讓孩子到戶外去的3個步驟

讓孩子到戶外去的3個步驟

We know kids need to spend more time outside, but how does a parent go about making that happen?

我們都知道孩子們需要花更多的時間在戶外，但是父母該如何做到呢?

Children spend half the amount of time playing outdoors that their parents did. Whereas older generations spent an average of 8.2 hours playing outside when they were young, kids nowadays spend just over four hours a week outside. This is an enormous decrease, driven by a number of factors that include parental fear of traffic and 'stranger danger', the lure of technology in the form of social media and online games, and a wealth of engaging indoor activities.

孩子們在戶外玩耍的時間是他們父母的一半。老一輩人年輕時平均花8.2個小時在戶外玩耍，而現(xiàn)在的孩子每周花在戶外的時間僅超過4個小時。這是一個巨大的減少，由許多因素驅(qū)動，包括父母對交通和“陌生人的危險”的恐懼，社交媒體和網(wǎng)絡(luò)游戲形式的技術(shù)的誘惑，以及豐富的參與室內(nèi)活動。

©. K Martinko

Being indoors is not necessarily bad, as it can lead kids to develop valuable reading skills, learn musical instruments and languages, and participate in organized sports; but when that indoor time takes over kids' lives and makes outdoor playtime virtually nonexistent, it becomes a serious matter.

待在室內(nèi)并不一定是壞事，因為它可以引導(dǎo)孩子發(fā)展有價值的閱讀技能，學(xué)習(xí)樂器和語言，并參加有組織的體育活動;但當室內(nèi)時間占據(jù)了孩子們的生活，使戶外游戲時間幾乎不存在時，這就成了一個嚴重的問題。

An article called 'Are Kids Extinct in the Wild?' suggests a three-part solution to getting kids outside. This includes:

一篇名為《野外孩子滅絕了嗎?》提出了一個讓孩子到戶外活動的三步解決方案。這包括:

1. Set sensible indoor boundaries

設(shè)置合理的室內(nèi)界限

2. Make the outdoors fun again

讓戶外再次充滿樂趣

3. Safely relax

安全地放松

Parents have a responsibility to set firm limits, using phone and Internet settings, as well as hashing out device contracts with older kids and setting strict rules for younger ones. For example, one could say 'no devices during the school week', 'a 15-minute daily limit on the iPad,' or 'no screen time till you've spent an hour outside.' Once technology is off-limits, kids will seek alternative forms of entertainment, hopefully outdoors.

父母有責任對使用手機和網(wǎng)絡(luò)設(shè)置進行嚴格限制，也有責任與年齡較大的孩子解除設(shè)備合同，并對年幼的孩子制定嚴格的規(guī)定。例如，有人可能會說，“上學(xué)期間禁止使用任何設(shè)備”，“每天使用iPad的時間限制為15分鐘”，或者“在戶外待上一小時之前禁止使用屏幕”。一旦禁止使用科技產(chǎn)品，孩子們就會尋求其他娛樂方式，希望是戶外。

The second point -- make the outdoors fun again -- is important, too. For years I wished my kids could entertain themselves better outside, but they don't. They often beg me to join them or say they don't know what to do. Until I read Linda Åkeson McGurk's book, There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather, I thought I was doing something wrong; but no, she had the same problem.

第二點——讓戶外再次充滿樂趣——也很重要。多年來，我一直希望我的孩子們能在外面玩得更好，但他們沒有。他們經(jīng)常求我加入他們，或者說他們不知道該做什么。直到我讀了琳達·艾奇森·麥格克的書，“世界上沒有壞天氣這回事，我認為我做錯了什么事;但是沒有，她也有同樣的問題。

I realized then that when kids are small it's really OK to be the driving force behind getting them outside. It takes commitment and stubbornness, but if the parent absolutely insists on taking a child for walks in the forests, visits to the park, arranging outdoor playdates and beachcombing expeditions, then that love for nature will develop organically. But it does take parental initiative, like it or not, especially when those kids are small. Much like teaching them to eat vegetables, and trying over and over again no matter their reaction, getting kids outside on a daily basis must come from the parent.

后來我意識到，當孩子們還小的時候，成為他們外出的驅(qū)動力是很好的。這需要承諾和固執(zhí)，但如果父母絕對堅持帶孩子到森林里散步，游覽公園，安排戶外活動和海灘探險，那么對自然的熱愛就會有機地發(fā)展。但不管你喜不喜歡，這確實需要父母的主動，尤其是當孩子還小的時候。就像教他們吃蔬菜，不管他們的反應(yīng)如何，一遍又一遍地嘗試一樣，讓孩子每天到戶外活動必須來自父母。

© K Martinko -- My kids and I like poking around in the forest near our house, even if we only have a short window of opportunity.

Finally, safely relax is a reminder that many of the dangers parents fret about are quite pointless. The world is safer now than ever; kidnapping is statistically negligible. Traffic is a real concern, but kids age 4 and up (of course, this is a generalization since every kid is different) are smart enough to learn rules about staying off the road. Eliminating all risk, however, should never be the goal. Play is a way for kids "to make mistakes within well-defined parameters," which is far preferable to making those mistakes in real, adult life.

最后，安全放松提醒我們，父母擔心的許多危險是毫無意義的。世界比以往任何時候都更安全;綁架在統(tǒng)計上是微不足道的。交通是一個真正的問題，但4歲及以上的孩子(當然，這是一個概括，因為每個孩子都是不同的)足夠聰明，學(xué)會了遠離道路的規(guī)則。然而，消除所有風(fēng)險絕不應(yīng)該是目標。玩耍是孩子們“在明確定義的范圍內(nèi)犯錯誤”的一種方式，這比在真實的成人生活中犯錯誤要好得多。

Children have the right to be outside every single day. It will make them happier, healthier, stronger, more focused, more agile, smarter. It will give them a friend, a sense of companionship, a place where they can always go and feel comforted. It will teach them to respect the planet and want to protect it. The absolute best time to initiate this relationship between child and nature is now, so why not start today?

兒童有權(quán)每天外出。這會讓他們更快樂、更健康、更強壯、更專注、更敏捷、更聰明。這會給他們一個朋友，一種陪伴感，一個他們可以隨時去并感到安慰的地方。這將教會他們尊重和保護地球。開啟孩子與自然的關(guān)系的絕對最佳時機是現(xiàn)在，所以為什么不從今天開始呢?