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Some people are naturally more adventurous than others, but as a father, you have more influence over your young children than you realize. By getting them out of the house and engaged in fun, exciting activities that stretch their imaginations and make their hearts race, you can set them on a fun and enjoyable path that will guide them through the rest of their lives.
4 Ways to Instill Adventure
Most adults can comfortably say that a parent was one of the single biggest influencing factors in shaping who they’ve become. Sometimes this influence is positive and sometimes it’s negative, but it’s rarely neutral.
Whether you realize it or not, you have a tremendous amount of influence over who your children will become. While there are plenty of characteristics and morals you want to instill, raising your kids to have an appetite for adventure is valuable.
Adventure looks different to everyone, but you can get your kids pointed in the right direction by trying some of the following:
1. Travel
You can be adventurous anywhere, but there’s something powerful about getting outside of your comfort zone and experiencing new places. Travel, whether to a state park an hour away or another continent halfway around the world, has a way of enlightening even the youngest minds.
Unique destinations are the best. Take Australia’s East Coast as an example. It features endless beaches that are backed by gorgeous national parks teeming with wildlife. Fraser Island is one of the coolest parts. Because it’s exclusively reserved for 4WD vehicles, you’ll feel like you’re moving away from modern society and taking a step back in time.
African safari destinations like Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa, Rwanda, and Morocco are also worth checking out. There’s nothing like getting up close and personal with lions, giraffes, elephants, and lions. As a child, it’s a dream come true.
The more children are exposed to travel, the more they’ll begin to grasp the vastness of the universe and the excitement contained within it. And, in all likelihood, these early travel experiences will encourage them to continue traveling well into adulthood.
2. Get Outside
You don’t have to travel the world in order to instill adventure into the hearts of your children. However, you do need to unplug and get outside.
The key is to focus on a few things at a time, rather than overwhelming children with dozens of different activities. Start with the cheaper, cost-effective options. After all, most kids will have just as much fun exploring caves as they will hitting the slopes.
“Rock climbing is relatively cheap; for the cost of a gym membership, a harness, and a pair of shoes, your kid can enjoy hours of fun,” outdoor enthusiast Ken Hoeve writes. “A new mountain bike, or a full ski setup and a season pass, on the other hand, can be a big investment.”
3. Build Things With Your Hands
Adventure is about stretching yourself and doing things that you never thought possible. One way you can help children experience this is by encouraging them to build things with their hands. This might look like building a bench out of wood, planting a garden, or designing a tree house. Whatever the case may be, there’s something exhilarating about starting with nothing and creating something with your own two hands.
4. Overcome Fears
Fear is a natural part of being human. As you introduce your kids to an adventurous lifestyle, they’re inevitably going to come across things that scare them – such as heights or snakes. As soon as you see these fears emerge, do your best to help children confront them. It’s much easier to overcome a fear at an early age than to defeat it after it’s been cemented for years.
Life Worth Living
Life is one big, beautiful adventure. There are ups and downs, high times and low times, excitement and routine, joy and sadness…but it’s never dull. If you want to prepare your children for the future and help them find meaning in life, instill adventure from an early age.
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Photo credit: Getty Images