Ways to Encourage Your Child to Be Physically Active
Kids before used to spend a lot of time outside playing with their friends and running around. The times have changed, unfortunately, and today, only one in four kids get enough daily exercise. As a child ages, participating in physical activity drops, but the importance of being active doesn’t. So how can you as a parent encourage proper physical activity and ensure your kids are healthy and happy?
Be a good role model
If you spend your every evening in front of the TV with snacks in hand, there’s a big chance that your kids will do the same as well. And there’s no way your kids will respect your preaching about physical activity. So make sure to reexamine your behavior and change it so it serves as a motivation for your kids. For instance, you can take a walk to your local grocery store or farmer’s market instead of driving, take the stairs instead of the elevator, take part in physical activity at the weekends…Let your kids see and hear about your activities and how much you love to participate in them. Try to be active at least 30 minutes five days a week and your kids will maybe do the same without too much fuss.
Join in on the fun
Kids, especially younger ones, love to play with their parents, so you can encourage fitness by packing up the entire family and going on a hike. Or you can join in on a game of catch and make it more intense and interesting. You can also bike with your kids to school or downtown. Take your family dog to a dog park or the beach. As long as you participate, your kids will be more likely to join the activity and enjoy it.
Think outside the box
Football or basketball might look fun to you, but not all kids automatically love these organized sports. If your kid doesn’t enjoy this type of activity, keep trying with other sports like martial arts, dance, swimming, skateboarding, rock climbing, tennis, etc. And don’t give up on your little athlete—it might take a few tries until they find something they like. Naturally athletic kids will click with almost any sport, but those who are not naturally inclined might need to explore the world of physical activity a little more.
Use exercise as a reward
Kids love to be stubborn and do everything the opposite of what you ask. So if you ask them to go outside and play, especially if you insist and force them, they will most likely do just the opposite. Forcing them to do something will spark resentment and strong resistance—exercise is not a punishment. If you treat exercise as a reward, on the other hand, your kid will be happy to do it. For instance, if they do well in a test, you might take them shopping for kids activewear and hit the playground to show off their new gear. Or reward them with 20 minutes of Nintendo Wii active games as a break from homework.
Organize fun activities
If you want to spend quality time with your kids, you are the one who has to organize something active and fun. For instance, go bowling to your local alley, hit the beach or the swimming pool or do some laps around the skating rink as a family. If you’re looking for some at-home games, badminton, hopscotch and Frisbee are all great ideas.
Allow kids to participate in outdoor chores
Ask your kid to help you with your gardening, mowing the lawn, watering plants, sweeping, cleaning, etc. Maybe you used to keep them away from these activities to prevent injuries or just to give yourself some “me-time” but kids love to be helpful. Plus, they will feel like they are responsible adults—many kids love that feeling.
Limit screen time
It’s recommended that kids don’t get more than two hours of screen time per day, no matter if that time is spent watching TV, playing video games, using the phone or surfing the internet. If they need to use the computer to do their schoolwork, that’s a different story. If your kids are used to spending their free time passively, try to offer fun alternatives like walking the dog, exploring the local park, treasure hunting at the beach, etc. To make the transition off screens easier, remove TVs and computers from the kids’ bedrooms. With teens, limiting screen time will be a bit harder to do, but having a serious talk as two adults might help.
Be supportive
Kids who are not naturally athletic might be very insecure about their performance, so they might choose not to participate at all. To encourage physical activity, be their loudest cheerleader. Did your kid bike a little bit more than last time? Give praise. Did your kid throw a nice ball when playing catch? Give praise. If you acknowledge their effort, they will choose to be active in the future and do their best to improve their skills even more.
If you offer plenty of support and lead by example, your kids will certainly become more active and you will boost the health and fitness of everyone in your family.
