Inside: How To Help Your Kids Get In More Physical Activity. Collaborative post.
In this day and age of tablets, gaming, and TV, more and more kids spend less time doing physical activity. Here are a few tips you can use to not only get your kids more active but also to ensure they enjoy it.
https://unsplash.com/photos/boy-running-on-lawn-87n4IpQl6c4
Look Beyond Organized Sports
The first thing you should do is look past organized sports. Not every kid wants to join a soccer or baseball team, as some may prefer dancing, walking, or just running around and having fun.
Talk to them about what they want to try and what they like; do they want one of the kid’s skateboards, do they enjoy running or climbing trees, or do they simply want to go on walks with you? Knowing what they enjoy makes it far easier for you to encourage them in their pursuits.
Join Them
No matter what your child wants to do, make an effort to join them. Many kids will prefer an activity simply because they are doing it with their parent/s and not necessarily because they love the activity itself.
This doesn’t mean you must only do things you prefer, but saying “yes” to a game of tag or catch will lead to your kid to have fun and get a ton of physical activity.
Limit Screen Time
This is a fairly obvious one, but have limits on screen time. Once again, kids want to have fun more than they don’t, and if they can’t play on their PS5 or use the tablet, they are more likely to find fun elsewhere.
Invite Their Friends
Kids love hanging out with their friends, and they are far more likely to be outside playing a game or running about if they have someone else to do it with. This becomes even more likely when you include a couple of bats and a ball, get a basketball hoop or even just a frisbee.
If your child doesn’t want to see their friends, go back to the point earlier; have games that are made for two or more people and join in with them instead. A basic game like catch becomes far more fun when you aren’t just throwing a ball against the wall.
https://unsplash.com/photos/group-of-children-pulling-brown-rope-w55SpMmoPgE
Make Simple Physical Activities Fun
If you take a lot of walks or walk to the store, for example, make that activity more enjoyable for your child. A scooter or trike is far more fun than walking, and if your child enjoys it, you will struggle to get them off of it.
The goal is to almost “trick” your child into doing physical activity; if they are loving life while zooming about on their trike or bicycle, they aren’t going to notice the exercise part of the activity.
Make Exercise a Reward, Not a Punishment
Don’t punish your kids by switching off the TV and forcing them to go outside and play. They will quickly associate physical activity with punishment and are less likely to enjoy it or even participate.
Instead, use it as a reward. Tell them they can go play basketball for 15 minutes once they have done some homework, or you will go on a bike ride after they eat their vegetables. If exercise becomes a reward for finishing something they don’t necessarily enjoy, they will be far more excited to do it.
Have a Routine
One of the easiest ways to ensure regular physical activity for your kids is to have a routine. This can range from going for a short walk every night after dinner to a bike ride every Saturday or Sunday.
Don’t forget that you are trying to keep this fun, so don’t get bogged down in quantity at the beginning, but rather focus on consistency; a short walk two or three times a week is way better than a two-hour long bike ride once or twice a month.
Ask for Help with Outdoor Chores
Another easy trick to get your child more active is to ask them to help you with outdoor chores. Whether it be gardening, cleaning the car, or just helping you carry wood for a fire; they won’t realize they are doing exercise.
This in no way means you must make your child “work” to the same degree you do; it is more a way to get their bodies moving in a calm and relaxing way.
Let Your Child Choose the Activity
Don’t feel like you always need to decide the activity either; give your child the chance to pick what they want to do. You can help them along by giving them choices, but leave the final decision up to them.
https://unsplash.com/photos/a-young-boy-running-through-a-sprinkle-of-water-FtZL0r4DZYk
Install the Right Equipment
Finally, one of the main excuses parents often hear is there’s “nothing to do outside” or something similar. If you are finding it particularly difficult to get your child to do more physical activity, you may find it useful to have the right equipment available.
A Jungle Gym, monkey bars, a tether ball pole, a basketball hoop, etc., can all be relatively inexpensive things to purchase that will make the “there’s nothing to do” excuse far less plausible. While spending a lot of money should be the last resort, investing in a few items can lead to years of fun and enjoyment for your kid/s.