Once upon a time, parents didn’t need to worry about whether their kids were getting enough exercise. Children ran and played and biked and walked everywhere all of the time. In this day and age, approximately three out of four children aren’t getting the recommended one hour of physical activity every day, according to a study conducted by the YMCA of the USA.
Increasing demands on the average kid’s time due to homework and other activities coupled with the lure of technology is keeping today’s kids more sedentary. Here are some ideas for physical activities for kids to help the children in your life get moving.
Visit a park with your kids
What better way to get up and moving than to go play at the park? Check out a new local playground. or even plan a trip to a national park.
You can plan a trip to the national park too.
I found out while on vacation recently that thanks to a White House initiative in the U.S., fourth graders receive free admission to the national parks. You simply go to the ‘Every Kid in a Park’ website and print off a pass if you have a fourth grader!
Teach your kids about the physical activities of your youth
Remember hopscotch and four square? School your kids in the fine art of freeze tag or tetherball. Did you ever set up obstacle courses in the house on a rainy day or pretend the floor was molten lava and the couch cushions were land? Play with them to help encourage them to get active.
It’s even more rewarding to play these games with your children than it was when you were a kid. Check out this list if you need to jog your memory.
List your childhood favorites in the comments section!! Just remember you’re not as young as you used to be. Feel free to ask my pulled hamstring how a cartwheel feels twenty years later, if you’re one of those people that likes to learn from other people’s mistakes.
Initiate a challenge
Challenge your kids to get out and play every day. Consider encouraging them to sign up online for the NFL Play60 challenge
Get involved in the Nickelodeon Let’s Just Play challenge. Keep an eye out for local fitness initiatives that encourage kids to walk or bike to school. Having a formal goal and a way to monitor physical activity achievements will help kids keep active and motivate them to stay on track.
Practice yoga as a family
You know nothing about yoga, you say? That’s not a problem. There are great programs out there intended to teach kids (and their parents) about the benefits of yoga and how to properly execute poses. Kinda Yoga is my family’s favorite yoga program.
Yoga teaches mindfulness, meditation, relaxation techniques; helps with flexibility and balance; and improves muscle tone and strength. It is a well-rounded choice of physical activity for kids and adults alike.
Technology provides opportunities to engage in physical activities
I’ve rambled on about getting kids out from in front of the TV, and now I will contradict myself completely. Lots of video game systems have ways to play that require physical activity. Dance and sports games on Wii and Xbox Connect systems not only get kids moving, they’re fun!
While limiting screen time is a great way to encourage kids to exercise, these games allow them to exercise while they’re using their allotted screen time.
Seriously, have a glass of wine with your friends and give Just Dance a try (only to collect data about the game before allowing your children to play it, of course). You can thank me later.
Active childhoods are no longer taken for granted and there are lots of ways to help your kids get their recommended one hour of physical activity every day!
to articles.rememberstuff.me