Technology always moves so fast and it’s crazy to think when I was a child there were no iPads, no iPhones, not even a computer!  Yep, you might be thinking I’m ancient by now, but I’m only 32.  I didn’t have a laptop or the internet until I was in my twenties!  We never had one at home when I was growing up and it was all kind of a new thing.  Even my senior school had only just started putting in computer rooms and most of us were like ‘why would we need to use a computer?’ Ha!

My children are already whizzes on the iPads at ages five and two.  It’s quite crazy, but also a sign of the times as no doubt it’s going to be imperative for most to know how to work them.  I’m sure they’re going to take over our lives even more in the future, which we’re already beginning to see with the likes of voice-activated home hubs like Alexa.

There’s also a lot of negativity around children using technology so much.  We sometimes depend on it a little too much to entertain our children.  After all it’s an amazing way to keep them entertained and calm them if they’re being crazy!  We still encourage our children to get outdoors as much as possible.  It’s important to keep in touch with nature and for the children to invent their own games as well as keep active in the fresh air.

Outdoor activities don’t seem to have changed too much since I was a youngster.  There are those crazy hover board things, which don’t actually hover, but that’s all I’ve really noticed that’s any different.  It’s still kind of a skateboard, just with a few additions!  I wonder if technology will ever catch up and take over outdoor play with some crazy inventions, or perhaps the good old fashioned ways to play outdoors will always remain.

Here are outdoor activities I enjoyed as a child and my children will too:

Scooters & Skating

I absolutely loved roller skating as a child.  I’d whizz off with my best friend from two doors down and we’d set up small ramps in our driveways.  I thought perhaps we were a way off the roller skates phase as Bella is only five, but she’s already badgering me for a pair of Heelys.
She's not too young for scooting though.  Bella loves her scooter and scoots to school every day now!  We've ordered her a new scooter for Christmas and I can't wait to see her face.  Proline Scooters have a huge selection of scooters for professional and leisure levels.  Bella has already started asking me to take her to the skate board park as she's seen the bigger kids doing tricks!

Climbing trees

Opposite the house I grew up in was ‘The Green’ as we called it.  The Green was a huge patch of grass with four or five huge trees, including ginormous conker trees that were just made for climbing.  I think I spent most of my childhood up those trees hanging off branches like a monkey or lying along them daydreaming the days away.

Velcro catch

I can’t believe this still exists!  I saw one just recently and had to buy it.  It’s those round Velcro pads you slide over your hands in neon yellow/green/pink and you catch the ball on the pad.  This was a beach activity favourite as a child and now my children are having fun playing it too.

Water fights

There’s nothing like a good water fight on a hot day!  I love that the most fun things we did as children outdoors in the summer are still the most fun things to do nowadays too.  A bucket load of water bombs, a hose and a few water pistols and the kids are happy for hours on a hot day.

Trampolining

The only difference nowadays being EVERYONE has a trampoline!  When I was younger I only knew two people with a giant trampoline in their gardens – it was a rarity.  As they were so rare to come by, they were so fun when you got the chance and we’d spend ages bouncing about.  I still need to get my kids one in the garden, but as nearly everyone has one they get plenty of practice when we visit friends.

Cycling

This seems to have been replaced by many with scooting and I wonder if it will take over.  We never had scooters as children, just bikes.  Once I got the hang of it at around age four I was off!  I loved going out with my mates on my mountain bike when I was older.  This is something that I imagine younger kids will now grow out of a lot sooner than I did as technology becomes more appealing.  I was always hanging out with my mates on my bicycle until at least age 13, maybe older, making ramps and going over all the hilly bike track bits in the woods.