How to Get Your Family Outdoors More Often This Summer

Summer is a great time to spend with your family and friends outdoors, doing activities you love. There are a ton of things to do, ranging from home improvement projects to enjoying a vacation together. Here are few activities that you should consider if you are wondering how to get your family outdoors this summer.

Pick Out New Patio Furniture Together

Hitting the furniture stores to pick out patio furniture is one of the ways on how to get your family outdoors. Before heading to the store, list all the furniture you will need. Do you plan on hosting a few friends from time to time, or you want the patio to serve as a dining area where you can have dinner on warm nights? When you all get to the store, try out different patio chairs and sofa, testing for comfortability. Pieces with plush cushions on the seat and the back are very comfortable. You will also want to pick furniture with weather-resistant fabric to prevent the colors from fading and mildew growth. Find furniture that is easy to maintain with a bit of regular cleaning. As you pick furniture, ask the opinion of each family member, seeing what they like most. Remember, it is their home too. The furniture you choose should be of great quality to last you a long time. Another important tip is finding furniture that matches your outdoors. It will help enhance the curb appeal of your home.

Make Yard Maintenance a Family Project

This is also another way on how to get your family outdoors. There are several activities involved in yard maintenance that all family members can participate in, despite their age. For the younger ones, get them to pick the debris in the form of rocks, leaves, and twigs. They can also water the lawn and plants, but you will have to monitor them not to overdo it. For the older kids, because they can handle gardening tools responsibly, they can rake the yard, removing dead grass so that the new grass can spring easily. They can also prune, removing damaged and dead plants from your shrub. This gives your yard a neat and clean look. To add some appeal to your lawn, get a tree service technician to check whether some of your trees are infested with pests and diseases. The technician can spray a pesticide to help revive your trees. They also cut away excess branches that may block sidewalks and improve the appearance of trees generally. Gutters also play a significant role in the maintenance of your yard. If they are damaged and cracked, water will leak into your yard, leading to stagnating pools and eroding the soil in your home. Immediately you notice any damage, call gutter services to repair them.

Go on an Off-Roading Adventure

The summer is not only for doing the home upgrades. It is also a good time to go on an off-road adventure as a family. Start by picking a destination, preferably somewhere none of you have ever been. You should research destinations with interesting features like a slot canyon or a waterfall hike. Since you will be navigating rough terrains, make use of Google maps and come up with a detailed route. Include any points of interest like a gas station or camp places in your route. Do not forget to pack all the essentials, including sunscreen and bug repellent. Factor in the length of the trip so that you do not go overboard with the packing. You will need a vehicle that is suitable for this kind of trip. An off-road adventure is more challenging than your usual road trips due to rough terrain. It would be best if you also research where you can rent a Kawasaki vehicle for this adventure. They are ideal because they have off-road tires with a proper grip on both dry and wet terrain. Before starting the trip, anticipate your fuel needs. You can use your map and calculate your trip’s total mileage, which will help you estimate the amount of fuel you will need.

Clean up for Curb Appeal

For the exterior of your home to stand out, it has to be clean and neat. This is one of the ways on how to get your family outdoors. For bigger tasks like cleaning the gutters, you can either do that or request gutter services from a gutter technician. Leaves and dirt tend to accumulate on your gutter, lending them inefficient. Before you start power washing the exterior, first sweep the area to make your work easier. A pressure washer is very effective in cleaning your home’s exteriors, and if you do not have one, you can rent from a home improvement store for the day. Driveway pressure washing is key in removing stubborn stains like oil leaks from a car. It will also help remove mold and moss that grows, especially in warm areas. You can use a stiff brush and scrub off any stubborn stains. Do not forget to pressure wash the siding and clean the windows too. Once you have cleaned, you can be able to see if there are any damages like cracks that need repair. Have them repaired immediately rather than waiting for the problem to escalate. Invest in pathway lighting using outdoor solar lights. You can get dusk-to-dawn lights that automatically sensor when daylight begins, turning off to save energy.

Plant and Tend to A Garden

Planting and tending to a garden is a great way to get everyone out of the house. Start a family garden and plant some vegetables and flowers. Before getting the plants, check your soil type so that you know what plants will thrive. Take the whole family to a nursery and let them choose what plants they like. This creates a sense of responsibility, especially in your children, because they will be determined to take care of the plants. You should consider some vegetables because they grow easily include radishes, potatoes, onions, and garlic. Once your garden is all set, create a chore board, allocating all family members a day to water the garden. You can also spend time with the kids uprooting any weeds that have started sprouting. There is some excitement in watching your plants grow. Do not forget to mulch your garden as it helps your soil retain moisture and suppresses weed. Gardening is a significant part of landscaping. It makes the outdoors look more appealing. You can also add some potted plants around the house to enhance the beauty of your exterior.

Spend a Day Swimming

You can be sure that during summer, almost all your family members, if not all, are fantasizing about spending the day at the beach or the swimming pool. So, this is one of the most effective ways on how to get your family outdoors. At the beach or the pool, first practice safety. This is important, especially if you have small kids. Remember that your children will get tired easily than you since they are swimming the whole time. Where you can stand, a child will still swim since the area is deep for them. Also, children may not be effective communicators in how they feel, so keenly observe how they behave inside the water. Swimming is a great way for you to bond with your family and other people at the pool or the beach, boosting everyone’s social skills. Other than bonding, swimming is a great way to relieve stress. Both you and your children get stressed from time to time. So, consider unwinding through swimming to reduce stress and anxiety.

Volunteer Around the Neighborhood

Wondering how to get your family outdoors this summer, then consider volunteering in your neighborhood. Here is a list of places where you can volunteer in your neighborhood:

• Animal Shelter: Visit an animal shelter and help around in feeding and washing them. Also, get to spend time with them by playing and caring for them. If you do not mind having pets in your home, you can even adopt one.
• Local Library: Community libraries are often looking for volunteers to work with children, lead a book discussion or help organize and shelve the books. You can check the website of your community library and see what services you can give. If there are books that your kids have outgrown, consider donating them too.
• Retirement Homes: Visit an assisted living facility in the neighborhood and help the elderlies there. Seniors may have a difficult time moving around or even eating. You can help them run errands or deliver a meal to them.
• Homeless Shelters: Park up a meal and some clothes and drive to a homeless shelter where you can offer some help and support. Note that for the clothes, if you are donating something that you or your family members no longer wear, they should be in good condition. You should wash them first to freshen them a bit before giving them out.

There are many places you can volunteer, including disaster cleanup and environmental conservation projects. You will have made an impact on someone’s life and also feel good about yourself.

Walk to Dinner Instead of Driving

Pick one day of the week, choose a restaurant where you can have dinner as a family, and walk there. This is one of the perfect ways on how to get your family outdoors. Despite how busy everyone is, people will always make time to eat. As you walk, get to enjoy the outdoors and get active as well. You can make this a routine once or twice a week where each family member gets to pick their favorite food joint like a pizza parlor or a seafood joint. As you walk to the restaurant, use this opportunity to check what has been going in everyone’s life. This activity takes little effort but creates a bonding environment.

Set up an Outdoor Game

Take advantage of the warm weather and set up an outside game for you and the family as a way on how to get your family outdoors. Set up a lawn bowling and get every member to participate. You can get bowling pins at a vintage store or a flea market. Even pins in mismatched sizes and styles are still fine. If you cannot find bowling pins, use recycled water bottles. You can even let the kids paint the colors they like. The goal is to get everyone out of the house and have fun. How about a lawn scrabble? The rules are the same but on a larger scale. You can order a set online or make this a family DIY project. Get square cardboard and paint them or write letters using a thick marker. To make things more fun, pair up and compete with a prize on the winning team. Another fun game to have is the water balloon challenge. It is perfect for that hot afternoon where you get to toss balloons filled with water to each other. This is also a very affordable game where you only need to purchase balloons.

Have a Picnic Outside

Summer is a great time to have a picnic outside the house. You can make it as fancy or simple as you like. However, do not go overboard. Pack some light snacks that you can easily transport. Sandwiches are the ideal meal for picnics, and you can make different varieties for everyone’s taste. Pasta salads that are not dairy-based are also great for picnics, and they do not easily spoil. Add some potato chips and pickles to accompany your meal. Do not forget to bring some fruits and drinks. Pack all your picnic supplies in a container you can carry easily and transport them to the picnic site. Some picnic supplies to add to your list include a picnic blanket, picnic table, chairs, tablecloth, dishes, napkins, and plastic containers for leftovers.

There are many ways on how to get your family outdoors during summer. Most of these activities involve all family members, and so you get a chance to bond with each other. Other fun outdoor activities that you can do include camping, bike riding, and going for walks.