Tips to Encourage Daily Exercise for the Whole Family
Children need to move. Energy comes naturally to them.
Cherylyn Feierabend
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Tips to Encourage Daily Exercise for the Whole Family
Hey there! You’re listening to the Mighty Mommy with some Quick and Dirty Tips for Practical Parenting. Today’s Topic: Get Moving!
Tips to Encourage Daily Exercise for the Whole Family
Children need to move. Energy comes naturally to them. This is a wonderful thing because regular exercise is very important. Encouraging your children to continue exercising on a daily basis will help them to develop good, healthy habits. When children are bored they begin the downward spiral of bad habits. Sedentary activities such as video games or watching television should be limited. It’s very easy to get children moving because unlike sedentary adults, children still enjoy it. I’d like to share with you some fun activities you can do with your children to help promote healthy exercise every day.
If you don’t mind paying someone else to play with your kids, sign your children up with one of the many kid-focused gyms. Most will offer gymnastics, dance, swimming, and music classes. Many will encourage parents to stay and participate, but from my experience, many will also ask parents to leave or watch from a windowed room. You need to choose the option that works for you. I’m more of a hands-on mommy. I like to get involved. I think it’s fun. I also believe that by getting involved and enjoying yourself, you are setting a good example for your kids. You might just get a little workout too.
After attending some classes with my daughter and paying prices that I thought were good at the time, I realized that I could save time, money, gas, and even a little sanity if I did it on my own. I sat down with my computer and my collection of children’s music CDs and started creating compilations of the most upbeat songs I could find. I grabbed some toys and a bubble machine, cleared out a large space in the living room and cranked the music. The kids and I were all dancing and playing toy instruments while the bubbles whirled around us. I could do this every day without any problem. The kids also loved it. I started inviting my fellow moms to join me and we have a great time at least once a week. My kids and I still do it more often than that. You can do it too. You don’t need compilation CDs or a bubble machine. Any kind of music will do. You can even make your own music or have a marching band using pots and wooden spoons. Music and movement go together and children love it. This is my favorite way to get moving.
Moving the party outdoors is always an adventure. My kids will stand at the door and look longingly onto the backyard. Because of our climate, we have a small chunk of the year where outdoor play becomes impossible. When we can get out however, there are so many things to do. During the summer we swim as often as possible. Swimming is wonderful exercise for anyone. Check out my episode on pool safety before heading out to the water. Once the outdoors becomes bearable or even enjoyable, that’s when it’s time to head out for a walk or a park day. If you do take the kids to the park, try to be involved in the activities. I’ve discovered that I enjoy going down the slide and I get my exercise climbing back up to do it again. I see parents at the park sitting on benches watching the kids and I know I’m having more fun than they are. I want my kids to know that becoming an adult doesn’t mean you don’t play anymore. Being active is fun.
There will be days when the weather doesn’t permit outdoor play. If you want to get out of the house, there are a few things you can do. If your local mall has a play area, this is great for toddlers. It doesn’t offer much for parents to do actively with the kids, but once the kids are done playing you can walk around the mall, holding hands or pushing the stroller, and get in some activity for yourself. You can also check out local indoor play areas. These wonderful, safe, indoor playgrounds are popping up everywhere. Sometimes they are a bit pricey, especially if you have more than one child, but it’s usually great fun for the kids and they offer quite a bit of imaginative playtime. Another great indoor activity is bowling. Even the littlest of toddlers can bowl if you request a ball ramp. You set the ball on top and they just give a big push and down it goes.
Finally, for the older kids, take them to the local skate rink, but do yourself a favor and stick around. Get yourself some skates and get out there. You might be surprised how fast you can relearn to skate if it’s been a while. I’m looking forward to my children being old enough to roller skate, but I don’t need them to grow up too fast. There are plenty of songs we haven’t even danced to yet.
That’s it for now. Hope you enjoyed listening. I’d love to hear from you. Let me know what types of activities you do with your family to keep everyone moving.
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This is your friend the Mighty Mommy wishing you happy and fun parenting!
Music – “Golly Gee” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
Family Playing Soccer image courtesy of Shutterstock