Fun Ways to Keep Your Kids Active
Does your child sit around the house all day, attached to his electronics? Mighty Mommy and Get-Fit Guy have expert tips on getting your kids up and moving (without letting them know that they’re exercising).
I grew up in a very active family that enjoyed everything from golf to cross country skiing. Both my parents were school teachers and taught my siblings and me to not only exercise our brains, but our bodies as well. This meant we didn’t sit around like couch potatoes or announce that we were bored because we were used to being active and it was a regular part of our life. My husband also enjoyed a similar childhood so we both knew that we wanted our brood of 8 to live an energetic lifestyle.
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My fellow Quick and Dirty Tips colleague, Ben Greenfield (aka ), also believes in the importance of keeping kids fit. In fact, one of his recent newsletters included the results of a fascinating study done by the University of Essex.
We’re very lucky to have Ben here with us today. Ben, why don’t you tell us about this study?
A Get-Fit Guy Exclusive!
Thanks Cheryl. I’m so glad to be here to tell you and your fans about these amazing results. This study focused on the perception of children about their parents’ activity levels. In the study, researchers asked schoolchildren to rate how active they thought their parents were. Then they had those children complete a test of their own cardio fitness. In this case, they used a , which is a common way to measure basic fitness levels. What researchers found was that the likelihood of the child having greater fitness based on their performance on the bleep test was directly influenced by how active that child perceived their parents to be.
In other words, kids who were under the impression that their parents didn’t exercise very much, did not appear themselves to be exercising very much. This resulted in a dramatic decrease in their fitness compared to peers who rated their parents more highly in the physical fitness department.
This means that no matter their age, kids really do pay attention to and mimic their parents. So a big step to getting your kids fit is to be an example yourself. It makes a much bigger difference than you may think. And now we have the research to back it up.
Thanks Ben. These really are amazing results!
So how can we help keep our kids (and ourselves) fit? Though schedules in today’s busy lifestyle are much more complicated than when we were kids, here are 5 fun and easy strategies that I’ve successfully implemented with my kids to help keep them moving instead of sitting attached to their electronics:
Tip #1: Play “Notice the Neighborhood”
We have two dogs that absolutely love to go for walks. This summer we started playing a fun game that we call “Notice the Neighborhood” while we walk the dogs. Before we head off for the walk, I print a list of 10 random items I want my kids to find during the walk. For instance, yesterday I asked my boys to find one fruit tree, a house with a birdbath, a Chevrolet vehicle in the driveway, a house with green shutters, and many other items. We had to complete the walk and the list within 45 minutes so this made us walk at a brisk pace. There are two big hills in our neighborhood, so this added a bit of intensity. But because the kids were excitedly trying to find the items on the list—they hardly noticed we were working out. They have enjoyed this so much that they actually request the walks, and the dogs are benefiting, too!
Tip #2: Get Pedometers for Everyone in the House
When pedometers became all the rage a few years ago, I simply had to have one! I was amazed to see that getting in the recommended 10,000 steps per day was always much easier when I was wearing the pedometer regularly because I had a good sense of how much I was actually moving. My kids noticed I was wearing one and they would ask me throughout the day to share with them how many steps I had taken. I finally decided that they should be keeping track of their own steps, not mine, so I got each of them a pedometer and boy, were they ever thrilled. They even got competitive with one another towards the end of the day to see who was going to reach 10,000 steps first. This was a great way to keep them in tune to how active they were and the healthy competition encouraged more activity.
Tip #3: Dance While Tidying Your Home
One of my favorite ways to re-energize is to listen to music that has a great beat. With our large family and busy lives, we have a “Trash and Tidy” in our house twice a week where we quickly go through the entire house and pick items up that don’t belong and get them to their proper places. This lasts for about 25 minutes and to make it more entertaining we do it to music—fast-paced music that gets our blood flowing. The music takes our minds off the actual work, but more importantly, it really helps all of us burn calories. And even more importantly, we have a lot of laughs in the process.
Tip #4: Yard Tournaments
One of my favorite childhood memories is of spending hours in our family backyard playing kick ball, whiffle ball, and freeze tag. My siblings and I played outdoors for hours only stopping for a quick snack or bathroom break. I’ve taken that experience to heart and nowadays, my family has yard tournaments with great games like badminton, volleyball, Frisbee, and even hula hooping. I buy silly prizes from the dollar store and award the winners. Times spent in your own backyard with family can truly be the most memorable, and there is no end to the activities the whole family can participate in, especially when these games are enjoyed on a regular basis. We hold our yard tournaments throughout the entire year, winter included. If you don’t have a backyard, don’t worry, you can do the same in your local park or playground. My hope is that someday my children will pass this active tradition down to their own families!
Tip #5: Play “Follow the Leader”
Kids love to play games, especially when they’re in charge of something or good at winning them! It’s so important for younger kids to learn that body movement is not only healthy but lots of fun as well. When my kids were about 3, we started playing the popular game, “Follow the Leader.” The goal was to tire them out with a fun adventure around the house or yard. One of my older children or I would be the leader and then we’d parade up and down the stairs, all over the yard, and throughout the hallway, bedrooms, and even the garage. The simple object was to do some fun and silly movements along the way, because the other children in line had to copy their leader. This game can be adapted to a variety of activities such as swimming, obstacle courses, and even playing on the swing set. Remember, all the leader needs to do is to keep moving so that the children will follow suit and imitate all the movements.
Thanks again to , for his wonderful insight on the importance of keeping our families active and healthy.
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Enjoy being active with your family and as always—Happy Parenting!