How to deal with sibling fighting when you’re outdoors

Nature really does have a positive impact on kids. Often times, if you’re having a difficult day taking your kids outside will change everyone’s mood and put an end to the sibling fighting.

Sometimes, though, even mother nature herself can’t stop the fierce force of sibling fighting…

Kids fight. It’s to be expected, but as a parent it can be really exhausting when you’re among that constant bickering all the time.

There are some ways that you can deal with sibling fighting when you’re at home, but how do you do it when you’re outside?

How to deal with sibling fighting when you're outside!

Hold a competition

Start them in a race to the next tree. See who can do jumping jacks the longest. Who can find a frog first?

This may further the fighting if there are hard feelings, but experience says that the kids are either too tired to continue fighting or they end up forgetting they were fighting and enjoying some healthy competition.

Get them working together

Holes are way more fun to dig when you’re not doing it alone. Have them do something together that they need to act positively to achieve. A scavenger hunt is a great option for a list that requires a joint effort!

Try reasoning with them

Explain to them that they’re scaring the birds away with their bickering. Let them know what they’re missing out on while they’re outside when they’re fighting. Depending on how old they are, you can also explain that they’re turning a positive experience into a negative one. Ask them if the fighting makes them feel good, or if it would be a more pleasant time if they were getting along.

Let them work it out

At a certain point your input becomes pointless. Sometimes the kids just need to duke it out! It’s hard to tune it out as a parent, but this is also a learning time for them. Be aware of how the disagreement is progressing in case you end up needing to intervene (your parental comfort zone will tell you when this is necessary) but they may work out more than you think on their own!

Separate them

Have one child walk a little bit ahead so you can spend a few moments having some one on one with the other child. Swap out in a few minutes and do the same with the other child. Each child may just need a few minutes to vent or take some time to regain composure. Once it seems that everyone has cooled off a bit try walking all together again.

 

Sibling fighting is something that ALL parents have to deal with. If you’re going to be in the middle of it you may as well do it outside!

What are your most effective ways of dealing with sibling fighting??

 

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