1000 Hours Outside challenge Review
We all know that being outside is good for our kids and our mental health, but what if we combined those things to connect better with our kids? What if we worked with our kids toward a common goal to prioritize the values we want our family to be known for? How can we use challenges to help give our kids the childhood of their dreams? Read on to see how participating in the 1000 hours outside challenge helped improve my mental health, helped solidify our family values, and challenged me to become a better parent.
What is the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge?
The 1000 Hours Outside Challenge is exactly what it sounds like – a commitment to spend 1000 hours outdoors over the course of a calendar year. The idea originated from Ginny Yurich, a mother of five, who realized the importance of outdoor play for her children’s physical and mental well-being. She set out to prioritize time in nature for her family and eventually formalized the challenge as a way to inspire others to do the same.
Why participate?
I first heard about this challenge in 2020 and decided to officially try it in 2021, when I had a 2-year-old and a newborn. I was working during this time (albeit from home because of Covid-19), but had my summers off since I was teaching. That year we made it to 700 hours and I could not have been more proud! I decided to try it again in 2023 to see if we could actually hit 1000 hours. My kids were 4, 2, and newborn. We made it to 952 hours in 12 months, but we made it to 1000 hours in 13 months! Again, I was so proud of our progress! We made it to 1000 hours in 13 months! That’s incredible!
Why did we do the 1000 hours outside challenge?
I love a good challenge. This challenge was right up my alley because I knew I wanted to be an adventure / outdoorsy mom, but it gave me the push and goal I needed to really make it come to life! I have always loved being outside, but life can get so full as a new parent and I found myself getting caught up in all the things I needed to do instead of choosing the things I wanted to take up my time. This challenge helped me to guide our family toward some of our current family values of adventure and doing hard things. In fact, it really made me think about what our family values should be.
It also caused me to parent differently. It is SO EASY to try to make life easier for our kids (and for ourselves). I found it easy to say yes to screen time or gloss over conflict because I didn’t want to have to deal with siblings fighting. It is much harder to do that outside. You are forced to confront the uncomfortable (weather, bugs, sibling conflict, lack of motivation), and have the hard conversations (Why are you on your phone mom? Why can’t we go inside? I’m bored…).
In the years between these challenges, we figured out that one of our kids had a really hard time regulating their body and emotions. Spending time outside had a HUGE impact on them. This particular child struggles with some anxiety and spending 2 hours outside daily really helped them to be able to manage their emotions and reduce their anxiety.
When does this challenge start?
That is the best part about this challenge! It can start anytime you do! The goal is to spend 1000 hours outside as a family in a calendar year. Both of the times I have tried it, we started in February. I don’t have a good reason for that other than January felt cold and I didn’t have motivation or didn’t make the decision until February. I love the flexibility of this challenge!
Research Backing the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge
This challenge was created as a way to combat the fact that kids are on screens for 1200 hours in a calendar year. If they are on screens that much, why can’t they be outside for 1000 hours in the same year? Turns out, it is quite a challenge in our digital world!
Research consistently shows the numerous benefits of spending time in nature. A study published in the journal Scientific Reports found that spending at least 120 minutes per week in nature is associated with good health and well-being. Additionally, exposure to natural environments has been linked to reduced stress, improved mood, increased physical activity, and enhanced cognitive function. Children, in particular, stand to gain significantly from outdoor play. Studies have shown that spending time outdoors promotes creativity, imagination, and problem-solving skills. It also fosters a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them, which is crucial for their development.
Why is spending time outside important?
So, it’s fairly well-known that spending time outside is important, but the real issues start to show up when we see what happens when kids DON’T spend time outside. The book, Balanced and Barefoot, speaks to many of the correlations with less time outside and how it affects kids. In summary, in the last decade, we see more speech delays, increased myopia, lack of strength, lack of ability to assess risk, and increased injury because kids aren’t spending time outside.
Unstructured time outside allows our kids the opportunity to build and exercise the muscles they need to stay safe and strong. Spending time outside helps our kids academically, socially, and physically.
How do you get 1000 hours outside?
This is the biggest obstacle right? How in the WORLD do we make this happen? First of all, you need to follow #1000hoursoutside on social media for ideas. Then, check out their website because it is full of GEMS. You know I like simplicity though, so here is what we did:
Plan to get 3-4 hours outside every day unless the temperature is crazy hot or cold. If the temperature was lower than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, my goal was 30-60 minutes and my kids wore ALL THE LAYERS. If the temperature was over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, we were usually at my neighbor’s pool or a local splash pad. If that wasn’t an option, I let the kids use the hose in the shade. To balance out those “low” time days, I had to spend about 6 hours outside on a nice (60-80 degrees Fahrenheit) day. During both of these challenges, I prioritized naps and quiet time inside, which limited us quite a bit. I made up for it by camping for a total of 8 nights throughout our second year doing this. Although the official website would not agree, I counted time sleeping in a tent on the ground as time outside. Don’t forget about sick days! While I occasionally bundle my kids up and read books with them outside while they are sick, those days we mainly spent inside cuddled on the couch. Rainy days were also hard if I didn’t feel like getting wet – let’s be real, I was the problem these days, not my children. Plan to take full advantage of any nice weather day outside and make it last!
By the end of the challenge, my 5-year-old bought in and was super motivated to stay outside because she wanted to reach our goal. Next time we do this challenge, I am going to do everything in my power to get full buy-in from our kids to help them stay motivated. That way, we can reach the 1000 hours outside challenge in 12 months (hopefully right?).
What counts as outside?
This is probably the most highly debated topic in the 1000 Hours Outside community. 🙂 Check out the website for the official rules, but here is my quick take on it. I had 3 kids under 5 when I started this challenge for the second time in 2023 so I knew I needed to be flexible with the rules. The first time we did the 1000 hours outside challenge I made everyone around me miserable because I was so focused on the goal and not the enjoyment or the people. The second time around, I wanted to hold it looser and find a good balance of rules that worked for our family. I counted any hours that most of the family was outside (I wasn’t willing to give up a crib nap for my baby!), and I counted EVERY MOMENT camping as outside time (even sleeping since we were in a tent). I mean, camping with 3 kids under 5 and sleeping in a tent totally counts right??
How the 1000 hours outside challenge helped me become a better parent
I worked full-time outside of the home for the first 4 years I was a mom and only switched to working from home part-time when my third kid was born. I noticed pretty quickly that I can get very distracted by all of the “to do’s” inside our house throughout the day instead of spending quality, relational time with my kids. I mean, I spent time with them all day, but I wasn’t leaning into them relationally. I wasn’t engaging with them the way I wanted to or taking advantage of these little years to play on the floor with them. The 1000 hours outside challenge was one change I made to our schedule to force me to be outside away from the to-do list. I also tried to leave my phone inside (it didn’t always work), so that I would have to engage with my kids and enjoy being outside. Daily, I was confronted with the choice to sit and count down the minutes or really engage with my kids and enjoy my time outside. That was an important exercise for me because I had to confront my own selfishness and critically look at the way I was parenting. The days I chose to engage with my kids on their level or leave my phone inside, they had far fewer tantrums and I had more peace. I felt like I was using my time wisely and being intentional with the little years instead of just surviving them.
How this challenge impacted my mental health
Let me just say it, this challenge is a CHALLENGE. I mean, that’s the point right? It will knock you down and reveal all sorts of things about your attitude and mental strength that I was NOT expecting, but that’s why it’s so good!
There were some days near the end of the year when I personally failed the challenge. I sent my kids outside to the backyard while I finished up dinner or did some house chores which means I wasn’t spending time outside. I realized that it was important for me to be outside for my own mental health and it wasn’t just a challenge for the kids. My anxiety was manageable and my patience levels were much healthier when I spent good time outside because I was focused on the most important things. I was the one who needed to be away from the “to-do” list of things that needed to happen for work or around the house. I needed to spend my time on the “big rocks” of what I wanted our life to look like because all of the other things (little rocks) would still fit.
How this challenge impacted our family
We started this challenge to make some changes to our family culture. I read a bunch of research about the benefits of unstructured outdoor play for kids and I wanted my kids to have that experience. By the end of this challenge, it is now a family norm to spend at least 2-6 hours outside daily. My kids love being outside, are more adventurous, sleep better, are stronger, their social skills have improved, and they tackle hard things with courage. They have increased endurance, are more creative and imaginative, and can entertain themselves for long periods of time (even at 5 and 3 years old). They look forward to hiking and ask for more challenging hikes on a regular basis. They help other kids engage with the outdoors and in creative play when we are at the park. They are able to assess their own risks and think critically about how to stay safe while participating in risky behavior (climbing trees, climbing on boulders in a creek, attempting a long hike).
My husband and I had already been talking about family values we want to anchor our family, but participating in this challenge solidified two of them. One is to choose adventure and the other one is to do hard things well. Life is full of the unexpected and we want to teach our kids to think critically and take on challenges with courage. We have no idea what challenges they will face in their lifetime, but we can prepare them to be able to tackle them and not walk in fear.
Is the 1000 hours outside challenge even possible for working parents?
It depends. I know, not the answer you wanted to hear right? Let’s go back to the big idea of this challenge. The big idea is that kids are spending 1200 hours on screens every year so we want them to spend 1000 hours outside to combat that. There are plenty of social, physical, academic, and emotional benefits to spending time outside, but this challenge is really about creating a different lifestyle. Don’t get bogged down with the number of hours or with a pass/ fail mindset. This challenge is for people who want to create a lifestyle change. Instead of focusing on getting 1000 hours, focus on building in outside time as a regular rhthym.
- Block of 2 hours per day to spend outside every weekday
- Spend the majority of every weekend outside
- Schedule some long camping trips
- Hike and bike as often as you can
- Eat outside (even at restaurants)
- Say no to screen time when everyone is home – use that time to be outside instead
If you want to conquer this challenge as a full-time working parent, you have to be super intentional. In fact, my friend Courtney (@happytrailsandponytails) who works outside of the home was working on this challenge at the same time we were. She blocked off 4-6 pm every day as outside time. Her kids played in the yard while she made quick dinners in the instant pot. Every weekend they were outside for most of the day. They went camping, biking, and hiking as often as they could. We met up every Friday afternoon at a playground as soon as her kids finished school. There are ways to do this, but you have to think super creatively and be DEDICATED to being outside.
22 Ideas of things to do for the 1000 Hours Outside challenge
Here is a list of ideas to help you reach 1000 hours (even with young kids!).
- Make outside time part of the schedule. Block it out like you do snack time, lunch, or dinner
- Only say yes to play dates that are outside
- Invest in a zoo or science center pass that is mainly outdoors
- Visit at least one playground each week
- Invest in good outdoor base layers (keep those kids warm so they can stay outside longer!)
- Eat outside – make it a rhythm and invest in kid-sized chairs to help!
- Let kids get DIRTY (mud, sand, etc)
- Find hikes, lakes, creeks, and other outdoor destinations to visit (within an hour of your home)
- Extend your pool days (and bring extra sunscreen and snacks!)
- Get an outdoor speaker, but use it sparingly
- Help your kid learn to ride their bike (or balance bike)
- Create areas of your yard that kids want to play in (water area, mud kitchen etc).
- Let them use ALL the buckets
- Buy a bubble machine
- Go for an evening walk
- Stop by a park on your way home
- Flex dinner – it’s okay if it’s late or quesadillas again 🙂
- Always bring snacks, water, towels, and a change of clothes for everyone wherever you go (keep it in the car)
- Fuel yourself up (chocolate, coffee, etc – you will need the energy!)
- Build good relationships with neighbors to be able to spend time in their yards too (we have a neighbor with a trampoline we took FULL advantage of)
- Participate in service opportunities outdoors (picking up trash, landscaping at a school etc)
- Play with your kids – this is the hardest one for me, but the time really does go by faster if I’m drawing with chalk or buying coffee at the mud kitchen store.
Check out these other posts for more ideas:
- The BEST Chalk games
- Water Play Ideas
- Tips for Hiking with Kids
- Choosing a Simpler Life
- 5 Tips to Become an Adventure Mom
