Kicking Off the New Year with 1000 Hours Outside
Happy New Year! As we step into 2025, I’m excited to share that this will be our family’s third year working toward the 1000 Hours Outside challenge. It’s been a life-changing journey, and I hope to inspire other families to join us in embracing the great outdoors!
What Is 1000 Hours Outside?
1000 Hours Outside is a global platform for reclaiming childhood and reconnecting families! Studies have shown that outdoor play offers numerous benefits for children's development with benefits for physical and mental health and cognitive and social development: The ultimate goal is to spend 1000 hours outside in the course of a year!
Why We Started
A park we discovered on a rainy Sunday. Nobody was there because of the weather, and we had the whole place to ourselves for 2 hours!
My husband and I loved hiking and being outdoors when we first got married but did it less often with our young kids. COVID and some personal challenges we were working through left us completely exhausted and feeling rather hopeless. I have always tended towards the idea of more is less and getting back to basics, and when I stumbled across this idea of getting 1000 hours outside in a year I was immediately all in! Studies show there are countless benefits to raising kids outside. Here are just a few:
Risk Assessment Skills: Kids develop the ability to navigate new challenges safely, whether climbing trees or balancing on logs.
Improved Mental Health: Studies show that time in nature reduces stress and boosts happiness for kids and parents.
Increased Creativity: Outdoor play fosters imagination and encourages kids to invent their own games.
Physical Fitness: Active time outdoors helps kids build strength, coordination, and confidence.
We have embraced the idea that there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes! So we’re outside in rain, snow, heat, or cold.
How We Track It
Snow Fort in the Woods!
We’ve developed a system that works perfectly for our family:
Individual Trackers: Each of us has our own tracker (I keep track for the kids). I use the free printables from 1000 Hours Outside.
Stickers for the Kids: Each month, I create a new construction paper tracker with themed stickers (January = snowflakes, February = hearts). The kids adore seeing their progress and look forward to what stickers we’ll use next!
Micro Achievements: To keep the motivation high, we celebrate every 100 hours with a fun treat like ice cream. The kids love these milestones, and it’s a great way to make the journey extra special.
How It Has Impacted Our Family
The changes we’ve seen in our family are incredible:
New Adventures: When we started, my youngest was 2, and we made it a goal to explore at least one new playground every week. We also start visited nearby state parks I don’t think we would have ever gone to otherwise, and made some great family memories in the process!
Resiliency: My kids have become more flexible and adaptable, venturing outside in rain, snow, single digits, and even triple-digit temperatures!
Creativity: Outdoor time sparks their imaginations—they’ve invented games, built forts, and let their creativity run wild. It has been such a joy to watch!
A Reset Button: When tensions run high, going outside serves as a reset for all of us!
Memories: Most importantly, we’ve built countless happy memories as a family.
What Counts as Outside Time?
Canoe Trip on the Rogue River
I believe each family should decide what works best for them, but here are the guidelines we use:
What Counts?
Anything away from technology and immersed in nature!
Examples: Hiking, walking the dog, eating dinner outside, or even exploring a cave.
We don’t count things like sitting on your phone outside (it defeats the purpose!), sleeping in a tent during camping trips (you’re not conscious!), or driving with the windows down (you’re still in the car).
Is 1000 Hours a Lot?
Yes, it’s a big number, and to be honest, we haven’t reached 1000 hours in a year yet. For us, it’s about intent rather than perfection.
We started with a realistic goal of 500 hours since we have two small kids and both parents work full-time. Each year, we aim to spend more time outside than the previous year, and that progress feels like a win for our family.
Join Us in 2025!
As you look ahead to this year, I hope you’ll consider joining us on this 1000 Hours Outside adventure. Whether your goal is 1000 hours or 100, spending intentional time outdoors can transform your family in ways you never imagined.
It’s been a blessing for our family, and I know it can be for yours too.
Happy New Year and Happy Exploring!