September 24: Worldwide Day of Play!

I have two precious children. One of them is a boy.

A real boy.

If I let him, he would be outside…all day. Every day.

He loves playing outside. He loves shovels and dirt and water.

Yeah, you know where that’s going, eh?

A. very. dirty. boy.

A very HAPPY dirty boy!

I must admit that I prefer to curl up
on the couch with a good book, but I know the importance of having my kids be out and about in the fresh air as much as possible.

photo credit: stock.xchng

My husband is an outdoorsman, and we are blessed to have several acres of land for our children to roam about and explore.

When we moved to this house a few years ago, we decided not to hook up cable or satellite tv, although the kids do enjoy dvds. So, we never have to choose ‘missing’ a favorite tv show over enjoying the great outdoors.

September 24 is Worldwide Day of Play, where families are encouraged to TURN OFF THE TUBE and get outside together! Nothing compares with fresh air and sunshine!

Clorox2 is a proud sponsor of the Worldwide Day of Play and wants you to take the Play 2Day Pledge: http://clorox2play2day.com

photo credit: stock.xchng

With our wooded property, the kids enjoy taking hikes on the trails with daddy. We also enjoy playing catch or pushing them on their swings. Really, we don’t even have to have an organized game of anything – the kids just love to be let loose to run free! My daughter loves to chase butterflies with her butterfly net or pick dandelions! And my son likes to dig holes or toss hickory nuts over our bank.

For ‘organized’ play, though, I must say that my daughter believes daddy draws the best hopscotch squares ever!

I notice a big difference on the days my kids stay inside versus a whole day of outside play. Too much tv often results in cranky, whiny, tired kids. When they come back inside after a long day of running, swinging, laughing, skipping, they’re tired, too. But, it’s a good tired! They’re pooped! (And they sleep better, too!) :-)

So, will you turn off that big black box on September 24 and take some time as a family to play together? Toss a ball (if you’re not athletic, don’t worry! If your kids are young enough, they’ll retrieve the ball for you – and enjoy it! They will likely only remember that you PLAYED WITH THEM!)

Hey, if the weather doesn’t cooperate, play a board game together! Choose another day to play outside! Just make a point to spend some quality time with your kids somewhere other than in front of the tv!




**Disclaimer: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Clorox2® blogging program, for a gift card worth $40. For more information on how you can participate, click here. Post *may* contain affiliate links.**
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