We don’t know about you, but there isn’t a better time of the year than fall! We love everything about it from the fall festivals, to pumpkin flavored everything, and let’s be honest, who doesn’t love jumping in a huge pile of leaves? What better time to do everything outdoors? The summer can be so hot and humid, there is not a single thing to complain about in the fall! Being outside just seems to make us all in a better mood this time of the year. And enjoying nature also has so many benefits for you and your kids. We compiled a few from our friends over at BestForTheKids. Check out some of what they had to say about spending outdoor time with your kiddos!

1. Physical and Mental Benefits: Not only is being outdoors great exercise for your body, it’s good exercise for your mind as well. Just listening to the bees buzz, the birds chirp and the leaves fall, gives us a sense of the world and the miracles that it holds. Your kids will ask questions and it will stir up conversation about the world and how it works. Kid’s don’t get that sense of wonder and curiosity sitting in front of a tv all day.

2. Helps Preserve Nature: As Sandra says in her blog, we can’t do anything about the past. But we can preserve nature for our future generations. Spending time outdoors will teach them about respecting and loving our environment. They will learn to pick up trash that was thrown into a bush and find a sense of pride knowing that they helped the birds that live there.  Maybe even teach their friends about it in school, your kids will thank you for teaching them, and Mother Earth will thank you as well!

3. Limits screen time, for you and your kids: The world we live in today is full of tv, ipads, cell phones, and laptops. The constant need we have to be attached to technology is bit out of control. Distancing yourself from your screens will give your mind a break, from work and from the social media stress we tend to put on ourselves. We promise, whatever emails or facebook likes you receive, will still be there later. Go take a break from it all, play on a playground or even take the dog on a walk!

Taking time to spend outdoors will bring your and your children closer together. Take advantage of that. Instill a love for the great outdoors in them while they’re younger. It will stick with them for the rest of their lives. For more information and tips on overall benefits of spending time outdoors, head on over to our friend’s blog post here at Bestforthekids.com!