Building Family Connections in Nature: Creating Quality Family Time Outdoors

Could you use more quality family time together? Does it feel like you are just trying to keep up with all the demands and responsibilities of parenting that you go through in the week wondering what just happened? If you are looking for ways to spend quality time with your family outdoors, you are not alone.

Parenting can sometimes feel like an endless list of tasks, leaving little time for meaningful moments with one another. The busyness of life keeps us from slowing down enough to appreciate the little moments that we have with one another. It keeps us focusing on to-do lists and tasks instead of being in the present. So how, in the midst of all this busyness do we encourage ourselves as parents and caregivers to slow down and really spend quality distraction free time with one another, meeting our kids, partners, and other family members where they are? 

Spending quality family time outdoors allows us to slow down and be in the present, cherish the small moments, and step away from our distraction-full world. Many studies now show that time in nature improves family connection, restores our attention, and reduces stress. It also is a great place to create memorable adventures with one another. 

In this post, we will explore the science behind family time and nature, offer simple outdoor activities that you can try as a family, share tips for how to make nature time a family habit, and how to overcome common barriers as a family to get outside. 

What does the science show? 

Research is showing us more and more what we intuitively already know, that time spent in nature is good for our health and well-being. This study from the University of California, Irvine shows that being in nature enhances social connection and solidarity. It also increases positivity and social connection. The authors discuss that through the awe and beauty of natural spaces, we are called to be more oriented towards others and have increased sensitivity to the needs of others. Now imagine these benefits in your own family. 

Another study of mothers and daughters showed that of all the benefits that nature provides, the opportunity to spend time together was considered the most important. In this study, the most common outdoor spaces were the backyard where families could eat meals together, play sports with one another, and garden. Meaning that you don’t need to go very far to have access to nature’s benefits. 

And in this study looking at families who went on outdoor adventure experiences, families were more focused on one another instead of other aspects of daily life and also enjoyed making memories and recollecting memories of the outdoor experiences that they shared with one another. 

Fun Family Activities to Try

Now that you’ve been convinced that time in nature is beneficial for family connection with one another, what are some family bonding activities in nature that you can try? I’ve put together some examples of short and long easy outdoor activities that you can try together depending on how much time you have that day to be outside. 

15 minute outdoor activities

• Look up for some backyard stargazing
• Do a mini nature hunt
• If you have a garden, harvest some seasonal produce from your backyard
• Clean up the yard

30 minute outdoor activities

• Take a stroll around your neighborhood
• Have breakfast, lunch, or dinner in your backyard or patio
• Read a book together or do storytime outside
• Create some nature art

1 hour outdoor activities

• Enjoy a picnic at a nearby park
• Find a short trail hike
• Meet up with other families for a play date
• Visit a local farm and pick fruit
• Do a scavenger hunt

Half day outdoor activities

• Plan a beach or lake trip
• Visit a nature center, nature preserve, or botanical gardens
• Find a longer trail hike
• Take up birdwatching
• Volunteer of beach, park, or trail clean up
• Go on a geocaching adventure

This is, of course, a very short list of all the things that you can do outdoors and any one activity can take 15 minutes or you can spend the whole day doing them. But many of these are easy without needing any particular special tools or skills to get done. Of course, you can also plan full or multi-day activities like camping trips, ski or snowboarding trips, fishing or just incorporating nature activities into your family vacations. 

How to make nature time a family habit

Choose a “Nature Day”

In order to increase your family time in nature, it needs to be a family priority. Start small. Commit to picking one day a week that the family can spend some outdoor time together. When everyone knows that day of the week, it sets the expectation that the family has committed to it , not just something to do when there is time. It is also an activity that everyone can look forward to.

Start a family tradition

Perhaps your family already has a weekly tradition that is done together like Sunday dinners or even a weekly movie night. Is there a way that this activity can be taken outside? Can your family engage in birthday hikes or holiday traditions that are done outdoors? Perhaps you already sign-up for a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot or spend Fourth of July at the river. Can you incorporate the rest of your family in these activities? 

Let each person pick the activity

Include partners, spouses, caregivers, and older kids in choosing the activity of the week or the tradition that they would like to start. Having them pick the activity engages them making nature a family priority. It allows everyone to get involved. 

How to overcome common barriers to get the family outside

Some of the most common barriers to getting the family outside include things like time constraints, weather, and sometimes kids just not wanting to participate. 

Setting a nature day and picking from the list of activities above depending on the time available can help address some of the time barriers to getting outside. It doesn’t have to be very long but even 15 minutes together can make a difference with how you and your kids may feel. 

Choosing activities for different weathers can also keep things fun during the colder and wetter seasons. As long as you are mindful of the weather and are dressed appropriately, you can get outside all year long. Depending on where you live, you may need to be more mindful and creative especially if you have triple digit summers or subzero winters. Use your judgment. With planning and creativity, you can still enjoy the benefits of nature safely for you and your family. 

Additionally, if your kids are resistant to getting outside, let them pick the activity or allow them to bring a friend along. Outdoor time has also been shown to improve prosocial behaviors and including a friend can do just that. Doing so can decrease their hesitancy to get outside. 

In summary

Being out in nature together as a family can encourage more quality time with one another. Life is already busy as it is but getting out in nature can encourage slowing down and being in the present. Even a small amount of time can make a difference in spending quality family time outdoors. 

Choose one simple activity that your family can do this week. 

Can you make it family tradition? Whether it is 15 minutes or a whole day, spending time together outside helps create family memories and builds the habit of spending quality family time in nature.