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Today’s Kids Spend Half The Time Playing Outside That Their Parents Did

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Kids these days spend half the amount of time playing outdoors that their parents did, according to a new survey.

The National Trust quizzed 1,001 parents of children aged 4-14 and found that while more than 4/5 of them thought it was important that their kids learn tech skills, nine out of ten would prefer they develop a connection with nature.

Nearly every parent asked (96%) thought nature was important and that playing outdoors was important for their children’s development.

But the research also found that today’s youth spend just four hours playing outside (compared to their parents, who claimed to spend 8.2 hours outdoors when they were kids).

To encourage more outdoor play, the National Trust has come up with 50 things you should do before you’re 11 and three quarters, including rolling down a really big hill, picking wild blackberries and swimming in the sea.

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When was the last time you went blackberry picking? [Food and Drink/REX/Shutterstock]

It is also championing the humble stick as this year’s must-have toy, and musician and Game of Thrones star Raleigh Ritchie is on board.

He’s written a rap about the many and varied benefits of the stick, explaining, “For some people, a stick is just a stick. However, I want to encourage young people to see that actually the possibilities are endless. It can be a pen, a sword, a witch’s broom, a dragon’s bone… anything.

“That’s what childhood should be about - getting outdoors and going on adventures, using your imagination to customise the world you see and feeding that appetite for fresh air and fun.”

National Trust ranger Ed Anderson added, “With the natural environment under pressure, we hope that instilling a love for nature in our children now will help us encourage them to continue to protect the beauty of the great outdoors for years and generations to come.”

Here is the National Trust’s list of 50 things to do before you are 11 and three-quarters:

  1. Climb a tree

  2. Roll down a really big hill

  3. Camp out in the wild

  4. Build a den

  5. Skim a stone

  6. Run around in the rain

  7. Fly a kite

  8. Catch a fish with a net

  9. Eat an apple straight from a tree

  10. Play conkers

  11. Go on a really long bike ride

  12. Make a trail with sticks

  13. Make a mud pie

  14. Dam a stream

  15. Play in the snow

  16. Make a daisy chain

  17. Set up a snail race

  18. Create some wild art

  19. Play pooh sticks

  20. Jump over waves

  21. Pick blackberries growing in the wild

  22. Explore inside a tree

  23. Visit a farm

  24. Go on a walk barefoot

  25. Make a grass trumpet

  26. Hunt for fossils and bones

  27. Go stargazing

  28. Climb a huge hill

  29. Explore a cave

  30. Hold a scary beast

  31. Hunt for bugs

  32. Find some frogspawn

  33. Catch a falling leaf

  34. Track wild animals

  35. Discover what’s in a pond

  36. Make a home for a wild animal

  37. Check out the crazy creatures in a rock pool

  38. Bring up a butterfly

  39. Catch a crab

  40. Go on a nature walk at night

  41. Plant it, grow it, eat it

  42. Go swimming in the sea

  43. Build a raft

  44. Go bird watching

  45. Find your way with a map and compass

  46. Try rock climbing

  47. Cook on a campfire

  48. Learn to ride a horse

  49. Find a geocache

  50. Canoe down a river

How important do you think it is for your kids to play in the fresh air? Let us know over on Twitter @YahooStyleUK

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Lead image: Monkey Business Images/REX/Shutterstock