such as hiking, biking or swimming. Since older kids might be “too big to play” (sniff, yes that day does come), try giving them jobs to do outdoors like raking leaves or helping in the garden. Encourage your kids to walk or ride a bike to school. If safety is a concern, walk or ride along with them. As an added bonus you’ll have more time to talk on the way. Set outdoor hours the same way you set time limits on screens—but in reverse. While you only allow one hour of screen time, for example, you can also require one hour of outdoor time. —Shahrzad Warkentin RELATED STORIES: How Much Screen Time Should Kids Be Allowed? New Study Urges Stricter Limits Before You Shut Off Your Kid’s Tablet or TV for the Day, Read This Study Explains Why We Can’t Say No to Kids’ Screen Time Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Copy (Opens in new window) Search more like this middle schooltechnologyafrican americanfree timeoutdoor activitiesscreen timeoutdoorsuniversityencouragenatureridetourismmanagementcomputer Welcome to our Tinybeans family! Be sure to check your email for new activities, recipes and parenting hacks – and to see if you’ve won! Do you have a dog or cat? 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