Looking for advice

[kazkal]

I have a 5 year old son, who absoultly loves to be outside, im looking for some activites that are well suited for a 5 year old. He loves just being outside however fishing/archery, etc is not good, as he is hyperactive and has a very short attention span. Im trying to get him use to playing outside rather then wanting to sit inside and play games or watch tv. Any suggestions are very greatly appreciated

[CozInCowtown]

Turn him loose in the yard and ley him graze, he will be fine.

[ponderosa]

My (almost) 5 year old loves to dig for worms, help me in the garden, go "exploring" with her magnifying glass, sidewalk paint, hopscotch, bubbles, going for walks, backyard picnics, anything to do with getting wet (sprinklers, buckets of water, wading pool), use sidewalk chalk on the fence, trees, and any other available surface, and all kinds of sports. We have a tee ball set, a little soccer net and ball, jump rope, toy golf clubs/balls, and I'll probably get her a kids' basketball hoop for her upcoming birthday. We'll probably buy or build a good, tall swingset this summer. Right now she's just running races with her little sister. We don't have decent sidewalks in this neighborhood, but at least a couple times a week, we load up their bikes and take them somewhere they can ride. In winter, they like stomping around in their snowshoes, making snow angels, and stockpiling snowballs to use against Dad. Both of my girls also love to go hiking, but that's been our main family activity since they were born.

[wvbreamfisherman]

What Ponderosa said! Also, get a cheap spincasting rod and some bobbers, hooks and worms and fish for sunfish. My daughter (now 21) loved that when she was 4-5.

Also, go for short "hikes", stop and look and identify bugs, flowers and plants. Just putter around from place to place and talk about anything that catches his interest. A lot of "hyperactivity" in boys comes from being channeled and guided in their activities. A 5-year old that's allowed to wander around and do what catches their attention will use up a lot of pent-up energy, and may even develop a life-long interest.

We don't let kids be kids (and especially, we don't let boys be boys ) nearly enough today.

<rant mode/off>

[danny28]

Fishing would be a great thing to do together. Of course he might not want to keep the line in the water for a long time. How about t-ball? He can burn some of his energy off by running the bases.

[Grandpa]

Fishing is the one thing that quiets my now 18 hyper grandson. He is an excellent athlete but has always played in that "out of control" mode. Hard for his coaches to settle him in to team play. The good coaches used that intensity to the teams advantage, the bad coaches would just bench him cause they couldn't deal with it. Be a good coach and use that intensity for good stuff.

One thing I have learned with him. When he was young and I took him for hikes to see the mountain goats, if he decided the snails were more interesting, I would let him have his fascination with the snails. He still talks about the day we saw all the snails on the trail and doesn't even remember the moose we ran into or the many mountain goats we saw that day.

(Yes Ponderosa, Palisades Creek)

[ppine]

I have a friend that grew up on the Navajo Res and worked there when his daughter was born. By the time Nell was 6 years old she knew all of the common plants, animals and bird species around. She loved to go on walks with Dad and look for critters.

[Emily]

I say let the kid graze, too. Most hyperactive kids can amuse themselves, once they are set free. My cousin has three hyperactive boys and they love just digging in the dirt and collecting bugs. Sometimes my cousin puts a kids tent up in her yard and the boys use it as a fort or command post.

[dkramarczyk]

He may enjoy bug catching. A lot of little kids love to do that. Another suggestion is to just go out there and play ball with him (baseball, basketball, soccer, football, etc.). Little boys generally love getting into sports and it could be a nice little thing for you and your son to do together.

[oldsarge]

Geocaching!