Getting your kids active outdoors

Five top tips from adventurer and wildlife presenter Steve Backshall to help your children have fun in the great outdoors.

Turn it into a challenge
Perhaps set your youngsters the challenge of bringing back the most different feathers / photos of animal tracks / recordings of bird songs and so on.

Go traffic free
Find somewhere they can run around without risks from roads, and that goes for anywhere in the country; plus one thing we do remarkably well in Britain is city parks.

Embrace technology
Whether it's Pokemon Go, Geocaching or wildlife ID apps, there's no issue with linking the modern and traditional if it gets them outside! Take all the help you can get!
If you're short of ideas, don't be afraid to ask for help! There are so many organisations, charities and clubs that are dedicated to getting kids outdoors and into adventure, from the Scouts to the Wildlife Trusts.
Browse our family activity listings Don't pass on your fears
It's okay for you to be terrified of horses, spiders, heights or the dark, but kids pick up on those signs very easily. Be brave for them - you don't want them to be paralysed by the phobias that may have held you back.