It’s simple, kids need adventure!!! Do you get bored with your daily routine? How about your children? Do you think they do? Or do they even have a routine? All good questions but what do they have to do with adventure? It’s such a ambiguous word, adventure. When they hear it, most people think of risky behavior and having a guide through some exotic destination. Do you think adventure even matters?
Adventure matters
Adventure DOES matter and here’s why. I think we all have fond memories of playing pirates, cops and robbers, or some wonderful made up thing in someone’s back yard when we were kids. Adventure was a given and part of our family life. Pirates anyone?
This modern society we live in doesn’t make much time for such adventures, let alone the free space to carry them out. We find ourselves toting kids from place to place and from one activity to another. Everything is structured and planned and when kids are given opportunity to just play and entertain themselves, sometimes they simply don’t know how. Where did the adventure go?
Why?
The answer is we simply haven’t taught them. Our generation has been very good at giving kids great education and opportunities for classes and workshops. We take them to Disneyland and we think we’re doing great because it’s all about imagination, right? We’ve excelled in so many ways (technology for sure) but we’ve forgotten the value of things like cultivating imagination and sense of wonder, and the experience of adventure. Let’s put it this way… Walt Disney didn’t have a smart phone or an iPad to occupy his time. Neither did any of the other people we celebrate as great achievers.
Up to Us
Kids learn way more by what we do and show them then any other way. It’s been like that since the dawn of time. We want them to grow up and have a great relationship and a great family of their own but where will they learn how to do this if we are always going in opposite directions? Not sharing family meals? Being toted from one activity to the next? Not playing or just being together?
Honest (but silly and fun) Mother’s Day photo 
Family dinner 
Take time to slow down and just be together
Physical Activity
How can we teach children about risk and uncertainties? That knowledge doesn’t come from a book or from a planned activity. That is only gained through experience and often through things like falling down and getting a scraped knee. The physical activity that comes with running around, climbing a tree, role playing is a given. The intellectual skills and emotional growth that comes with the physical activity and choices is priceless and has all but been lost. There is real power in playing people!!
Cultural Exchange
I’m a big proponent of learning culture. I think in this global community it is imperative we make efforts to learn about each other. I also think there is tremendous value in learning your own family history. Not only is genealogy fascinating, but the cultural stories of where we come from give us a real connection to something bigger then just us. It’s how we learn about respect and tolerance not to mention all the great things to experience like song and dance and food! It’s adventure and connection all together! And in this disconnected modern plugged in society, it’s vital we find it again.
READ ABOUT CHILDREN OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION HERE
Connection to Nature
We’re all connected. Every spiritual doctrine there is says so. Science says so too. The value of experiencing nature cannot be over estimated. This Wired Generation we are raising needs the calm and connection more than ever. Study after study talks about health and developmental benefits, not to mention kids that connect regularly with their natural environment suffer far less rates of obesity and depression. I haven’t even touched on learning to respect and care for our environment but you are smart and probably already know that.
Parenting is part of the problem
Most kids want adventure. Most parents think it’s a great idea! But then life happens and we don’t make the time or the effort. (Dude, I’m guilty too-this is not a throw stones kind of thing) It’s our job to keep the kids safe and out of trouble. But I think we need to remember it’s also our duty to give them the skillset to thrive when they strike out on their own. Giving them safe space to try out things and make choices is a great way to do that. Family adventures give opportunities to grow, explore, and think but also to learn how to be safe doing it. It’s healthy risk management.
With just a mindset tweak then, adventure can happen any time, even a casual walk can turn into a Battle for the King of the North!
Sage struck first 
Oh it’s on!!! 
Sissy for the win!
A Fine American Value
Oh yeah! If you don’t think America was built on an epic sense of adventure, then you haven’t read a history book. Our Indigenous Nations lived adventure every single day living off and with the land. The European explorers, the Puritans leaving everything behind for an unknown life, the gold seekers, the soldiers, the missionaries… Every single one of them had a burning sense of adventure in their hearts or they wouldn’t have made it here. It’s in our blood! Kids need adventure because it’s part of our national identity! Our very being!
Now What
So get started! Kids need adventure! And so do you! No excuses about no time, no energy, no money! Get creative! Use your imagination for there are adventures waiting to happen all around us! Go star gazing and learn the stories of the stars, camp in the backyard! Grab a foreign recipe and movie and visit a whole new world without leaving your home! Go for a day hike or just play at the park!
More?
Step by Step Guide to learning (or relearning) How to Adventure!
Next: How to Plan a Family Adventure
Create Your Own Adventure List
Adventure 101 Series
How will you adventure more with your family? Tell me below! We all learn from sharing!
This is such a great reminder to get our kids and ourselves out of the house to EXPERIENCE life more. Thanks!
YES! It’s odd that it has to be a conscious thought in this digital age but worth it!
TV and electronics have become an easy babysitter 🙁 This blog post is so SPOT ON – WE NEED to be giving kids adventure and the opportunity to experience and enjoy.
Exactly! We need to build our kids up and teach them…not just placate them! Plus, it’s fun for us too!
These are great ideas. Kids are so overscheduled these days–take the time to let them play and find their own way, especially outdoors.
yup yup yup!!! and teach them skills in case the zombie apocalypse comes
I love all the ideas in this article. My little one just turned 1 yesterday (!!) and I’m already a big proponent of her having unstructured play time. I want her to develop her curiosity and her imagination!
Oh I’m a HUGE fan!!! It is so bizarre to me that this is such a lost art
YES to all of this! I loved reading your post. I teach second grade and can totally agree that children need adventure. They need to have the chance to see things for themselves. They need to create with their hands, minds, and bodies.
Absolutely!!!! I hope you get some good ideas from the series!
I love this! i wish I would’ve been able to travel a little more when my kids were younger. But now that they’re older, we’re certainly making up for it 🙂
You know, it doesn’t need to be an epic travel event. Often times you can have a bonafide adventure just on a walk!
This is so true. We try to get our kids outdoors once a weekend and that is a sad statement. However, a 2 hour hike is better than nothing. It is so important to get involved as our lives are so busy we forget to stop. Great article.
A two hour hike is EXCELLENT! We like to incorporate things like rainbow hikes and geocaching to add another dimension as well… oohhh I sense a blog post topic coming up for me!
Getting kids off of electronic devices and out into nature is a win-win, both for the kids and the parents.
oh my gosh for sure!! It’s funny…we all didn’t really grow up like that did we? It was just a given. Now we need to make a conscious effort…the times they are a changing…
Not that I need a reason to find adventure, but if it helps my kids, I guess I just need to “force” myself, lol!!
hahahahaha I love this! You go mama!!!
I agree. Kids learn most by doing. And doing it together as a family is even better. This is what they will remember when they’re grown up.
You hit the nail on the head!
Yes, yes, yes! This is one of the reasons we decided to RV full-time. We want our kids to have adventures. We want them to learn in a wide variety of settings. We want them to interact with other people in other parts of the country and learn from them. Love this so much!
Well hello there kindred spirit! 😉
Agreed! Super important for the little ones to see and experience outdoors and nature with their parents leading the way.
yup yup yup!!! we just live in a different time now where we have to make a conscious effort to do so…
Loved this! As a mom of four young kids I totally agree with this!!! Great read!
Thank you! Young, old, I think everyone secretly wants to be a pixie or a pirate… both true adventurers!
I agree 100%! I love my daughter’s imagination and creativity and try to encourage it every chance we get! Kids need more of that! Job well done!
Don’t they though? It’s weird we have to make it a priority what was once a given. I”ll never forget teaching an improv class and the kids having NO idea what to do. It was so fun watching them grow as they unleashed their imaginations…
I agree. I think the reason I love travel so mich and make it a priority is because my mom and gramma made it a priority. I started traveling with them every year as a toddler.
You, my friend, are blessed! Let’s hear it for extraordinary mamas!!! woot woot!!
I agree with this completely! Adventure is good for the kids and doing it together is good for families!
See that little spot right there? That’s you hitting the nail…right on the head!
I am in absolute agreement, and I will definitely try even harder to provide all the adventure I can for our kiddos! 🙂 Great post! 🙂
aw, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I completely agree!!! Giving our kids adventures is so important! We try to do that as often as possible. Some great ideas here!
Thanks Lisa! I love that there are so many parents out there realizing how important it is! Yay team!
Great info!! I feel a little guilty cause I do get busy with work at times and also just being exhausted from juggling everything. This has inspired me and Im going to work at it!
nah, don’t feel guilty! There’s MANY ways to adventure! Some of them even just in the kitchen… Check out the new series we started on colonial crafts here https://thisfamilyblog.com/colonial-crafting-with-sage/ I also have the first of harry potter crafts up as well… Adventure is anywhere you find it. 🙂
I couldn’t agree more! Great post with excellent tips! Thank you!
why thank you kindred spirit friend!
I think this is so important for kids more than ever. Electronics are a huge problem and kids need to learn how to play and use their imaginations!
I literally just spent three hours in a focus group to this affect. I was amazed how ‘in the minority’ my thoughts and opinions were. Adventure and imagination are my FAVORITE part of my childhood… I can’t imagine who I’d be without them.
We love creating adventures for our nieces and nephews. They have a great time and we usually learn a new skill.
It’s SO true! Not to mention the bonding and the memories and the stories…