DO THE TEN MINUTE PARK CHALLENGE WITH YOUR KIDS

The Ten Minute Park Challenge came to my attention via another mom, who got the idea from her mother. The general idea is that you take your children to as many parks as you can and give them only 10 minutes to play at each park. 

Upon hearing about the Ten Minute Park Challenge, I put it in my back pocket for future use.

Then one Tuesday in late summer, my kids and I ended up with a beautiful day and no plans. So, I decided to test drive the Ten Minute Park Challenge. We loaded our water bottles, grabbed some snacks and sunscreen, and headed out the door. The kids were thrilled!

I had roughly six parks mapped out in my head. Thankfully, we live in an area that has lots of parks (and school playgrounds) relatively close together. 

In my version of the Ten Minute Park Challenge. Our ten minute timer started after both kids were out of the car and ready to play.

“Ready, Set, Go!” and they were off!

Depending on the set up of the park, I would either get out and sit near them or watch from my car. With my kids being older, it’s a blessing to be able to let them play without having to shadow their movements.

While they slid and swung, I was able to cross a decent amount of things off my to do list! For example, I wrote my first draft of this article, made a grocery list, etc.

While 10 minutes isn’t a long time, the kids loved the challenge of trying to pack in as much activity as they could in the time given. By the end of it, we had visited all six parks in just under two hours. My kids were played out and fun was had by all!

As the summer winds down and I look for other outdoor activities to do with my children, I may try some variations on the Ten Minute Park Challenge. For example, we may stay at one park and see how many times my kids can go down the slide or pump on the swing in five minutes.

If you’re looking for a challenge, like the great outdoors, and have some parks or playgrounds nearby – give the Ten Minute Park Challenge a try! Find out if your kids are up to the Challenge!